New Skis

Sorry, it was implied, but not clearly, the reason a 90 degree (1 base, and 89 side) is good for many people, is that it stays sharp longer than a more acutely tuned edge. If you only have the edges sharpened once a season (say two or three weeks skiing), then this would be a better option than having a very dull, but more acute edge after a week skiing.

Trencher

Tognar have some good information on edge angles on their website :

http://tognar.com/bevel_edge_tips_file_bevel_ski_snowboard.html

As they point out, if you're expecting to be on steep ice you don't want angles of 3 degrees or more, that ought to be fairly obvious, if you stand on a slope upright you'll tend to stay there, if you lie down on it you'll tend to slide to the bottom, there's some physics to that but basically the lower the angle between you and the slope then the quicker you'll slide down it. Another, and equally obvious, reason not to knock a few degrees off you edges is you'll have to remove a lot of edge material to get back to a sensible edge angle.

That said, I'd take their comments about graduating the edge angles with a pinch of salt, I can't detect a difference and I really think it doesn't apply so much to the curvier skis we've got nowadays, I can release my ski for a tight turn on steep ground without needed to graduate the edge, partly that's due the twin tip style most modern skis have and partly it's about not letting your ski get caught up in the rubble moving around when you're in somewhere steep.

ise wrote:Tognar have some good information on edge angles on their website :

http://tognar.com/bevel_edge_tips_file_bevel_ski_snowboard.html

As they point out, if you're expecting to be on steep ice you don't want angles of 3 degrees or more, that ought to be fairly obvious, if you stand on a slope upright you'll tend to stay there, if you lie down on it you'll tend to slide to the bottom, there's some physics to that but basically the lower the angle between you and the slope then the quicker you'll slide down it. Another, and equally obvious, reason not to knock a few degrees off you edges is you'll have to remove a lot of edge material to get back to a sensible edge angle.

That said, I'd take their comments about graduating the edge angles with a pinch of salt, I can't detect a difference and I really think it doesn't apply so much to the curvier skis we've got nowadays, I can release my ski for a tight turn on steep ground without needed to graduate the edge, partly that's due the twin tip style most modern skis have and partly it's about not letting your ski get caught up in the rubble moving around when you're in somewhere steep.

I think you are getting your base and side bevels mixed up.

Trencher

not very likely, but we can do it the other way around if you prefer. 3' on either the base or side isn't a good idea.

I have wondered if it is possible to have a different edge angle on each side of the ski..as it is the downhill ski that we are sking on... so if we had "left" and "right" skis and (for example) had 1 degree on one edge and 3 degrees on the other you could swop them over according to conditions?? bad idea? or mad idea?

scapula wrote:I have wondered if it is possible to have a different edge angle on each side of the ski..as it is the downhill ski that we are sking on... so if we had "left" and "right" skis and (for example) had 1 degree on one edge and 3 degrees on the other you could swop them over according to conditions?? bad idea? or mad idea?

people do that, mostly racers of course although obviously not with the intention of swapping them over. I don't think it would work out for general skiing though, more to the point, 3 degrees is a bit too much for normal skiing, it won't work on anything steep and icy for a start.

But just practically, any longish varied piste and you'll see a variation of pitch and terrain as you ski down so you'd need to stop and swap your skis over which isn't practical and know what's around every corner. If you're on a small hill without much vertical drop, no real variation of gradient or terrain you might find some extreme angle works out but otherwise it's not going to pan out and you're going to trash your skis, increasing angles is obviously easy enough but going back from a high angle means you've got to remove a lot of edge material, and probably sidewall although that's not too serious, and given how little is on most skis you'll regret that.

ise wrote: If you're on a small hill without much vertical drop, no real variation of gradient or terrain you might find some extreme angle works out but otherwise it's not going to pan out and you're going to trash your skis, increasing angles is obviously easy enough but going back from a high angle means you've got to remove a lot of edge material, and probably sidewall although that's not too serious, and given how little is on most skis you'll regret that.

That is obviously a veiled reference to me. I was not advocating 3 degree side bevels for everyone, In fact what I said was

Trencher wrote:
If you don't carve much, or never run into ice, a 1 degree base, and a 89 degree side (90 degree overall) will work. I used that for years, but as I started to carve more, and wanted more edge hold, I changed to 87 degree side bevel. Less base bevel (0.75, or less) will make the skis catch, or hook into the turn. Great if you are expecting it, or like it, but unnerving if you aren't used to it.

and

Trencher wrote:Sorry, it was implied, but not clearly, the reason a 90 degree (1 base, and 89 side) is good for many people, is that it stays sharp longer than a more acutely tuned edge. If you only have the edges sharpened once a season (say two or three weeks skiing), then this would be a better option than having a very dull, but more acute edge after a week skiing.

The reference to ice obviously upset you. The reality is that most of the people on this forum will never encounter the kind of steep ice you are talking about.

There's a good reason Jan and other people no longer post on this forum.

Trencher

People do pay real money for their skis and want to look after them I'm just mentioning the sort of icy surface that's common on red or even blue runs in the alps that most of us find ourself skiing on. This is the normal sort of terrain for us all I thought, it's why manufacturers ship skis at 1'/1' give or take. To suggest it's not good for carving or ice is the exact reverse of what's true.

There's heaps of stuff on the internet explaining this which I mentioned Tognar trying to avoid this sort of pointless arguing with you which always descends into you tossing insults around.

I wasn't making any veiled reference to you just a comment about terrain as an illustration, I was given to understand from your postings you were a highly experienced skier in a variety of terrain and conditions.

Please send your followup abuse by PM so I can delete it and no one else has to read it.