Racers are well aware of the super-charging effect of elevation, so naturally the by-racers-for-racers The Curv incorporates a two-piece plate that gives the skier extra leverage over the edge. The extra lift all but requires the skier to commit the upper body to the inside of the turn, just to be in synch with The Curv’s instantly elevated edge angle. Even though its Booster plate is two-part, and therefore less inhibiting on ski flex, it’s still a Power skier’s accoutrement. It will magnify an expert’s strengths and expose an advanced skier’s shortcomings.

The gain in power comes at a loss of subtlety, a “tip-me-to-a-high-edge-or-stay-home” attitude that demands a fall-line orientation and familiarity with high speeds. Note that The Curv Booster has a slightly straighter silhouette than The Curv DTX, with a longer sidecut radius measurement so it has a little more downhill orientation to go along with its power-generating plate. Todd from Sturtevant’s of Sun Valley is stunned by its awesome accuracy at speed, writing, “Wow! Smooth, sweet, easy and powerful.”

The ski beneath the energy-enhancing Booster plate is a World Cup clone with a more user-friendly sidecut. Titanal sheets and a proprietary carbon weave called Diagotex™ provide the power source; The Curv’s triple-radius sidecut gives it the intense, addictive hook-up action you buy a carving ski for. The short-radius forebody initiates a tight turn the instant it’s tipped, the longer-radius center draws out the belly of the turn while the skier is laid over, and the short-radius tail maintains contact across the fall line.

Skiers looking for max velocity should look at a longer length; experts who prefer to cut a sharper corner can go as short as 164cm.