SKI FEDERATION SPINS WEB CONTROL ON ITSY, BITSY SPYDER SUITS

          Spyder's "cool" downhill suits, worn by ski racers
     including Hilary Lindh and Picabo Street, have been
     "declared illegal" by the Int'l Ski Federation (FIS),
     according to Wina Sturgeon of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE.  The
     "problem" is Spyder's high-tech fabric, called "Speedwyre,"
     which is designed to provide superior aerodynamics.  The FIS
     says the suits are "unfair, since the technology isn't
     available to everyone."  Any racer using a Spyder suit at an
     FIS event, including World Cup and Olympic competition, will
     be disqualified.  Sturgeon adds that critics of the ruling
     "claim that competing manufacturers who don't have the
     technology forced the FIS decision," and that racers who use
     the Spyder suits "are peeved" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 10/9).