The SCX, for "SideCut eXtreme" (or "eXperiment"), was an alpine ski introduced by Elan in the winter of 1993/4. Skis before the SCX had almost always used a shape that was slightly curved inward on the sides, typically by 7 mm compared to a straight line. The SCX was designed with over 22 mm "sidecut", producing a wasp-waisted ski unlike anything on the market. As the first successful "shaped" or "parabolic" ski, the SCX is considered one of the most important advances in the history of the sport.