Speed, a constant battle against time, in every discipline. The technical evolution of materials used in the World Cup and World Ski Championships has transformed athletic feats over the last few years, taking turning to unimaginable levels. To adequately support performance, skiers now need to make increasing use of their arms. The hand on the ground has become a new foothold for skiers, like the elbow for MotoGP™ riders, a way to improve safety at increasingly impressive speeds.
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The turn is the most obvious touchpoint between two seemingly distant worlds. In the motorcycle world championship, riders have learned to rest their elbow on the asphalt to adapt to increasingly high-performance tires and, similarly, skiers have transformed their hands into fundamental performance tools. This isn’t just a quirk or a concession to the show.
Gloves for extreme turning: HP Ergotek Pro
In this context, gloves become real secret weapons with which to gain precious time downhill. And the ‘weapon’ that Dainese supplies to all its athletes, from world championship skiers to enthusiasts, is known as HP Ergotek Pro. Available as a standard or mitten version, it is a concentrate of racing technology. Its knuckles are made of composite material, carbon fiber and polyurethane, and are created using Ergotek technology, the result of studies conducted on the gloves of MotoGP™ riders. The areas most subject to impact have been mapped to develop a new protection that offers greater freedom of movement, without compromising safety.
Super Fabric® technology
Another secret of the HP Ergotek Pro gloves lies on the fingers. It's called Super Fabric®, a material that integrates ceramic micro spheres and is flexible, extremely resistant to abrasion, and designed to be able to slide on the snow. The fabric effectively protects the hand from friction but does not deteriorate during high speed contact against the snow, when the hand plays a fundamental role in the body’s turn dynamics.
A matter of leather
The structure of the HP Ergotek Pro gloves is made entirely of top quality sheepskin, exactly like that of the Dainese gloves that protect the hands of MotoGP™ riders. The material has elastic properties and stands out for its freedom of movement, comfortable fit, but particularly for the safety it can guarantee when there is abrasion owing to friction against the snow, after a fall.
Warm hands
Unlike a rider garment, Dainese technical gloves must also guarantee a skier the necessary warmth to the hands, so that they can concentrate on performance with the utmost physical and mental efficiency. And the HP Ergotek Pro insulation, made of Primaloft® Silver, does just that. This material is 80% ultra-thin Primaloft® fibers and 20% water-repellent down. The result is the perfect combination of breathability and warmth, even in very humid conditions. The ideal solution for high-intensity physical activity, with minimal bulk.
Dainese offers the very best in terms of technology and performance to both World Ski Championship and World Cup athletes and enthusiasts. Gloves, like any other item of clothing, are a key element that allows skiers to focus solely on their (increasingly extreme) athletic feats, without any concern.
