Messages posted by : pavelski
|
Regardless what ski product you buy, layering is the way to go.
For the neophytes in skiing layering is very much like using an onion as model! Each layer of clothing has its function and can be used independantly of the other layer! What this means is that you can have equipment that has "cross-activity" functions. Going to a rugby game in Fall? Just use polar fleece jacket! Going hiking to Scotland? Wear light weight underwear with polar vest and waterproof shell jacket! Going skiing to Canada with -30c weather? Where same jacket with polar fleece jacket, polar fleece vest, Turtle Fur collar, Expedition weight underwear! If you have long term approach, you do not have to buy all options in on time! Just pick one company and slowly buy units over time! Regardless what product you buy , you must insist to have; excellent heat zippers on side or back, snow collar at neck and waist, wrist adjustments ( usually velcro), Double flat over zippers, many pockets for glasses, diamond stone, etc.... I do not recommend buying at resort since prices are always higher! ( and you have no choice) Never buy under pressure! Hope this helps! |
|
|
Every serious athlete knows the power of ice bags after a serious workout or accident!
Problem is using ice cubes is that often the bag does not form to elbow, knee, or damaged area. I have used frozen bean bags but again other issues occur since the beans melt very fast. Here is a fool proof recipe for QFI bags! The beauty of these bags are; fluid never but never freezes solid fluid remainds cold very long time You can dye "ice" in bags QFI BAGS [size=12] 1 cup of friction alcohol 4 cups of water 2 large Zip-lock plastic bags Mix all liquids and pour into bag 1. Then insert bag 1 into bag 2! Place in freezer! In two hours you will have a ice/liquid bag which will NEVER freeze up solid! Note always apply QFI bag on towel then on skim. Never place bag on ski directly! You can apply or mold bag to ankles, wrists, necks! Happy recovery! Since I must apply bags every 3 hours I have dyed mine RED GREEN BLUE to remind me of my schedule! |
|
|
I've never had a major knee surgery on any other part of my body- Winston Bennet Soccer.
Thought I would begin this section on a positive note! This section will focus on the "healthy" skier. That is all aspect of your body and mind which will help you ski better! I recently did some, "field research" on this topic to better myself for this section. I have collected many interesting "gems" We all think we are invincible since we all do our 5 km. run, 15 km. bike trips, 2 hours per day in the gym! Comes a time when the body needs some tune-up also! So you will all at one point visit your local tune up shop , better know as hospital! There is one huge problem, that you will only realized once in this location. Then it is too late! The problem is that you are NOT sick! You just need a body tune up! The hospital however works on the sick model so you constantly must remind "others" that you are autonomous! The following are some suggestions how to survive this visit. You must think of your visit like an expedition to Everest! That is you must have support staff to get you that cup of great coffee, that new novel, those new clean T-shirts, re-charge the Ipod, wash your face in the first few hours of trauma! In my case I visited my favorite local coffee store and had them prepare MY coffee MY way. I paid in advance so the supply was perfect and just in time! Like the expedition to Everest, you must prepare your equipment! In my case I had to take some shorts, cut along vertical axis on left left and sew some velcro! Why! It was my statement to staff that I was NOT sick so I did not wear those KKK white sheets with rear exposure! I wore my shorts and any time some physician wanted to see the tune up area,,,,zippppp off went the shorts! To survive you must learn the, "arms-length" rule! Practice before you go to hospital. It will save your autonomy, sanity and pride! What is this rule? All essential objects must be at arms length to you! Great to have an Ipod but if it is AL + 5cm ( Arms length +5 cm.) it is a great decoration! Worst is that unrinal at AL + 2 cm. One of my support staff for my expedition was my wife. She neatly folded three face clothes and placed them AL+25 cm. Time to vomit came due to morphine! Could not get face clothes for two hours! Believe me the AL rule will save you a lot of grief aqnd pride! Another survival rule! You can survive easily for 10 days without eating but you must drink constantly! Stop eating 2 days before tune up to body! Empty your body of all solid wastes since you will not be able to move for at least three days! For those who did not follow this rule, they understand what I am talking about! However always have energy drinks available. In my case I prepared some tea with honey and cooled mixture! I drank 5 liters per day! In the hospital you are constantly reminded that you are just passing by and MUST follow rules, schedules etc...So you are awakened at 6 AM ( even if you have been up all night) to take pain pill since that is when morning shift starts! You are "cleaned" at 9:30 AM since that is the time it is done! Be pro-active. Think of you needs before you need them. So in my case I had one of my girls to wash me with a great perfumed soap when I wanted at 6 AM! My boys would come with new shorts and T-shirts every day! That SPA free visit I got at Christmas was used, by having a masseur come to me and give me the very best session I ever had! You see I am not sick! Just need a tune up! Like in the Everest expedition, you must plan food intake. I have nothing against hospital food, however as you must have concluded I am "particular" on what I eat! Again think ahead ! Plan for food that has low mass, high liquid content! Use the mouse technique! You have no idea what the mouse technique is? Hide food bits so that you can eat any time your body wants! Try getting food at 2AM! Sorry that is not considered emergency! If you are a skier then the next topic will interest you! Every hospital have these! They are called the exquisite torturers ( usually women)! You have two choices; submit to them and have excruciating pain now or pretend to have pain and suffer later at home or on the slopes! They are called the physio-therapist! The new matra in body tune ups is movement as soon as possible!In my case I had a machine very much like the medieval torture chains which spread your body! In my case it was more electronic so various pain levels could dialed in to the mmmmmmm level! They would tie you down with velcro, smile as the digital control panel would decide what pain level I was to have! Off the physio would go and I was stuck with this metal/electronic machine! Now if you can take this for 20 minutes , you graduate to "private" session with full torture apparatus! These exquisite torturers all are beautiful, healthy and with great smiles! Notice how their smiles increase as does your pain! They pick them well! Seriously, if I have one very vital advice to give to you all as skier, it is listen and take the pain then! Do not cheat on the torture! It will make for better skiing! In conclusion on major point,,,,be prepared! Be autonomous because no one will at 3 AM come to help you! Get friends to support you with "secret" deliveries of;great Thai soups, great grandmothers soups, great coffee! You are not sick! Just need a tune up! |
|
|
Hirsty,
Thank you so much for your suggestions. So appropriate! The one about rubbish really was on the mark! It amazes me how skier/boarders love the outdoors, love the beautiful scenes yet I see ever year persons thrown down from chair; bottles, wrappers, cigarette cartons, old sunscreen tubes etc... Every year I take some children from foster homes and we go on a "treasure hunt" in a ski resort. We have a prize for the most "unusual" treasure found! We climb up under the lifts ( it is June) and with garbage bags we "collect" treasures! It is amazing what 10 children can pick up! At end of day we "treat" them to some "Macdo" and open all our bags! The most unusual "treasure" we have found were some metal handcuffs! What do skiers need these for? Please we all love clean nature, by all means take out your rubbish! Thanks, Histry for comments. |
|
|
Objective of class:
To understand the function of a structured ski base and its varied forms. In lesson 7 you were introduced to "structuring" by using various grit paper on different ski base sections! If you did homework I am sure you noticed once you have finished that the ski based looked very different in the three sections. First let us focus on that term, "structuring". If you have problems remembering this term, think in terms of channels, or grooves. I would tell my children when they were doing their skis that we were making the skis "groovy"! For you post 60's children you know what that terms means! We are making the skis "cool". Making the skis run with "mellowness"! So whatever term you like just remember that no one in the skiing world makes shinny, smooth bases! You want to be groovy! I am sure as you did your homework for lesson 7 that you noticed that the coarse grit paper caused emmediate deep lines thus you had to be soft on the touch! The very fine paper tended to just get clogged up with very little grooviness! Later you will learn to play with this range of grit paper and you will learn the very best combination for you! Also you will learn how to have a "groovy" base using brushes of varied hairs! The point in this class is to make you realize that you must ALWAYS make your ski base groovy! How and how much you will learn over time and experience. I will provide you with the basic procedures and you will find the best tools and procedures for you! Several tuning companies have introduced, rimmers to create grooves in a more fixed pattern! Essentially they are brass or stainless metal rollers with a set pattern! Remember when you were a child, you would roll a toy car over your arm and the tire ( sorry tyre) would leave an tire marks on skin! That is the same procedure you are doing with these rimmers! I do not recommend them for you, as recreational skiers! I will show you how to do this in a cheaper manner with greater groovy range! So please do not rush to buy these rollers. Ranges of groovyness Think of this like three types personalities. ( for your added fun look up Sheldon's Body Types on Google). Your ski base thus can have different personalities based on ski conditions. FINE ( or 2mm by .5mm) grooves are for fine new snow. Later I will give you the grit paper I use for this fine groovy personality! It is the Ectomorph base personality. Reserve! Delicate!! A little cold! Medium ( or 3mm by 1mm grooves) These grooves are for "warmer snow" in the 0c range. Snow may be two to three days old but did not go through the melting/freezing cycle! This is important for you to note! I repeat,,,,the snow did not go through the thaw/freeze cycle! This range is the Endomorph personality! Easy going. Wants to be accepted! Easy to apply! It is the type that 90% of recreational skiers will use. Coarse ( .3mm by 2 mm groovyness) This is the Mesomorph personality type base. Aggressive full of action! Does not like snow/water to get close to him! Notice the term .... him! Very concerned about his physical looks and with a no nonsenses attitude base pattern. Uses physical force to solve issues! Wants to evacuate those snow/water droplets right away! You all have heard the expression, "fire and oil do not mix", well my friend the mesomorph ski base does not mix with snow/water! Typically I get out my meso base ( coarse) out when spring ski conditions begin! The three sections I asked you do do,,,should correspond to those three base personality types! Some of you "brighter", more advanced students in Personality Theories or ski tuning , will ask about those figures .2mm, .5mm, .3mm and wonder how to determine them! You can't! They are examples from labratory work done by Swix and Toko! I do not expect you to measure each groove for correct depth! You will learn over time which paper grit you used which was effective for your area! That is why you must have a tuning log! You will learn over time your favorite effective; Mesomorph, Ectomorph and Endomorph base personalities. Believe once you are on right "groove" , you will feel your skis sing for you! You will feel the skis "float" no glide over the snow! Go back and read what you did! what tools you used and what "groovyness" you had! Hope you enjoyed this class! Now for your homework! Observe some people in your "entourage" and see if Sheldon's Personality classifications are relevant! I did warn you at beginning of course that this course would be different! Enjoy your observations. A small comment to registered students. I did tell you that I will evaluate you and that there is a "prize" at the end of class for student who did all assignments! I am getting only the same students who are sending in their homework!Does that mean you have accepted NOT to run for the SKS RACING Tuning tool or the Diamond Stick or the gold plated true bar ( yes really gold plated)! |
|
|
Welcome back everyone. Hope you all had a great rest because from now on you will be hard at work every week! This brief period gave me chance to plan all sorts of projects, exercises and pictures!
So roll up your sleeves here we go! Did you notice title of class! Look up! Learning to read! Please do not be offended since I know you learnt to read in elementary school! What I am talking about here is reading the "ski/marketing jargon" you will see ! More particularly as it relates to ski tuning! In most classes homework is given at the end of the course.This once I am giving you the most important task in all the course and possibly the longest in the history of all the course I have given.You are taking this course because you want to be great ski tuners so all this homework is for you to get better! Starting today get a file and a memory stick! Collect all information you can get on ski tuning from all sorts of sources! I will send you over the years ( since I will keep your emails) electronic material from the various conferences, workshops, clinics I attend! Have the attitude that you are constantly learning! Improving your tuning skills! That is why now we must talk about, "learning to READ" material. That is for you to evaluate what is relevant and "proven"! For the younger members of this class you must learn that just because someone is older, or someone had many degrees or titles it does not mean all information from such persons is "truth"! We older class members have practical experience to demonstrate that some very important people do tell us "strange" things! I am going to use tuning technical manual of a very well know company as the springboard of my class. I must stress my goal is not to critize them nor their manual. This company is an excellent company and has excellent products, however you must learn that their goal is to sell! So the message is "filtered" to sell you all their products! The manual I will refer to is coded PRO624E and entitled, Ski/Snowboard Preparation, Racing 2007. It comes from the Swix company! I suggest you get a copie! I also suggest you visit their internet clinic to view their clinic after this class. I repeat that the goal of this class is for you to develop critical reading skills so that you will be able to read any manual on ski tuning and distinguish fact from "marketing jargon"! First comment: Note title tem "racing 2007" On page 1 third paragraph it is stated that the maual is for racers AND people who demand the absolute best performance from skis....." Yet I counted 18 mentions of race, racer, racing course, etc... None on recerational skiing! Soon we will talk about "structuring" the ski base and this manual is one of the very best in presenting this. The relationship to type of structure ( grooves) and type of snow is well presented! On page 6 Ski Edge Angles the topic is very well presented with great illustrations and excellent pictures. However as you read any manual or document keeep in mind what is your goal in reading and what is the author's goal. Look carefully at the guidelines for edge angles FOR RACING! On Page 7 you have an excellent pictures of how you use the tool for beveling edges (if you want)! You will also learn how to "de-tune" the tip and tails of your ski. They recdommned 15 cm. I suggest you start at 5 and slowly go to 15 if skis are too "bitting". Here on page 8 begins the "selling" part of the manual. Various tools are recommended for various procedures. You do not need a special tool to de-tune a ski! A simple file or diamond stone will do job! If you read blindly all the manual you end up buying too many tools! May I quote, " The files are made to our own specifications to meet...."! That means that SWix does not make files but buys them from a file company. The very same files cost 10-15% cheaper! BASE BRUSHING Swix has 10 brushes. You need two types! Never but never use the steel brush to "restore base" You will ruin it! Read base 14 of this manual since it is one of the very best on explaining factors which you must consider in the selection of wax type! I will have a complete class just on this selection process in the recreational skier context! For my "advanced" students when you read the snow friction section remember that mysterious layer we discussed! The cera F Powders section should be read very critically! You do not need these exotic powder and they are "problematic" as far as health issues! The choices of waxes is what stops often skier to wax their own skis, since there seems to be such a large choice! In effect there is very little choice for our needs. The secret is to eliminate the obvious waxes which do not answer your needs. For example; All waxes in tampon for easy spray or wipe! All waxes with exotic powders. All "solid F Turbo bars" for between race applications! In the Swix wax repetoire you essentially have then 3 groups of waxes to chose from! I will later present each group and tell you their positive and negative aspects. Remember to read this manual and all manuals with your goal in mind! You do not need a "special' iron with digital read out! On page 31 they recommend applying a "special" cleaning wax to clean out base! Sorry Swix no need for recreational skiing! I am very much a roto-brush man and suggest you get such brushes as soon as possible and this manual does present very well some techniques! One last comment! On page 50 you have an excellent series of pictures on how to repair a ski base with polystick. One huge gaff! Never but never use a Panzer file to get melted material off ski base! First let ski stand for one day! (to cool down and bind) and use those famous knives with blades that come out as they dull! Extend blade out to maximum and past over damaged area like a surf board. In conclusion begin today to read all material with "critical" eye! Evaluate information for your needs! Finally begin to collect books, booklets, guides on ski tuning! Pavel |
|
|
I just can not leave without giving you all homework!
Objective: To develop competence in "sanding" P-tex base with various grits and tools. My most difficult moment in learning to tune my skis was using sanding paper on ski base! The base was so beautiful, shining, even and smooth. Many years ago it was a "prestige" to have the most "reflective" ,even base! You spend hours polishing it thinking that if it was like a mirror it would go faster! Less resistance! I felt I was damaging my skis! Just did not seem right! Spend many sleepless nights wondering if all that sanding would result in not having a base! I had all these negative thoughts until I saw a ski base after a day of skiing under a microscope! Huge grooves, long strands of plastic here and there, criss-crossed valleys with boulders! Just skiing hard caused many many grooves. The other reason I was uneasy was that I was not sure how to do this, very much afraid to "damage" those great skis! Then a ski shop using a electric sander belt DID go to the core! That was it! I had to learn! It really is not difficult if you follow some basic guidelines! You must never,,, but never forget is: less is best! I repeat....less is best! That means do all work slowly and gradually! In stages! Do not expect to have perfect base right away after first pass! Here are two examples which may help you! One is from my girl who has a Spa is trying for years to get me to have the "all day special" Seems when you "prepare" you face there is a 15 stage process with ; opening the pores, then using special gel ( from seaweeds) a "purification" period, etc.... I got the whole lecture! At the end you get this "new beautiful face"! Each step has its goal! Each step prepares the face for that final "Hollywood" look! So it is with ski base prep! The other example is using plaster joints. You know those gybrock sheets that you place on walls. You have to somehow hide the joints! If you know anything about this , you know that the ends are also beveled! You must fill in the ends with plaster! You can not do this in one step! If you are good you can do it in three steps with very little sanding! If you are a beginner ( which we all are at one point) you will have at least 15 steps ( like your face) much dust and uneveness! Each time you do it you will be better. You will get the "feel" of the tool used. You will see how each step makes the base better! That is your homework while I am away! Take that old ski! Make 20mm. sections with electric tape ( place at 90 degrees from ski edges)! Using different sanding grits and sanding block gently take away those grooves on base! You will see that the coarse grade paper may do more damage than good! Note that! Then try very fine grit! ( 200 -300)! You will discover that it get clogged fast and there is very little change to base! Slowly you will learn that it is a gradual inter-play of rough to fine paper that makes the difference. Just like when a women first puts "foundations" cream, then X plus Y with a little of blush on! Each step compliments the other! That is how you must think! Not I will do one pass and all scratches, grooves, cuts will disappear! NO! You are , "making up" your ski base! First clean it! Then exam its pores and areas that need more work! Always start with problem areas and gradually very gradually change grits to finner level! Make even parallel strokes! You are learning two things! How the various paper works with the P-tex and how much pressure and how may passes you must do! This is very valuable since when we get to repair work, that is filling in huge hole or "valley" you will need to do same final work! It really is very much like cosmetic work! Patience and step by step! I can give you now your final exam! It will be to make a deep cut INTO the P-tex, then you will have to "fill-in" this crater , level it with special tool that you do not have yet and then sand it! A great tuner will do such a great job that you can not see damage! Practice! practice! Make that face,,,sorry that base beautiful! See you soon! |
|
|
Please forgive my lack of coordination! I touched a wrong key thus that "mistake" of the previous class. It ended too quickly!
So you are wondering where is Pavel taking us today with that title? What do sheep and eagles have to do with ski tuning? I am sure you will like this class and the controversy it will create! I want to state right now that that is not my goal! I what to make you a "thinking" ski tuners! I want you at all times, not just in this course question and think! I especially want the "younger" students to make this a practice as they learn! Ask why the earth is flat!!!!! What I present is not "truth" or dogma but my way to tune skis. You can accept or reject the "suggestions" Class Goal: Instill positive critical thinking in the context of ski tuning ( and perhaps life)! I presume you have cleaned skis, checked edges and identified problem areas. Later we will take each zone and discuss how to repair base area and edges. In this class we will look at some ski tuning practices. More specifically the base ski edge bevel angle! For the students in class you will get an illustration from me! But first a little history! Modern ski tuning derives much of its techniques and procedures from ski racing. Numerous ski champions acknowledge that they won because of the ski prep done! Remember the goals of ski race prep is to shave off seconds. To make ski faster at all cost! When a racer begins to win consistently others start to look why he/she is doing so! Is it the training in the Summer? Is it the coach and his staff? Is it the new skis? Perhaps the ski tuning practices or products! Very soon "others" will note that the winning skier's tuner is using a brush made from Tibeten horse hairs ! We all know that Tibet has very cold climate and those hairs are thicker and thus brush across the waxed ski base at 38.5 degrees! This is exactly the degrees of the snowflake's arms! You get the point! That is why most of the top ski tuners do their magic in locked rooms. My point is tuning practices are passed along because they "seem" to work! An bright ski engineer calculated the friction index of Ptex as compared to steel used in ski edges! Imagine there was a very very small difference! But races are won with small difference, so if you examine carefully a true World Cup ski ( I mean a real WC ski) not one with bright big graphics saying World Cup on top skin, you will note that the steel edges at the base are narrower! Thinner! In theory less metal means less seconds. Then some other bright soul (perhaps an engineer) though,,,,hummmmm if I "raise" that area near steel edges, that means that when the skis are running "flat" they will just be on fast Ptex rather than on Ptex and steel. So it was done! The secret was out! Now if you read tuning booklets or visit ski sites you will read, "tune base edge at .5 or 1 degree to make ski turn better". Do not believe me, check this yourself! I am a silly man! I ask question to ski companies, wax companies to determine where and how this practice began! All tuning gurus pass along this myth! Just visit more technical ski sites where hours are spent on angles, temperatures and hot boxes! I have not got an acceptable answer yet! So I did a double blind test. Double blind means I did not know and the skiers did not know which skis were beveled! Guess what the results were for 200 skiers ( 50 of them top level racers)! Now before you begin to write that email telling me what a negative self centered etc.... person I am consider this! I will give anyone $500 who presents an acceptable field study indicating that beveled .5, 1 or 2 degree ski turns better! I do not mean some ski company man, or some booklet from this or that wax company ( I have them). Nor do I accept some ski racer saying he/she won a race because of beveled edges. I know I will win the bet because of one thing; the Hawthorne Effect! So take out your Google search! So take out the base bevel in your tuning! You see now why you will be great tuners,,,because you think and ask questions! Do not believe me! Search yourself, that $500 is a great motivator! The best reward however will be that you will become an eagle ,,not a sheep ! |
|