Race skis have a more aggressive side cut and they generally have a wider tip for a sharper turning radius. Also the materials used for racing skis tend to be more expensive. The ski is usually a bit lighter and the materials used, built for high speeds and can take a beating. Down hill would be for a recreational use. For some one who just enjoys skiing rather than lives it.
No, you cannot cross country ski with downhill skis. Cross country skis are designed for flat terrain and require a different technique than downhill skiing.
No, downhill skis are not suitable for cross country skiing. Cross country skis are longer, narrower, and lighter than downhill skis, designed for gliding across flat or gently rolling terrain.
Not unless you are a ski racer yourself, and were lucky enough to get top of the line equipment. World Cup skiers get the best race skis that their factory makes. They have many different pairs of the same type (downhill skis, for example) that they will test to see which are the fastest. Race skis are highly specialized and differ greatly from demo skis or skis that the public usually buys. You can see this reflected in the price. Race skis typically run $800-$1000 for the skis, not including bindings.
No, cross country skis are not suitable for downhill skiing as they are designed for flat terrain and do not have the necessary features for downhill skiing such as bindings and edges.
no
Yes, skis WILL help you get downhill faster if there is snow. You need to know how steep the hill is to know how fast you will go. If you add some ski wax to the bottom of your skis, you will go extra fast.
In ski racing, downhill skis are the longest, but slalom skis are the widest.
over 100mph at least
Skis for jumping are longer and wider for more air resistence, and skis for racing are long and have slick surfaces and have sharp edges for going faster.
Alpine Touring, also known as Randonnée, is a type of backcountry skiing. Randonnée ski bindings are a cross between standard downhill bindings (toes and heels locked in) and telemark bindings (only toes locked in). With randonnée bindings, the skier can clip down the heel piece when skiing downhill (like downhill bindings) and release it when skating or climbing (like telemark bindings). Special ski boots are used with both telemark and randonnée; though, randonnée boots have rigid soles like standard downhill boots. Also, randonnée bindings can release during falls, but telemark bindings cannot. And a skier need not learn to turn differently on AT skis, as with telemark skis, since the heel can be clipped down. As for the skis themselves, AT skis are typically much wider and heavier than a basic ski-area ski, as they are used more often in deep powder and ungroomed conditions; though, randonnée bindings can be mounted to most skis. All Mountain skis are a mid-width type of ski, such that the skier can handle well in both groomed and ungroomed/powder conditions--the latter not as well as with AT skis.
if by regular skis you mean downhill skis, then longjump skis are similar, but they are nearly twice as long and twice as wide-- the greater surface area makes the ski jumper accelerate faster, thereby allowing him to travel farther off of the jump
yes there are different skis for men and women the difference is the radius