Is there a RIGHT and LEFT ski

The debate begins!!

Ever wonder if there is a right and left ski!

GIVE YOU REASONS! YES OR NO

Justify them with some tangible reason.

Have fun.

PS Gone skiing for two weeks so you will get answer in 10 days.

Will be thinking of all of you!

Salut!!

My rental's have a sticker that says "right ski." Not sure if it matters but I always put it on my right foot. Otherwise though I don't think there is a difference.

With few exceptions

The skis are symmetrical
The bindings are symmetrical
The boots are symmetrical

The only thing that is not symmetrical is the ski shops liability insurance which requires them to go by the book, and assign a ski to each boot after binding adjustment.

Trencher

I guess that you can say to a beginner skier that:
The skis are symmetrical
The bindings are symmetrical

The boots are symmetrical (even that is hard to wear the left boot on the right foot)

I don't know if he is going to believe it or not but, for sure, a beginner skier with a open mind will tell you that it should be a difference between the inside and the outside edge of the ski because the forces which are applied on the edges during the turn are different so the edges are not symmetrical and there is a Right and Left ski.

If you will read the T11 course from the tuning section of the forum you will find a detailed description of the edge, or modification of the edge.
I have found a nice description of "making" the edges asymmetrical:

http://skivisions.us/1693.html

(I'm not working for any company involved in the tuning tools production. I am just a beginner, lucky and open mind skier. Lucky because I meet a GOOD person guiding me on this new way of life ... skiing)

After reading the T11 course and the other instructions from the skivision site I am sure that you will find out that it is o good reason for the ski shops and rentals to assign a LEFT and RIGHT ski!

Some of the Atomic skis have a tips that are curved more to the left/right, i cant find any pics at the moment, but i know they exist and i am sure you have seen them to.

This helps ensure that the same ski is worn on the same foot all the time.

bennyboy wrote:Some of the Atomic skis have a tips that are curved more to the left/right, i cant find any pics at the moment, but i know they exist and i am sure you have seen them to.

This helps ensure that the same ski is worn on the same foot all the time.

That's why I said, with few exceptions, canting bindings and other personnel modifications.

The boots themselves may not be symmetrical, but the binding interface is the same on both boots (unless modified).

As I understand it, asymmetrical tuning is less necersary with modern technique, engaging both skis to turn, Very few people use asym tuning. I'm not saying there is no benefit, but don't expect an asym tune when you get your skis back from the local ski shop (ok, so you might get an asym tune, but it won't be intentional).

A benefit for assigning no left or right would be, alternating the side a ski is used on, would even up the wear on the edges and base.

Trencher

Below is from the Skivisions site that cpavel refered too

1. We only tune our designated inside edges, the outside edges are beveled and kept polished, but never sharpened. Little time is spent on them daily. Why? Sharp outside edges do you no good when skiing, sharpening them takes time and puts wear on the inserts and the edges.

2. By keeping your outside edges fresh, you can switch to them, designating them the new inside edges, when the previous inside edges get tired, rock damaged, etc. The outside edges will be new, fresh, and ready to be tuned as the new inside edges. And, this approach saves lots of ski tuning time. We mark the inside tip on the base side as to the inside edge so we can see it easily when tuning.


1. This assumes that skiers only use the outside (downhill) ski. Look at nearly any (mid to late turn) photo from the Olympics or world cup GS ski races and the plume of snow coming off the inside ski will tell you how engaged that inside ski is. Maybe beginners shouldn't aspire to this technique.

2. So skier is suposed to use one edge to destruction befor switching to the other edges. By that time the ski will most likely be lifeless and limp. you end up with a dead ski with a great edge on one side !

Trencher

Trencher wrote:
As I understand it, asymetrical tuning is less necersary with modern technique, engaging both skis to turn, Very few people use asym tuning. I'm not saying there is no benefit, but don't expect an asym tune when you get your skis back from the local ski shop (ok, so you might get an asym tune, but it won't be intentional).

I didn't expect that many people were going to read all the explanation from the tuning section of this forum or the one from the SkiVisons site, but if you did read it and still you "understand" that "asymetrical tuning is less necessary with modern technique" you reveal your intermediate level in skiing and, if you don?t consider to tune asymmetrically, you will be always and intermediate skier. Everybody is free to chose his level and his way.

Here is a part of the explanation from the SkiVison site which will clarify (for open mind skiers) why we NEED to do the tuning ASYMMETRICALY:

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Finally, you have to decide your edge tuning strategy, lets review:


1. We only tune our designated inside edges, the outside edges are beveled and kept polished, but never sharpened. Little time is spent on them daily. Why? Sharp outside edges do you no good when skiing, sharpening them takes time and puts wear on the inserts and the edges.


2. By keeping your outside edges fresh, you can switch to them, designating them the new inside edges, when the previous inside edges get tired, rock damaged, etc. The outside edges will be new, fresh, and ready to be tuned as the new inside edges. And, this approach saves lots of ski tuning time. We mark the inside tip on the base side as to the inside edge so we can see it easily when tuning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This means that the inside edge of the ski takes most of the pressure in the turn.
I am not an expert (I just start skiing this January) but if you read carefully this instructions from SkiVisions site and if you combine with the information from the tuning section (T11), of this forum:

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Repeat this procedure WITH THE INSIDE SKI EDGE of both skis.

Again note large letters.

Here is your homework.
Why just inside edge!
What is inside edge?
How do you determine INSIDE EDGE?
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you will realize that the next sentence is non sense for a good skier:

Trencher wrote:
A benefit for assigning no left or right would be, alternating the side a ski is used on, would even up the wear on the edges and base.

Trencher

I don?t want to blame Trencher (I suppose that he is snowboarding and he is just guessing when is about skiing) but, when you have all the pieces of the information in front of you and you are still making suppositions, is better to let other skier to come with the right information to avoid miss leading the beginners how really want to advance to the next and next level.