Outrigger skis are skis that are used by para-skiers to assist with balance, turn, control their speed, stop and amplify the direction of turns.
[3] They also help to amplify the direction of a turn initiated by shifts in the upper body.
[4] In para-skiing, outrigger skis are an assistive device used by skiers with balance issues or amputations.
[6] The outrigger for para-skiing was first developed during the 1940s by Franz Wendel to enable him to ski following an accident that resulted in one of his legs being amputated.
[7] The origins of the outrigger for para-skiing connect to a crutch with a flip-ski attached to the end that was developed in Canada.