Patent ID: 7260545

Claim:
A method for allowing a user having a weight within an anticipated range of user weights to select a ski having suitable characteristics to match the weight of the user, the method comprising the steps of: defining a set of user weight ranges, said user weight ranges being defined so as to collectively map onto the anticipated range of user weights; establishing a set of geometric shapes, each of which corresponds to one of said user weight ranges; providing a collection of skis which are sorted into groups, each of the skis in a particular group having performance characteristics suitable for users having a weight which falls within a particular one of said user weight ranges; providing a set of ski indicia matched in visual appearance with said geometric shapes; associating the ski indicia with each ski in the group of skis having performance characteristics suitable for users having a weight which falls within the one of said user weight ranges that corresponds to the one of said geometric shapes which matches that particular one of the ski indicia; assessing the weight of the user without publicly providing a common numeric indication of weight or mass; assigning said assessed user weight into an appropriate one of said user weight ranges and identifying to the user the one of said geometric shapes which corresponds to the one of said user weight ranges into which said assessed user weight is assigned; and selecting a pair of skis associated with ski indicia which match said identified one of said geometric shapes.