Catalyst partners with Diston, the Best Cut-Resistant apparel in the World to protect ski racers from lacerations, certified with 3 FIS Stars

Catalyst Sport Sciences and Catalyst Performance Camps are very pleased to announce a new relationship with DISTON Anticut Shield to protect our athletes attending our camps with the BEST Cut-Resistant apparel in the World to protect ski racers from lacerations during training and racing.

Cut-resistant undergarments are a relatively new invention in Alpine Skiing.  In recent times, the quality of edge tuning has rapidly increased with the wide-spread use of tuning machines like the Snow glide and Tri-One. Athletes now have more opportunities than ever to train on injected slopes and ice all year round, and coaches are making the edges extremely sharp to maximize performance on these kind of surfaces. Obviously therefore, that comes with an additional risk.

Anyone who has been ski-training and ski-racing for a number of years now, probably has seen a number of deep lacerations and big bleeds in the past few seasons. As racers push the limits, they are crashing and falling onto their own skis, exposing themselves to cuts in the major limbs.

The most high profile case in recent times was Aleksander Kilde in the Wengen Downhill in January this year, who cut through his calf and spent 10 weeks in a wheelchair, before having to learn how to use his foot properly again

Diston Sport has created the first 3 Star FIS Approved in CRG 2021 (cut resistance grade) cut-resistant undergarment (pants and tops) designed to stop these kinds of lacerations occurring in the first place, massively reducing the risk of deep cuts and bleeds occurring on the slopes. In fact Diston is the only Brand in the market with this 3 Stars FIS label in CRG 2021. https://distonsport.com/en-ca/pages/fis-cut-resistant-undergarment-competition-ski-specifications

FIS (International Ski Federation) has been working towards a Cut-Resistant Standard through their AHU (Athletes Health Unit) for a while, and this is what FIS says in their July 2024 Edition of the new Specifications for Alpine Ski:

“The use of cut-resistant undergarments is strongly recommended for all disciplines at all levels. The use of cut-resistant undergarment pants is mandatory for all events disciplines at category race level 0 and 1 from season 2025/2026 onwards. The mandatory implementation requires a minimum

protection level of 3 stars according to the FIS-DITF test standard everywhere between the iliac crest and the onset of the ski boot. Further protective zones will be defined until spring 2025.”

https://distonsport.com/en-ca/pages/standards-certifications

Everybody knows that lacerations can occur in any age-group, on any surface, on any day, and this is why the racing ski clubs and teams strongly recommend the use of cut- resistant undergarment for their athletes, adults, juniors and masters, men and women.

https://skiracing.com/our-partners/diston/

 “We  believe that partnering with the best in the ski industry will provide our athletes with the best advantage in their training during pre-competition phase of training. Our goal with Catalyst is to give all athletes who attend our camps with exposure to the best support possible and available. We re very particular who we select as partners with Catalyst. The importance of having leading edge technology, but also equipment and supplier support that is going to provide the best scenario for our athletes to succeed in the pathways for them to achieve their goals as athlete’s and people. Helping them become champions in sport and life! ”         

– Mitch McDermid, Catalyst Sport Sciences CEO