Less is more on the clothing front - even boardwear is less baggy: it's all about streamlining shapes and features. And everything stretches and breathes at the same time as repelling water and wind.

Freeride skis have really changed the way we think about the mountain. And they're now the fastest growing sector in ski sales.

In the past we had to learn the hard way how to ski the steeps and deeps. Skiing powder on long, stiff skinny skis was about as easy as trying to float a needle on water. Then carving skis strode into town. With a greater surface area than the traditional skis, even in their early form, carvers were so much easier to handle in off-piste conditions. Because they floated.

And so freeride skis were born. Wider skis from tip to tail giving much better flotation in powder and crud, but still with the carving shape to keep up performance on the piste.

[Photo: Fall Line]

Dynastar 4X4

Fat Boys are those really fat powder skis people use to go heli-skiing. Fresh on the scene this year are their big brothers - Big Boys. They've got the same width, but with the shape of carvers and a whole lot of attitude. Last year they were the choice of a select few, but this year, we reckon they'll be all over the mountain. Keep your eye out for the Pocket Rocket, Atomic 10ex , the K2 AK Launcher, Head's Monster Cross and the Dynastar 4x4 Big.

[Photo: Fall Line]

Salomon AK Rocket

The Salomon AK Rocket, which comes in a shorter length this year and has already been nicknamed the Pocket Rocket.

Nu School skis are another biggie for this year. After the massive success of the Salomon 1080 and their Snow Blades, every manufacturer is jumping on the bandwagon. They're generally shorter and fatter than freeride skis and everyone can have a go with twin tips, ski boards and specialist jumping skis. Not only are they perfect for 360s, flips and tricks (show the boarders how it's done), they're also being used in ski schools, in powder and generally all over the mountain. Try them - they're funky and so much fun.

Carving skis are getting even shorter. New materials and design concepts mean that they're getting easier to turn, but still very stable at high speeds. Rossignol's new T Power range is designed to be skied about 20% shorter than normal - the longest you can buy is just 176cm and the shortest 150cm. They're amazingly stable for such short skis, easy in the moguls and best of all - they're less tiring.

So for 2001, the biggest mistake you can probably make is to go too long. And just one more piece of advice - if you're new to carving skis, have a quick lesson at the start of your holiday so you can get the most out of these fab skis.

When you click into your bindings, your boots switch automatically to ski mode. This saves you effort of having to bend over and do it yourself - let alone remember to do it.

There's also the new Lange Rear Release System, which has been designed specifically to help prevent anterior cruciate ligament injuries. It uses a hinge system on the back of the boot that allows the rear of the boot to move back to a vertical position when a skier is under the type of pressure that can cause stretching of the knee ligaments. It is only currently available on the Vector9 and Venus9 models.

Stretch is the other buzzword. The trend for this year is for ski and board wear to be slim line, but at the same time give more mobility to wearer. Manufacturers have managed this by using fabrics with a 'four-way and contouring elbow and knee areas in line with the body. And none of these fabrics compromise on their wind and water resistance. Features still there - but more low-key. Pockets are on the inside; it's all about attention to detail.

Colours, in the same way, are subtle. Moss, slate, pale gold, blues and lilac are dominating the scene, with the odd splash of excitement. But it's all about understated elegance - what you get this year is not what you see.

In order to get the perfect carve, these new skis need to bend and maintain snow contact from tip to tail throughout the whole turn. Traditional bindings that are mounted directly onto the ski with a boot secured firmly in the middle gives a 'dead spot' under foot where the ski can't flex. Over the years manufacturers have been working out how to solve this problem and have introduced plates that flex with bindings and boots with soles that flex.

[Photo: Salomon]

The Salomon Pilot System

But for 2001 the new concept that has everyone excited is the Salomon Pilot System. This integrated binding system uses hinges that are attached to the sides of the skis and not the base. The flex of the ski is no longer hindered and you get much better tip to tail snow contact - resulting in a smoother carve and better edge grip.