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K2 Poacher 96 - first park specific ski ever made
Snowblade 96 - opened the doors to terrain parks. Mountain Managers did not allow skiers in terrain parks for a long time due to the percieved liablity of released skis hitting people. Snowblades skirted that concern and were alowwed into snowboarder parks before skis.
Salomon 1080 - 97-98 - GAME ON, snowbladers and mogul skiers got their first shot at defining this new aspect of skiiing.
1998 - first winter x-games, candian air-force, people still "cracking" their tails to make homemade twin-tips
I wrote a 15 pager on the history and progression of newschool. I wrote this about 3 years back for my intro to ski industries class at UMaine Farmington and got an A on it! The first twin was the Olan Mark IV in the late '70s for ballet skiing.
I can tell you which one you are all forgetting. The Ross E Knoll came out a year before the 1080. 153 cm, and I think about 110-85-110 or something. Can't fully remember.
Guys, WayneWong has it correct. It was K2 first with the Poacher, then Salomon in 1998 when the first proto was delivered to JP and JF at the awards for the first U.S. Open. They only sold it to the public the following winter in 1998-1999.
Olin did it back in the 70's and there was a wooden twin tip ski made back in the 30's which is on display in an Aspen ski shop and was also featured in an older issue of Freeze.
Well, sorry but if you are going to throw the 1080 in there as 98 then you have to throw the Ross E Knoll in there. I was skiing on them in the 97-98 season. Remember Fridge Photos. I know you do because you happen to be on the same page. Unfortunately, I don't think I have any earlier photos of them. However, Vinnie D is riding them in State of Mind in two shots I believe.
This ski keeps getting forgotten and left out of the whole history thing.
ya my papers on the way skiing has progressed and since the first 1080's were the first successful twin tip, i mentioned how the new type of ski helped progress the sport....i kinda just needed a date so i wasn't giving wrong info.
The first twin tip was around the time of the old huge wooden skis that you may see hanging up in a lodge. They where used by ski patrol so they could traverse back and forth without having to make jumping turns in tight situations through the trees. There was a thread about this way back and even came with a picture.
as for last reply, i have a buddy who bought line twin tips basically for that reason, he hates the park, but he loves super steep glades, and he can just do a "falling leaf" style turn in a really tight spot. good comedy.
i've acutally held a pair of Olin Mark IV's. man their so old school but they do have the twin tip. i'd say that most peoples first twin was the 1080 groms. they were my first twin and probally a whole bunch of other peoples also.
yah we have like 20 pairs of mark IV's at our local ski swap that keep coming around every year, im probably going to buy a pair this year just to hang up.
you are all wrong. Freeze magazine once showed a picture of the first twintip. It was made of wood and used by those arctic indians. way before salomon or line were even a company.
No man, those arent the same ones I have. Trust me, I was skiing on them in 97-98. I broke them early 98-99 season, and they sent me another pair for free. Those would be the ones you can see if you have I think the first issue of Vol 3 of Freeze. Also, check out State of Mind. Vinnie Dorion is on them in the summer of 97.
Also, and this is where I actually first learned that a twintip ski existed, and coincidentally lead me to the Ross E Knoll, check out like either the 1st or 3rd issue of Boards in Motion. They were talking about some sort of Glissade twin tip. If I remember right, the dimensions were around that of what Pollard now skis on.
HAte to burst everyones bubbles here but I was watching vintage ski footage from gods knows when but they were skiing on long wooden planks that were twintipped and they were tossing 180's off windlips n shit. But people think this whole freeskiing thing is relatively new but it's not, it's only more mainstream now
the first twin came out in the 80s, for ski-ballet. that was cool for about 2 and a half minutes, then twins were put away until the mid to late 90swhen park was discovered for skiers
I believe that the priginal poster was asking about modern twin-tips....i.e those that affected/progressed freeskiing into "newschool skiing"
The taxonomy of modern skis would be the appropriate title...and the missing link between the shaped skis of 1995 and the revolution that started in 1998 would be a combination of salomon and line snowblades, the canadian air force, the k2 poacher and the early 1080 prototypes...yes, some other companies had turned up tails on their carving skis but the K2 poacher was the FIRST park specific mass manuafactured ski...alas it was as soft as a noodle and way to short, and our half pipes/parks were still off-limit to all skiers - but they tried
why hasnt anyone mentioned line? Im pretty sure they were the first company to start making twins. Well, other than the ones in the 70s. This is line's 10th aniversary year sooo i can only assume that they've been making twins since the 95-96 season.