Messages posted by : pavelski
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Pantso,
To say you have insulation from XXX country and shell from YYY is not enough information! What kind of insulation and what weight! What kind of outer material! Want to sell your ski pants, you have to have right price and right design! Send me you email and I will give you at least 50 design qualities you must have to "sell" your pants! If you are really serious I will order 100 for some ski racers! |
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Since there is little snow here in Europe, I wish to share with all the skiers waiting to get on slope a true ski story, hoping that it will help you "keep the faith"!
Enjoy dreaming tonight! Some time ago we got a massive snow storm which lasted two days! The first day so much snow fell that all traffic was closed. The second day by 9 PM it was clear that the next day would be a "glorious" ski day! I shovelled my driveway for two hours. I waxed my Sugar Daddys ( a very special ski for snow up to chin) and prepared lunch. At 5 AM I was up and gone since I knew the roads were still full of snow and major roads might be full of fanatic skiers like me! This is where experiance counts! I knew of a ski resort that had a restaurant at top and the owner gets up at 7 AM to get food up the chairs! At 7 AM I was first in parking lot and picked nearest spot near chair lift. There was Hans, the cook loading up the food. For one hour I helped him haul food to chair lift and at the end of work, Hans tells me to help him at top! Without hesitation I jump on the chair and up we go! There was so much snow the chairs were barely clearing the snow drifts! Another 30 minutes to carry food to the hut at the top!Then Hans tells me goodbye with a twinkle in his eye! He knew what I wanted. He had been a skier also! The chairs had stopped. The sun was coming out and the snow was up to my chest! Silence! I actually could hear my heart beating! Alone I took the fall line, looking for the steepest sections since the snow was so high it was holding me back! I laughed and realized the mistake I made! The snow was so high it was going into my mouth as I laughted! Perfect skiing! Once in a life time. The stars were aligned and I was in a groove! Coming over a steep section, I spied at the very bottom tiny bodies waiting at the lift. Even if my legs were burning, I knew I had to make this final section perfect! Pushing myself just a little more, I picked up more speed and found skiing easier! I was floating on top of snow very much like a boat that planes water! The hell with turns let's just coast every 20 meters!!! The small bodies were getting bigger and then silence as they noticed me! 10 seconds of total silence as they wondered where I came from since the lifts were not opened yet and they were the instructors, patrollers and staff!The pros! Then one voice gave an encouragement! Another shouted, "go for it". A third yelled, "Yhaaaaaa". Once I got to bottom, another silence as I felt 20 pair of eyes on me! Who was this stranger? How dare he take our powder? The first person in the lineup (of course the Ski School Director) motions me to come to him! Expecting a lecture I sheepishly pasted all the waiting skiers and faced the Director! The eye ball moment! "How was the snow" he asked casually! Before I could answer he continued, "and tell us where did you come from?" I knew I could not tell on Hans. So I say, " I climbed up yesterday, with skins and slept at top in the sled shack" With that answer I earned a seat beside the Director and several runs of pure virgin snow like I have never skied before! So if ever you are in a ski resort and you hear the story of the fanatic that took 4 hours to climb in a storm to the top just to get first tracks, just smile and please keep my secret! On days such as we all are having, I think back on that run and remember each turn, each dip and that silence. That ski run lasted 20 years! All I hope is that you all,,,, once in your lives, have a ski resort all to yourself with snow up to your chest and the ability to enjoy it! That is why you practice the basics. That day will come and it will last a life time! |
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Let's clear the air first about ski tuning!
It is a mix of science and art! Science based on wax/glide field research AND art which is based on watching ski technicians at WC, Olympics etc,,, There is not one way to undertake "tuning"! Every person has a "little" special procedure that they do to answer to their skiing needs! Every time I meet ski technicians I learn new options! In other words ski tuning is "work in progress"! Finally with the modern ski there is a "searching" of various options to make the ski more precise and faster! New ways of tuning are being experimented as we speak! What is very interesting is that ski companies and wax companies are now using wireless sensors in;boot, skis skiers and yes even poles to record the dynamic forces while skiing! In 5 years there will be tiny sensors very much like ABS brake sensors in your equipement! Perhaps in 20 years we will have Ipods which will receive "messages" from skis telling you when you are in that perfect ski side-cut curve! What are some "discussed new options" 1. The detuning at tip and tail. Trencher read your comments again. You mention that you tune edges at XX degrees then you "detune" tip and tail since you want a ski that "hooks up easily"! One school of thought about detuning goes something like this. With the skis so short ( 165 cm vs 201 cm for slalom skis) you want to use the maximum edge you have to get maximum "sharp edge surface" in the turning! Also since there is no longer a three phase turn ( unweigh-rotate-set edge) the sharp edge catching ( often called nervous ski) is minor! Also consider this! On a 201 cm slalom ski a 5 cm detune ( 2") has NOT the same effect on a 165 cm ski. Clearly the detune length must be shorter if perhaps no detuning! A second issue which is very relevant to racers is the relative placement of the boots in reference to the ski. If you have a change look up the site Realskier in which there is a comprehensive discussion on binding placement! In the "old days" racers would place bindings forward from mid-point of running surface!That was on 201-210 cm skis! Imagine now using the same distance on modern ski! The result would be counterproductive! In 2005 we took 20 skis ( all same type, with same tuning) and we changed location of bindings ( skiers and staff did not know what changes were made. This is called a double blind experiment model! Expert skiers rated the performance of the ski! A top level world cup skier can detect a 5 mm change of position! Imagine that! Final issue to consider when tuning! There is not one set of "conditions" on a given ski day! It actually is a permutation of; temperature, snow type,sun, wind, etc.... That is why technicians keep diaries very much like sea captains of yesterday and options that work are closely guarded secrets! Now 98% of skier do not give a dam about all this. All they want is to enjoy themselves! Some , like you Trencher want to get close to the envelope or like me I want to get the very best performance on my skis. That is why where ever I go I ask, "do you have a tuning rooms" and I tune my skis everyday! Just finished a tuning session with Rossignol race technician and learnt a great deal about "new" options. 1. The first thing a race technician does is examine the ski with true bar, and magnifying lense since even World Cup skis have some production "defects" due to extreme heat and pressure used! 2. The second step, and this is very new to me is to round off the TOP layer at tip and tail! Yes I wrote the top layer! Using a coarse file the 90 degrees at the top becomes rounded! Once you see this done and see pictures of top level racers you quickly see why this top edge is rounded! Look carefully at a racer! Note angle of attack of ski edge at tip! See how top edge does touch slope surface. This is for top racers! Typical skiers would never by in such a "radical" position! Most skiers do not need this "detuning top edge" but you Trencher might! In this short string I can not go into all the tuning detail and I am not sure if it might not bore the rest of the readers, however I am production a DVD with the Rossi rep and couls send it to you once finished! The last comment has to do with the finish procedures! For a hobby I restore old sports cars and I never could get that "lustered, perfect shine" when I painted my cars! So I enrolled in car painting courses and discovered the secret! It is in the final three steps using a wet-sanding paper with 200, then 300 finally 350 grit paper! In ski tuning the secret is in getting from Reliable Racing a ceramic set of stones with at least 6 grades! These stones make the edges razor sharp! To answer your question Trencher, my tuning varies according to where I am! Out west in Utah, Lake Louise or Lake Tahoe I rarely do a very fine 3 degree vertical edge and base is structured "coarse" since typically we get soft powdery snow. While skiing in hard "eastern" blue snow I will take great care in getting perfect, razor shart 2 degree edge ( for some 98 degree)! Here is where I will take time to use my ceramic stones. In fact this procedure is so important that I have bought from Wintersteiger a great tool which is a ceramic disc mounted on a "drill-like" tool. In seconds your ski is done with a 1/2 degree precision! My base bevel is done once every year and it is set for 1 degree! This is only for race skis like my SL 12, Rossignol WC, and Salomon GS! All other skis like Metrons, Fischer X9's, Rossi Z9 are flat! Tuning is a life learning process, that is why I meet all race technicians I can find and it is ever changing! Hope this will be of interest to all skiers who want to get "just the exta" from the skis! |
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Meercat,
You are good! No very good and very observant! A lot of your observations reflect a common thread! This is her/his playground, you are but a transient allowed to "share" the sandbox! Rating 9.5 /10 |
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90% of rental skis are modern "shaped" skis thus,,,,yes they will "carve" if you know the magic sequence!
You do not have to ask for carving skis. All skis carve, even the old 1960's VR17s I have in my closet. They just carve with more difficulty, ha,,,but the memories they bring up on each turn!!! Goodluck on your Italian! |
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James asked a very interesting question about using ski edges!
For a "beginner" he asks relevant questions and will progress far and fast! There are different ski edges(however 99% of skiers are not aware of this). Trencher, great question for you! How are racing ski edges different from general ski edges? As you get better and better James you will want more precision or "bite" from your skis. This is done by tuning your ski! Like a car you buy off the lot it is "good" but if you want it to be great you have to "tweak" it. To take you to that next level of "pleasure" you will tune the ski. That is you will learn how to wax your skis and sharpen ( and modify) edges for your needs! If ever you want to feel what a World Cup ski feels like just drop a line and I will lend you such a ski on your next vacation! If you want to know the difference, just rent a Porsche 911 tuned for the track and then compare it to your car! It really is that different! One problem,,,,you have to know how to to handle those skis or else they will take you for a ride!!! Think snow!!! |
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Sarah's reply is very relevant! ( the last phrase is key)!
You must wear boots BEFORE going on vacation! My boots are "modified" in all respects and I never have boot problems while skiing, yet every year around Fall I must heat my boots and then I wear them while raking leaves, tuning skis and yes even watching TV. A mysterious change occurs either to the boots or me ( I am not sure which) and it is as if the two ( feet and boots) must get to know each other! Once they become friendly and tight, they provide me with comfort all winter long! |
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Welcome to the club James.
You are into a life-long quest of "perfection"! Excellent questions you ask! I hope I can answer them. The edge issue One of the myths in skiing is that you glide on bases very much like sled! It is called, "flat skiing" by ski instructors. Effective skiers go from edge to edge! That means they do three things while turning; 1. angle the ski ( that is the ski that is going to turn, often called downhill ski), gradually apply pressure to edge and ( here is the secret) subtly "suggest" to ski to turn! Note the term suggest! If you have read the problem some skiers have about, "skidding" on a turn, it is due to forcing the skis to turn. They "muscle" the skis , in other words they "fight" the ski to do what they think the turn should be like! The modern ski is a wonderful instrument and will give you much pleasure if you take the time to get to know the ski's potential! An "expert" skier rides the edges like a knive slicing butter! This results in the ski taking on a trajectory like a missle. No amount of snow, ice or crud will move a ski on edge away from its trajectory also called radius! Once you and the ski are one, you can also adjust your scarf, zip up your coat etc...while skiing! Of course you can ski well with rental skis, however as you get better and more proficient you will want more, "performance " from your ski! Take the time to get to know your ski! Take the time allow the ski to show you its limits. Take lessons with same instructor! James, hope this short reply will help you! |
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