1.   But just because there are no serious naysayers does not make shaped skis the big story of the year.

2.   But shaped skis allow skiers to build angles in a very natural, rather than a contrived, way.

3.   Flashy new shaped skis or lightweight snowboard boots can add pizzazz to a trip to the slopes.

4.   In other words, does a shaped ski track at high speed as well as a conventional one?

5.   Leirvaag said that as good as shaped skis are, there may be a downside to riding faster down a slope.

6.   Now the argument moves to whether shaped skis can be modified for mogul bashing and straight speed skiing.

7.   One company that claims success at providing stability at higher speeds with its shaped ski is Stockli, a Swiss-made ski.

8.   Rossignol, meanwhile, had a head start developing parabolic skis, shaped skis that are narrow in the middle and wider at the tips and ends.

9.   Shaped skis are shorter and both skis are used to turn, which leads to added control and flexibility.

10.   Shaped skis, as anybody who skis knows, are to skiing what oversize rackets are to tennis.