Skater From Another Planet? - More traditionally garbed racers eye the irridescent one-piece skinsuit of Knut Skarpaas at the starting line of Sunday's Napa Valley Inline Marathon. The 41-year-old racer from Woodside, CA, who finished seventh in the pro-elite division, designed the skinsuit himself, using high-tech fabrics and all the colors of the rainbow. It wasn't only Skarpaas' skinsuit that was one piece. He raced in a pair of monocoque skates, which feature boots and frames molded together from carbon fiber.What do you think is better, the skin-skit, the name of the guy wearing the suit, or the face of the skater trying figure out what he is seeing next to him?
3 comments:
Comments and questions.
Regarding the skinsuit (by the way my favorite word in this post)
Where can I get one?
Do they prevent road rash?
Do they come in yellow with black stripes? I can add the stinger...
I have always been a fan of any name that has two consecutive As.
Is it pronounced Newt or KA nute? The whole thing cracks me up!
Hi-
It is actually Knut Skarpaas VIII. It means the 8th Knut of the sharp ridge (which is a place in Norway where Knut the first was born about 300 years ago). I am a mechanical engineer and I love speed. I designed the suit after finding out that this fabric acts like dimples on a golf ball and actually increases your speed. When you are going really fast in this suit, the wind gets quiet which feels strange. I had Kristin Diemont sew it (her husband was the alternate on the olympic short track team for Apolo Ohno but did not get to race). I have gone down in this suit many times with almost no skin damage. I made a 45 foot skidmark on the olympic velodrome and broke a collar bone on another straightaway. I sewed knee cups in which has really helped. I have raced this suit in 3 world cups, but it is really tired now. I pronounce the K in front of my name.
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