Messages posted by : pavelski
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I hope you are all ready to continue now that you have all bought your tools.
Several skiers have noted that some specialized tools are not available at ski shops in their area. At this point you do not need all bevel guides, and file holders for side bevel, however in a few years you will need these if you want to be an effective tuner! I will give you sources at end of course where you can get products. I also spoke to some of my suppliers and they are willing to "sell" to graduates of this class all products at "wholesale" prices. PS Another reason to get that diploma from Pavel! This session will focus on; 1. Tool safety 2. How to avoid destruction of ski 3.Specific skills needed for correct tool use. This is the most interesting session in course since you will learn how to destroy your skis and see the results of your carnage. For you will in this session; delaminate a ski, burn the ski base, ruin ski edge and finally burn some wax. You will only do this once, so enjoy yourselves ! THE IRON This is the tool that has the most potential to harm your skis, harm you and possibly burn your house down, so please learn and apply all the safety procedure. If you had followed my previous instructions you installed a longer electric cord on the iron. This is done to allow you more room to move about and not to have "restrictions" in sliding iron from tip to tail. The secret to a correct wax ironing involves and mastery of the iron, that is knowing how to manipulate iron on all axis ( vertical, horizontal) and this is done with a HOT iron! I suggest you practice first with a cold iron. Get all steps down, so that you can do them without hesitation. The second key to correct wax application is never to let wax "solidify" on ski base while applying! This is only done well if you have no hesitation. If you look at a "poor" application it is a series of drips or solid wax islands! You want rather a stream or zig zag line of wax which is still liquid. Basic Safety Procedures. 1. Never but never set a hot iron flat on work area. 2. Never let wax smoke 3. Never let wax drip on floor 4. Never touch base with bare hands once wax spread. I will repeat all tune procedure later, but for this session let us assume you have done all prep work. Now we must calibrate iron to correct temperature. I hope you have an iron that has a control dial since you need to set your iron at just the right temp. Plug iron and set dial at minimum level Every minute check to see if base is heating, by touching base very lightly. Once base hot, take a thumb size wax piece and lay it on iron that is facing ceiling. That is base is level and facing ceiling. Handle is facing floor. Watch wax melt. If too slow....increase dial. Keep increasing dial level until wax smokes. Stop!!!! Now back off just a little. The smoke should stop. You have found your critical zone where wax melts fast but does not smoke! Mark this position on your dial with felt marker. Never move dial again" Let iron cool! The next step is to learn to switch axis of iron from vertical to horizontal without burning yourself and without dropping iron! The first step in using iron is to hold iron with base vertical with tip pointing 10 cm from ski base ( with right hand). If this is your dominant hand! With left hand hold wax stick. Notice that wax stick has a marrow end section and a broad wide section. By placing the narrow section on hot iron you get a "small" flow of melted wax. If you place the wide section on hot iron you get a more pronounced wax flow. That is how you "control' the amount of wax you lay. HINT HINT Most beginners try to lay too much wax the first time. Think in layers. If ever you have laid plaster on house walls you know what I am talking about. This is what I do. I examine my ski to ski condition of base ( grooves, cuts etc..) I will lay a thin bead of wax on grooves, This is my filler wax. These grooves are too small to use Ptex repair sticks, yet too large to sand down with 220 grit paper. I lay a second coat all over base with zig zag bead of wax. I watch solidifying wax and see if I have any "sponge effects". You will note this effect when some wax seems to penetrate ski base more than other sections and as wax solidifies it leaves a "bare" ski base. You can see the tiny lines from your structuring! Lay another SMALL line of wax in the sponge area! Now slowly with one even stroke give a final smooth swipe of iron. Here is now the key to effective iron manipulation!!! Laying wax strings means you must have iron on vertical axis. ( ie base is vertical and point is near ski base) Once the wax is laid ( tip to tail pass and back), quickly drop wax bar on workbench, quickly transfer iron from vertical axis to horizontal axis so that iron base can slide on ski base! This transfer procedure is the key to correct waxing. YOU MUST NOT ALLOW wax to solidify. That is why you do not waste time s l o w l y laying wax. Speed is of essence here! Practice flipping iron while it is cold. Then do it while hot but not wax is used. Then do it fast ( do not worry about precision here) with wax! You will discover now why you want a longer electrical cord! Again watch base and wax solidifying on ski. You will note some "strange" patterns. Note them! They will tell you a great deal about your skis, your base, and the quality of your work! We will do a complete session on wax solidification diagnosis! ( very much like "reading tea laves"!!! PROCEDURES TO AVOID You will never again do the following procedures, but for the you experience, you will "burn" and ski base and you will try to delaminated a ski. Do this before you lay any wax on your trial ski. An iron must never rest in one spot on the ski base for more than a second. The danger areas are at the tip and tail of ski, where heat transfer is maximal. Take a tail section and reat iron on this section and note time before you see :smoke, smell plastic burning, see base material move!. You have just ruined a ski!!! If you continue you will note that ski base material will separate from core! That is what you must never never do!! Never leave a plugged iron, (even just to answer phone) Never but never stop an iron on ski base. Keep moving iron at all times on ski base! During the week practice this! Please provide feedback on your destruction! Have fun!!! |
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Dandy,
It is clear that you are comfortable with tools and are asking the right questions. However some "background information" is essential. I would like to point out that I do not recommend that all skiers mount their bindings since it is a question of safety. If you are at ease with tools, know something about the function of bindings and understand the safety issue, you could install your units. As more and more companies have rails or pre-marked screw holes on plates it is becoming easier to do so! The positioning of the bindings is critical to correct ski performance. Never assume that the reference marks on boots andf skis are correct. Always measure your own marks! Now to answer your specific questions. 1. Tapping the drilled holes. You tap holes because some skis have a "layered" core with varied metals and if you have not drilled correctly or do not screw in correctly you will cause "delamination" of the ski. I have a special tool for tapping and I would not recommend using a generic tapping tool since as you know screws have a angle of attack and a screw type. If you do not have common screw type tap and common angle of screw you may damage ski! There is a solution to your problem. It is in the care you take to screw in screws. Of course use glue to seal and lubricate screwing. As you screw in the screws do it in stages. Two turns, stop, back off half turn and stop. Another three turns and back off! This action will allow core material to form to screw and allow screw threads to "groove" into the material! Never but never use drill! Alway do inserts in X pattern like you do on a car engine head! Hand tighten and check work after three weeks of skiing! Most new ski technicians over-tighten screws. Use Posidrive screwdriver. Phillips might seem the same until you strip screw head at last tight turn! Snug tigh is your route. Once you have physically installed units, you must; 1. Check DIN level ( major safety issue) 2.Front boot clearance ( major safety issue) 3. Rear tension level ( major safety issue) 4, Rear DIN level Send me via PM information about level of skiing, age and body type and I will send you correct procedures. Again I stress that these are safety issues which if not done correctly might cause you safety problems. It is your call! If these are old bindings may I suggest you lubricate them also with lithium white grease around the articulation points. Hope this helps you. PS. Turn ski over after drilling to get drilled matter out of core holes. Just tap skis three times while they are up-sidedown! |
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Trencher,
If I were young?????? You are young Trencher. From your replies you demonstrate flexibility, open mind and a desire to search new ideas new products. You are young! Be your physical activities and search for new sports you show you are young! Be sharing your ideas you are young. There are some very old 15 year olds as there are some very young 70 year olds. You decide which you are! Cheers! |
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Dean,
Those short "easy" questions are the ones that reveal deep issues. Yours is one of them. Thanks for the information about your body type. What you forgot to include, is your ski type. How do you ski ( speed, type of turn, type of terrain). There is no longer any set rules and most guidelines are for Mr. Average. Your physionomy puts you in the extreme range. Rare is the 6'2" at 150. You are called the perfect Ectomorphy ( see Sheldon's body types for analysis of your personality) Let's clarify the short and long issue as far as speed. The speed of skiing is caused and maintained by the skier NOT the ski! So a longer ski does not go faster ( that is more due to waxing and tuning). What longer skis do is have more stability as speed increases and a sidecut with greater radius ( 21 M). Please note it is NOT just length that creates this stabilty since I can take a twin tip 180 cm ski and it would not be more stable than a 165 cm. SL ski. The stability is the product of; length, ski design, ski core products, ski stability plate. It is the interaction of all of these that make the ski "fast or more stable" Skiers must know how they would like to ski,where they typically ski and yes their physical body types. Let's look now at short skis and ease of turn. Yes shorter the ski ,,,,easier it is to turn! If that is all you want to do then get 140 cm boards! However there are some negatives to "short" skis. They are; 1. If skier does not have correct technique, body rotational turns will creep in. ( 80% of skier suffer this ski infection). 2. Short skis limit performance range of skiing. That is skiing will be great in a specific type of terrain with specific type of skiing. Go outside this range......you are "frustrated" I have seen 6,2" skiers doing great turns with 165 cm skis but the second the skis pick up speed the tips start to wander!!!! 3. Physical limits of ski core. Rarely do ski companies speak of ski delaminations but they do occur as do; tip bends, edges breaks, bindings rip-offs ( units pulled out) and sectional breaks. I collect "broken" skis from ski shops, racing clubs and ski companies in order to show my tuning classes the weak areas of skis. Every ski has these weak areas and I have found that many breaks occur just before or just after internal vibration plates! I have seen many racing SL skis broken by strong male skiers with 165 cm skis. Many skis now have rails for bindings. Let us see what their limits are!!! You have to determine how much "turn" pleasure you want in reference to ; life of ski , type of skiing you do, and technical competence level. Since you are "unique" you decide what range you want to ski. May I give you an illustration. I used to ski 210 cm superG skis since I skied fast and wanted stability. Over the years the slopes got more crowded, skis got better and I have found that I can take a 180 cm GS ski and get same stability. I know because I still have my Volkl super G skis so once in a while I take dust off and ski with them. Then I will take new skis and follow same path at same speed. I am amazed how good the new skis are! As mentioned previously the new skis are great AT WHAT THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR, and I have noted that this performance range is getting narrower ! That is these new skis often are great for ice, or crud, or powder. My Atomic 12 are like missiles on easter slopes but in 15 cm powder they "sink" in. Make me a inventory of the kind of skiing you do, where you do your skiing and I will give you a list of possible skis. Send this via PM and I will send you a list of some skis I have which you can try! You have deduced correctly that I am in the eastern skiing region. I will be in Sunday River for two weeks testing the 2007 model skis. Hope this has cleared the air for you. Sorry if I did not give you specific skis and specific lengths, that is for you to determine. |
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Snowgirl do I have one for you!
This one is really embarrassing! Readers under 18 must not read on! I also promised many years ago NOT to tell but your story just caused a fload of memories. Here it goes. Are you sure you are 18 and over!!!! Every year my sons and a few "boys" get together to ski like gypsies. You know, no set plans no set ski hill, just follow the wind, snow and where the best Spring parties are. One week of sheer delight! Of course when you get boys together there is a "chemistry" in which everything becomes more than if you were alone. It becomes worst when you have great skiers with some from national teams (I can not tell which country ) ! All week it was great skiing and even better after skiing. On the last day we came across a ski center that was " a buzz"! You could feel the energy as "beach music was playing, skiers dressed in all forms of strange dress. It was ski carnavel time! We only join the social crowds after a serious day of skiing so off we go to the very top. We find a steep quiet run that seems to be forgotten by all the skier. Snow is perfect, and 10 male skiers trash the run with all forms of jumps, turns and sheer fall line skiing! As I ski down I hear a voice, "look look girls". I was too much into my ski bubble to get the rest of the story. Well at bottom I get the full story from my breathless son. Seems some girls ( 15 in all we discovered later) had hidden in the woods ( for some serious tanning) just beside our run and when they saw us, they decided to distract us while we skied in order to see if we would fall! You see they were sunning a la St. Tropez and as we pasted them they came out of the woods in full glory. Of course two of the younger skiers fell! A group conference was called at the bottom of the run! Our honor was at stake. We had to show these girls that we were "above" all this! Several options were put forward! Then the most outrageous option was proposed by a very straight, quiet, family man who is now a well know public figure! Here is my very very most embarrassing moment! At the top of the ski run. We all stripped! One of the skiers took all out ski wear and stuffed all articles into a ski bag! He would meet us at the bottom just before the crowds! Well we skied like we never skied. As we approached the "hidden tribe of amazons" we skied even faster ( our honor was at stake) and did some moves that I never knew we could do. My son took off a mogul, did a spread eagle and landed two moguls down. Others placed the bar higher with "moves" that have no names. Where is Warren Miller when you need him! There was initial silence from the woods, then whistles, encouraging yelling, clapping, then finally bra waving! In a flash we had pasted our "girls". Now we were near the bottom. We could hear the Reggea music, the smell from the BBQ was getting stronger , yet we could not find our "fellow skier" with all our ski wear ( T shirts and shorts). What to do! He had stopped at the very center of the crowd near the beer stands and was waiting for us. The devil!!!! Slowly he took out our shirts and T shirts and placed them on trees branches! Slowly the crowd realized what was happening. They looked up and saw some skiers far off near the crest of the run, then they saw the shorts! The wide grin from our "fellow skier" told them all they wanted to know! Well when you are stuck,,,make the best of it! We would not come down with our heads low! You see there was a small pond at the bottom and there was a slight take off lip. You guessed it! One by one we came down faster than the last one. Took the lip and did a "spectacular" splash into the pond! After each splash more yells and claps. Being the elder, I was last. I realized this was a mistake since all eyes were on the lone skier too far to see well his "attributes" yet close enough to "feel" his hesitation. The more I waited the more impatient the crowd became. Hoping that there was no one from my city in the crowd I took off. The water seemed so far away! By this time the lip was a giant groove and my most spectacular 360 turned into a body spin with both skis releasing in the heavy snow! The landing was even more horrendous, with a full stomach ( and other parts) landing! The cold water dulled the pain and the numerous free beers I got in the next two hours helped me "swallow" my pride! To this day when I give a conference, a member of the audience with a grin on his face will come forward , at the end of the presentation and ask, "did you ever ski XYZ in the Spring of 19XX?" You see no one saw my face since they were more interested in my "fall" Me,,,,I don"t even ski !!!! I answer! If ever you meet me with my sons or wife, NEVER mention this incident Snowgirl! |
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Mike,
Thank you for your insight. I no longer just meet skiers and start teaching right away. First we have coffee ( on my time and expense) and we talk about goals, past experiences and what WE want to accomplish! Then I allow two runs of free skiing where I just ski behind client. Then we decide what to work on! This approach seems to work with 90% of skiers. Like you Mike I am "set" in my ways but in this day of "change' we must learn to accept new ideas, new ways, new products. Just think what this generation has "experienced" as change; television, cell phones, computers, release bindings, ATM, Ipod, etc...... Of course now shaped skis with this new ski technique. But once you learn it,,,,,,,heaven!!! |
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Ant,
Please do not be insulted by the following comments. In order to help you you must be more precise and follow some basic rules of grammar. As this is my fourth language I understand the difficulty in using some basic communication rules such as; capital letters, periods etc.... but it helps making your needs understood! This is a question of security and safety for you. You state, "there is a horizontal line about two inches from the front binding" Do you mean in FRONT or BEHIND this binding? This is not determined , "roughly"! You must measure running surface of the ski by placing it on a hard surface and with a tape measure from the tip (just when ski curves upward) to tail. If tail curves upward ( some skis do), then measure from this point. NOW DIVIDE this value by two. The value you obtain is the exact place from tip (that is the spot where ski curves up) to mid point of ski. This is where the ball of your foot should be located. Once you have this reference mark, place your boot on ski and determine if re-locating rear unit will allow you to place boots at correct place. You see Ant it is possible that you may have to move front unit also. Also the DIN adjustment is but one of the calibrations you must do. You have to also adjust the rear tension pressure level. Again this is a question of safety ! Your safety ! The DIN scale is but a minimum reference scale. Depending on your age, level and physical ability, you may "adjust" the suggested DIN score! Hope this helps you! |
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Some people have asked for an extension on this ski IQ test.
Seems some ski schools are using this test to "classify "their students!!!!! We will give them another week, if you do not mind! For you "bright skiers" who are ready, allow me to keep you busy by asking you this question, How can you raise you IQ ( yes the intelligence quotient) by 10 points!!!! Seriously, this is not a trick. |
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