Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Every ski and snowboarding event at the 2026 Winter Olympics is won through a combination of sheer athleticism, quick thinking, creativity, and persistence. But like so many other sports, competitors know their choice of equipment can mean the difference earning the gold or silver medal. A ski is built for function over form, and manufacturers have spent decades adapting and honing their products to ensure wearers get the best results. The fine tuning has very clear results, too. If the 1964 Winter Olympic gold medalist for downhill alpine skiing faced off against every qualifying participant in the same event at the Beijing games in 2022, Egon Zimmermann would have returned to Austria solidly in last place. While his antiquated accessories wouldn’t be the only limiting factor, they would play a major part in his hypothetical humiliation. Aside from better made components, today’s ski shapes are also dramatically different from their forebears. “The shape determines stability and the maneuverability of …