I spent the past week trying out next year’s skis, and I have to admit, I tried more advanced and race models than recreational skis.

But I did make it a point to check into some of the skis everyone might learn on. I also talked with reps from the various companies to find out what they had in the works for ski schools. The idea was to explore how the new equipment has made it easier to learn the sport.

We all know how the new gear has made skiing easier for all levels of those who already ski, but what about someone thinking of giving skiing a try?

In recent seasons, I have become more aware of non-skiers and their thinking. A lot of this comes at gatherings where people learn for the first time what I do.

I ski and I write about it. Skiers respond by telling me how lucky I am, but the non-skiers often volunteer their reasons for not taking up the sport. Those who have never tried it speak of fear and cost. Those who tried and quit more often cite hassle, along with cost.

This is a familiar refrain. They talk about waiting to be fitted into rental equipment. Some start even earlier, with the confusing arrival at a major ski resort and trying to figure out where to go. Those of us with years of experience take for granted knowing where to go, and the easiest way to access different ski areas, but put us in a strange area, and we have to spend some time getting to know the resort. We can only imagine what happens to someone who has never skied arriving at a resort with multiple base lodges and no directions.

With this idea in mind, I made contact with some local folks who are

involved in getting new skiers up and skiing. One of the best at introducing newcomers to the sport is Lost Valley. At one time this tiny area had the largest ski school in Maine, and with 140 current members, that may still be true.

I talked with Diane Moreau, a part-owner, who handles marketing at the area. Over several years, the entire rental section has been revamped to make it easy for skiers taking lessons to move seamlessly through the process and onto the slopes. Diane told me, “They want results fast. If they don’t feel early success, they move on.”

To provide this success, the area replaces one-third of its rental equipment every year so skiers will benefit from the latest technology. Beginners

are set up with the shortest skis, which will provide adequate stability to

give them control.

Rik Dow, a veteran ski teacher and head of the Perfect Turn program at Sunday River, noted that rental boots are much easier to get in and out of, yet provide fit and comfort. He calls the ideal boot one that bends like the ankle while giving solid lateral support. “The new skis are more flexible,” Dow said. “When the edge is engaged, they pull you through the turn.”

The new ski school skis are real skis, unlike those stiff two-footers of

the sixties. The new ones are flexible and will actually carve a turn. Not

only do they speed the learning process, but many are suitable to keep skiing on.

Along with better fitting boots and improved skis have come innovations that reduce the hassle of getting set up. The process uses to be first fitting a pair of boots, selecting a ski, adjusting bindings to fit the boot and setting the release mechanism. Most skiers can remember standing around in stocking feet while the ski mechanic set the bindings.

Not many years ago, at demos we had to climb a short ladder to chest-high platform where we would have our bindings set. When ready we would ski down a ramp and off to the lift. Today, we tell the mechanic our boot sole length and release setting.

The mechanic can simply dial the proper length, apply a screw driver to adjust the release, and off we go.

This same technology is now applied to rental bindings and a few minutes are all that’s required to have a skier on the way to ski school or in the case of veteran skiers off to the mountain. The hassle factor has been

dramatically reduced. And it’s about to get better.

I talked with Mike Bisner, Marketing Director at Head and he told me

about the BYS System. Instead of having to set up skis for numerous boot sizes, the company has designed a series of boots with three sole lengths covering the entire range of sizes. The letters stand for Black, Yellow and Silver. The skis and boots are color coded. If someone takes a boot size that comes under Black, the shop fitter simply reaches for a ski with a black friction slider and he knows the binding will fit.

The entire system is installed at the factory, so there is no margin for

error.

This is a quick overview of what’s happening in making things easier to

learn to ski. More innovation is coming, but if you’re among those who has avoided skiing because of the hassle in getting started, now might be a good time to try again.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.