Innovations

BrushGrip™ Base

The revolutionary design of the BrushGrip™ Base makes course setting faster and easier by eliminating the need to use a gate key.

Stiff, nylon bristles at the bottom of the base are angled upward so that when the base is inserted into a standard 30-32mm pre-drilled hole the base and gate become anchored in place. Course setting has never been easier and more efficient with set times reduced by over 50% leaving more time for coaching and training.

More Information

Designed to accommodate hinges from SPM, Reliable Racing and DJC, these bases weigh approximately 3 oz. less than traditional screw-in bases which translates to close to 4 pounds less weight for a bundle of 20 gates. The new BrushGrip™ technology (Patent Pending) has been tested for two years with proven performance in virtually all snow conditions at all levels from club to World Cup athletes. The bases are removed as easily as they are set by either drilling a second hole adjacent to the base and pulling the gate out, or by using a gate key to twist the base while pulling the gate up and out.

Over 200 clubs and prgrams in the US, Canada and Europe have discovered that the BrushGrip™ Base really does make life on the hill easier. The BrushGrip™ Base is on its way to becoming the standard for both training and competition. A WCS exclusive.

BrushGrips™ for Hero gates!

Now the BrushGrip™ Base is available for 35mm SPM Hero gates. Whether you’re using Hero’s with snow grip or stick-in bases, once you try the Hero BrushGrip™ Base you won’t go back. Lighter, maintenance free, and an incredible time saver, the BrushGrip™ for Hero’s will make your job easier and free up more time for coaching.


Video Demonstration

Press Release

BrushGrip™ Bases are for Heros!
FAIRLEE, Vermont (March 4, 2009)

BrushGrip™, the original keyless base is now compatible with SPM 35mm Hero gates! Based on the original design which is currently in use at over 200 race programs throughout North America, the new Hero BrushGrip™ base makes training more productive by eliminating more than 50% of the time and effort associated with setting.”This is a natural progression for the BrushGrip™ which has been extremely well received this season” said Brad Williams of World Cup Supply. The full gate base was introduced this past fall after several years of testing and there are now thousands of them in use in the US, Canada and Europe. “Our overriding goal remains to make life on the hill easier and more productive so athletes and coaches can spend more time training. The bottom line is that this base design will evolve and eventually replace traditional screw in bases making the gate key a thing of the past.” Added Williams.

One of the first clubs to go the keyless route for SPM 35mm Hero gates was Beaver Valley in Markdale, ONT. K1 Coach Rich Williams offered this feedback:

“All of the coaches are raving about them. Easy in, twist and pull to remove. A bag of 20 is noticeably lighter. Basically, now that we have these, nobody really wants to use the old screw in Hero Gates we have. They make course setting and clean up a breeze, and it’s possible to change a set much faster as there’s no keying to set or remove”.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor which has been used in competition (J5-FIS) and for training all the way up to the WC level, the Hero BrushGrip™ is lighter, faster and a smarter option than anything previously available for these training gates. “It’s exciting to bring something new and original to the hill especially because there hasn’t been any real innovation in gate technology for a very long time. There has been a real buzz about these bases all winter” said Jeff Sirjane, VP of Sales at World Cup Supply.

Some of the most highly regarded clubs in the US are currently using the full gate base, including Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Burke Mtn Academy, Team Gilboa, and more. Trevor Hamilton, Program Director of the Franconia Ski Club described FSC’s experience with the bases this winter:

“We jumped on board the brush gate technology immediately and have not looked back. Our coaches nearly refuse to use the older screw in bases we have in stock, in fact they get to work early to make sure they get the brushes to set with! We have enjoyed great success with them; they are lighter and much easier to set with. Using the new technology has allowed us to set and forget, focusing our energy on coaching the athletes not maintaining loose gates. We have also been able to offer better training opportunities to our athletes as we re-set our training courses faster and more frequently as a result of the new base technology.

Coaches that aren’t using them are like the folks that resisted shaped skis when they first came out. They are holding on to an older technology that they know but that has been surpassed by the newer more efficient design. In the true spirit of Bode, who was on the shaped ski bandwagon from the beginning, we decided to jump right on the brush gates and we have not regretted it.

I have already budgeted for more for next season and will be upgrading our stubbies with the new technology. Now if they could invent a gate that doesn’t require gatekeepers…”

The full gate BrushGrip™ base is compatible with most major hinge types and all shafts approved for FIS competition. The Hero BrushGrip™ base is designed for SPM 35mm Hero gate shafts and is 26cm long making it ideal for early season and summer camp progression training… Both bases are available in North America exclusively from World Cup Supply www.worldcupsupply.com and in Europe through SPM www.spmspa.it.

Founded in 1993, World Cup Supply is a respected supplier of ski racing supplies, safety nets, air fence, event & crowd control fencing, fence poles, padding, signs, custom nets, bibs & numbers, Dartfish video software and a wide range of accessories to ski clubs and resorts throughout the United States and Canada. In addition, World Cup Supply offers a complete line of products for cycling and running events. Located in Fairlee, Vermont the company is the exclusive North American distributor of the SPM line of hill supplies for alpine ski racing and has earned a reputation as an industry leader by providing the highest quality products along with expert service and attention to detail


Testimonials/Reviews

I remember when you [Brad Williams] came to Whistler with the gate and the snow there was suspect. That was the first time I saw them [SPM Brush Grip base] and didn’t think much more of them until our FIS coach bought some. He coached alone and was able to do it with ease with the brush gate. I tell you though at Pano they are incredible. Rarely come out but you can still get them out easy enough. They are light, we can move the course around in a flash. Just brilliant. I haven’t carried a gate key for 2 years since the Olympics and can’t stand the sight of screw bases any more. The brush gate has changed coaching efficiency and creativity dramatically…The SPM Brush Grip is one of the best inventions since the light bulb!!!!!.

Mark Sharp | Alpine Canada 

I am convinced that the new poles with the BrushGrip base™ will reveal as the best solution for training. As the time available for track setting has shortened considerably, I can spend more time with the athletes. Especially the work with small groups becomes much easier.

Michael Bont | Personal Coach of Tanja Poutiainen, Denise Karbon and Tina Weirather and ex-Head Coach of Finland Ladies National Team

We used the new SPM poles with the Brush, they are brilliant! Very easy to use: you make the hole, stick in the pole ant it’s done. The good old gate key is now useless and it belongs to the past… wonderful!!! Finally something not only for the athlete, but also for the coach…

Pauli Gut| Father and coach of the Swiss young champion Lara Gut

Proctor hosts numerous Slalom races throughout the year. As we all know, Slalom races are labor intensive, particularly when you set simultaneous mens and womens courses. When Proctor hosted the JIII Regional Junior Olympic Qualifier Slalom race on Feb. 22, we decided to make it a Brush Grip Exclusive. Two great things happened: We set two Brush Grip courses in the time it took us to set one screw base course. And second, during the second run sets, we used half the staff we would normally use freeing up our coaches to assist our own athletes, watching video, checking DQ’s….and hey guess what else? Actually eat lunch on race day! 300 runs later, we only broke 3 shafts.

Screw in bases are the thing of the past. I am completely sold. Proctor Academy will be a 100% Brush Grip club next season. My wrench will hang next to my 203 Slalom skis!

David S. Salathe | Alpine Program Director, Proctor Academy, Andover, NH

We love the new brush base gates. They have been working excellent in all conditions, even in soft conditions it seems that they do at least as well as the screw in base gates. It’s nice to not need a wrench, but you need to carry extra drill batteries! After you learn that, it’s a piece of cake. The best thing about the new base is that a coach can reset an entire SL by themselves in one lap. Fast and easy.

Alan Lauba | Crystal Mountain (CMAC), WA

The new “BrushGrip” is great! They became our favorite, for all age groups, the first day we used them. One coach really can set a 26 or 28 gate SL course as fast as two or three coaches with traditional bases. The “BrushGrip” is another innovation from WCS, the leading supplier in the field.

Mike Workman | Program Director, Gunstock Ski Club

Ford Sayre purchased a set of brush base gates at the beginning of the season; they have worked exceptionally well for us. We have used them in a wide range of snow conditions and they have stayed in the snow as well, if not better than the old screw-ins. It now takes half the time and man power to set courses leaving more time for training. I especially like them for GS; since the panels can be left on both poles; bare hands aren’t needed to slide on the panels. I definitely haven’t missed lugging my wrench around this year.

Gerd Riess | Ford Sayre Council, J-3 coach

All of the coaches are raving about them. Easy in, twist and pull to remove. A bag of 20 is noticeably lighter. Basically, now that we have these, nobody really wants to use the old screw in Hero Gates we have. They make course setting and clean up a breeze, and it’s possible to change a set much faster as there’s no keying to set or remove.

Rich Williams | K1 Coach, Beaver Valley Ski Team, Markdale, Ontario

We jumped on board the brush gate technology immediately and have not looked back. Our coaches nearly refuse to use the older screw in bases we have in stock, in fact they get to work early to make sure they get the brushes to set with! We have enjoyed great success with them; they are lighter and much easier to set with. Using the new technology has allowed us to set and forget, focusing our energy on coaching the athletes not maintaining loose gates. We have also been able to offer better training opportunities to our athletes as we re-set our training courses faster and more frequently as a result of the new base technology. Coaches that aren’t using them are like the folks that resisted shape skis when they first came out. They are holing on to an older technology that they know but that has been surpassed by the newer more efficient design. In the true spirit of Bode, who was on the shape ski bandwagon from the beginning, we decided to jump right on the brush gates and we have not regretted it. I have already budgeted for more for next season and will be upgrading our stubbies with the new technology. Now if they could invent a gate that doesn’t require gatekeepers…

Trevor Hamilton | Program Director, Franconia Ski Club