Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 10, 1995 TAG: 9501100049
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JENNIFER MEARS ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``The industry is ... beginning to acknowledge the fact that women skiers have been ignored and the women's market has been underserviced,'' Carbone said. ``But there's a long way to go.
``The industry is so male-dominated. It's as bad as car racing or football.''
A big problem, which Carbone discusses in the book, is the anatomical and biomechanical differences between men and women that make skiing difficult for many females.
Designed for child-bearing, women's pelvic areas are bigger than men's and create a ``Q angle'' not conducive to skiing. The Q angle is medical shorthand for the angle of the quadricep tendon.
Women's Q angles force their knees together when they assume the skiing stance, making it hard to make good, cutting edges for turns. That difficulty would cow even a male skier, Carbone said.
The ski industry, however, could do a lot to solve that problem by making boots and other equipment specially designed for women, she writes. Industry executives have told her the prospect is far too expensive.
Until ski makers meet women's needs, women can modify their equipment, starting with their boots, which is the foundation of their skiing stance, Carbone writes. They can get custom soles made to create a cradle for the foot, holding it in place and allowing the skier to better transfer energy from her legs to her skis.
Another modification they can make is called canting, which involves placing a strip of tape or other kind of material under the binding in order to tilt the boot and create a better stance, Carbone writes. She warns that canting should be done by ski technicians.
``Although changing your equipment may not solve all your problems, giving yourself ... mechanical advantages is a good beginning. It's like wearing black to look slimmer or getting a precision haircut that flatters the shape of your face. Now just do that with skiing,'' Carbone writes.
An avid skier for more than 30 years and a free-lance writer, Carbone said she decided to write a book for women after seeing their frustration on the slopes.
``I was invited to a lot of women ski clinics ... and I noticed this real frustration. They liked being out there ... but there was always a but: `but I'm not a very good skier, but I need to get more self-confidence ... but I need to be more aggressive,' '' Carbone said.
``There was always this sort of putting themselves down because they felt their ability wasn't up to par. So I thought, you know, there's got to be a reason why women aren't getting it.''
So Carbone spent four years traveling to ski areas in the Rocky Mountains and talking to female skiers. She interviewed ski instructors, international ski racers, ski technicians, as well as doctors, physiologists and biomechanical engineers.
The how-to book offers pointers on everything from getting in shape for the slopes to protecting face and hair from the elements. Helpful chapter summaries, an index and suggested other reading make the book a great resource for women skiers of all levels.
The book may tend to overgeneralize at times, but Carbone conceded there are exceptions to everything she discusses
``Women Ski,'' published by World Leisure Corp., sells for a suggested retail price of $14.95.
by CNB