Narrow Shape Cross-Section
Narrow Shape Cross-Section (NSX) is a patented design for an ice skating blade whose blade tube (which secures the blade itself) cross-sectional dimensions vary throughout the tube length.
Designed by Dutch Design Engineer Diederik Hol at Mogema, the NSX ice speedskate was devised to eliminate the traditional need for pre-bending of blades to handle left turns thanks to a Narrow Shape Cross-Section extrusion of the blade tube.
Traditionally, the blade of an ice speedskate has been affixed to an intentionally rigid blade tube. The blade itself has a machined radius that controls the amount of blade contacting the ice longitudinally, affecting the level of blade-to-ice friction and the resistance of the skate to turning. A transverse bend is also applied to the blade, that the experienced mechanic installs by hand to give the blade a left-turning bias (Providing assistance to the skater in high-speed left turns in competition). This bend is fixed, and although it distorts somewhat when the skater applies pressure through the turns, its inherent inefficiency is that it remains bent in a leftward curve during straightline skating.
Essentially, the NSX ice speedskate provides the skater with a straight blade when skating in a straight line, and a bent blade for skating turns â without the need for any permanent bend being applied to the blade. The NSX is designed to provide an adaptive radius that responds to the forces generated by the skating style of any individual in any situation.
The Narrow Shape Cross-Section design enables forces applied to the extruded alloy blade tube during skating to actively bend the affixed blade when skating through the turns, temporarily causing the blade to take on a radius that improves grip and steering by optimizing the turn-inducing contact between the blade and the ice surface. The cross-sectional dimensions vary throughout the tube length, causing the forces applied during turning to optimally curve the blade.
Commercially, NSX ice blades have not claimed a significant ice speedskating market share. The technology has its supporters and detractors among the athletes who have skated on these blades, however they are used by a few marathon speedskaters who appreciate their behavior in the turns - including Casper Helling of the Netherlands who set the World Hour Record on 15 March, 2007.