7 NOVEL SKI FEATURES

14th November 2018 | Katie Bamber, Senior News Reporter

Last modified on August 23rd, 2021

Decathlon’s ski game is strong. And to top it, here are 7 innovations to make skiing that bit more… exciting.

I guess we should start by explaining what we mean by ski gear ‘innovations’.

They’re new features, designs, gadgets and mods to anything from skis to goggles.

Some are sensible.

Some are fun.

Some are downright cool.

The purpose?

To make buying your ski gear a little easier, whether it’s saving money or making the experience out on the mountains a little more comfortable.

PlanetSKI decked out in Decathlon last season. Image © PlanetSKI

And so, Decathlon’s top seven ‘innovations’ in its Wed’ze range for Winter 18/19:

1) Kids Ski Boot that covers 4 sizes:

Innovative or what?

And we’ll assume that if you have children and ski, you’ll know the feeling of fear at the idea of seeing who’s outgrown what as we approach the ski season.

This Wed’ze ski boot is designed for novice to intermediate junior skiers whose feet are still growing.

For kids’ feet sized 8 to 13.5, these boots conform to the size of the child’s foot with an inflatable system that modulates the volume of the liner and covers 4 foot sizes.

It’s the best compromise between foot support and comfort so that young skiers can totally concentrate on learning to ski without the risk of wearing poor fitting ski boots.

The cost – £64.99

2) The Freeride ski outfit – complete with PlanetSKI’s favourite winter item.

For both men and women, the freeride jacket and pants (both with down feather removable liners) has beendeveloped for the advanced skier.

It looks advanced as well, looking and functioning like the very high-end products and brands.

The technical jacket is £219.99.

It’s waterproof and breathable, warm, durable with freedom of movement, and the down inner jacket is removable.

The ski pants are as well designed for back country skiers seeking modular trousers to ski all season.

The trousers allow you to manage the heat thanks to the zips in the outer layer and the down liner shorts (THESE are PlanetSKI’s favourite innovation EVER)…

Gaiters enable easy access to the hooks on the top of the boots to optimise the opening of boots with ski/walk function – particularly useful for those who walk or use skins to get to a great slope.

Even greater is the cost – £169.99

Jacket and down liner

Freeride pants & down liner shorts

3) The goggles with a click lense-changer

Designed for the skier and snowboarder looking for all-weather goggles equipped with an instant lens hue.

The ETINT electro photochromic lens of these Wed’ze goggles change in hue automatically so you can see in all types of weather.

These goggles accept prescription glasses maximum 130mm wide
100% anti-UV lens
Ergonomic foam and adjustable strap

ALL WEATHER SKI AND SNOWBOARD GOGGLES BLACK

Practice your French, or just watch to see exactly how these goggs go…

Our previous reports on Wed’ze gear and Decathlon:

DECATHLON: A SKI BRAND TO REMEMBER

DECATHLON SKI TESTS

DECATHLON OPENS NEW LONDON STORE

4) The Boost 300 Skis

Designed for skiers from beginner to intermediate levels.

These Wed’ze mens groomed slope skis are ideal for use on 90% carving slopes and 10% all types of snow.

Intuitive skis, they provide grip allowing you to discover carved turns on groomed slopes.

Easy at low speeds and stable when accelerating, they are the perfect ally to improve whilst enjoying yourself.

What makes them innovative?

The skis are built through injection, rather than by the traditional sandwich construction.

Here’s what ex-Olympic skier Graham Bell says of the Boost 300s:

“Dont be put off by the price of these skis.

“Because they are manufactured differently from any construction of skis on the market they have a slightly unusual feeling when you set off, but once you start carving turns they will hold an edge even on icy snow.

“They are lively and responsive and would be ideal for someone looking to develop their skiing on piste to dynamic carved turns.”