Grinding Away Ski Tips

[Jim McDonald]

Plenty of fat Bobs in Tokyo, but they're mostly Americans & Aussies

 

[James]

Plenty of fat Bobs in Tokyo, but they're mostly Americans & Aussies

When this guy becomes part of the WWE/F, whatever it is, his name will be Fatbob.

I'm having trouble understanding how the tip of the OP's ski would wear like that while skiing. How do you cause that kind of wear without also wiping out? It seems to be too far forward to be done in the act of normal skiing. I think the damage happens when you are not actually skiing. Some ideas:

1) Damage from the storage method - sliding ski into some tube? Spearing them into the snow bank to store them upright during lunch?
2) Damage during transport to/from the mountain
3) Damage from something done while tuning
4) Damage from compulsive destructive behavior while you are bored. Like repeatedly ramming your ski tips into a metal pole, trail marker, or other inanimate object while in line for the lift/waiting on someone. Or whacking your ski tips with your ski poles. I see a lot of people doing the latter, and I used to do this myself.

How about the concrete block wall he’s always skiing into to slow down at the lift?

Reminds me of someone I forget who had a weird mark on his pole handle. A worn gully. We tried to figure out how he got it. I suggested storage wear in the car. He finally figured out it was from grabbing the nylon rope at the lift line corral to slow down. It wore a gully in the plastic handle.

 

[Sibhusky]

Who are all these people who can't slow down without the aid of concrete walls and ropes? Don't they have skis?

 

[dbostedo]

Who are all these people who can't slow down without the aid of concrete walls and ropes? Don't they have skis?

I think the concrete wall comment was a joke, but the rope - yeah... and who's grabbing it tight enough that it's digging into their pole? I feel like if I tried that, I'd pull down the corral.

 

[Seldomski]

Who are all these people who can't slow down without the aid of concrete walls and ropes? Don't they have skis?

Well, have you ever waited in a lift line that is sloped downhill? Every time you start/stop to move a few feet, it can be a bit tiresome and you may not have room to make a proper stop. In certain snow conditions, it's hard to stop correctly. An easy short cut is to coast into the next pole in the line. Slide downhill into the pole and stop yourself by impacting the next pole with your skis (usually the tips). Easy on the body, but you are impacting the pole with a ski to stop.

Or you come up to a RFID turnstile. Instead of making a proper stop, you slowly skid toward it and jam your tips into the base of the turnstile to stop completely. Hurts a lot less than coasting into the bar with your legs. I don't see a lot of ski up turnstiles in US. I've seen more of them in europe. Based on OP's nametag and profile pic, I assume he skis a bit there?

 

[James]

I think the concrete wall comment was a joke, but the rope - yeah... and who's grabbing it tight enough that it's digging into their pole? I feel like if I tried that, I'd pull down the corral.

It is an advanced maneuver

It's quite efficient actually, esp in the spring. You just grab the rope and it's wedged between your hand and pole grip.
I could figure out who it was at Abasin in May. I saw him do it, and that's when he figured it out. Eventually it wears a groove in the grip.

 

[Lauren]

I suspect you have nailed it. I had a play today and found that I tend to concentrate on loading the outside ski and letting the inside ski come along for the ride. Result: the tips bang together at times. With some concentration, I could consistently steer the inside ski avoid the tip banging. That said, I was much more successful on the groomers versus the bumps / side-piste. More work needed!

Yup, I suspect he did nail it. I get the lazy inside foot too. My tips get the same wear or some variation of it. My boots also get chewed up on the inside near the ball of my foot. It's gotten better since I've consciously tried to widen my stance, and be a less lazy skier. But let's be real...lazy skiing can be a lot of fun.

 

[geepers]

Sorry Dude! I linked back to the thread via the Alert function and, for reasons unknown to me, James’ response came up as the first. Did not see yours at the time. So, thanks to you too @geepers

BTW: none of the non-skiing explanations gel with what I have done or observed.

Not a biggie. (Although @James still getting kudos when I wrote it 1st.)

Yup, I suspect he did nail it.

place your ski poles behind your knees. Grab the poles with both hands from the front of your knees.

Tried stuff like this and other weird pole placement drills. Felt they were a good way to ski to the scene of the accident.

Didn't try the rubber bands around the knees however being aware to maintain space at the knees is a good cue.




Hope you had a chance to sample that high quality Oz pow last week. It was pretty good conditions on any hilly let alone an Australian one. Thredbo was epic.

 

[James]

One doesn't need to go to a "wide" stance. Narrow is fine, just not locked. You'll get some issues with dinging the fronts, esp if you ski moguls or go in weird terrain. I've sort of been banned from testing here because of that.

Most comp mogul skiers do damage to the front of their skis. I've never seen anything like the op's tips though. He is very consistent in what he does, it looks like he went at it with a belt sander.

 

[KingGrump]

A belt sander will definitely do it. Takes a lot to shape the titanal layer.

 

[MattSmith]

View attachment 78525

This is it exactly. I do this frequently, frustratingly and unintentionally. I am pretty good at riding the buffalo on groomers and less steep pitches, but as soon as things get shaky, I get "skinny" and revert to how feel like I learned. That doesn't jive very well with today's wider tips. So, I'll keep grinding them down until I can ski with the grace and fluidity of @KingGrump

 

[Ulmerhutte]

...

Hope you had a chance to sample that high quality Oz pow last week. It was pretty good conditions on any hilly let alone an Australian one. Thredbo was epic.

Sure did! Been up at Falls Creek for the last 5 weeks; 4 weeks of late spring (sigh) and 4 days of epic snow. I think it was last Friday afternoon (lost track of time) that it snowed heavily. We were lapping the Y’s and South Gully. Not deep, maybe binding/boot deep, but high quality Aussie snow, with tracks almost disappearing between runs. Almost nobody else out. As good as Australia gets!

Back on the hill next weekend.

Will be keeping an eye on that lazy leg!

 

[geepers]

One doesn't need to go to a "wide" stance. Narrow is fine, just not locked.

That's the ultimate aim. Sometimes there's a need to exaggerate a movement knowing full well only a certain amount will embed once focus moves elsewhere.

 

[James]

A belt sander will definitely do it. Takes a lot to shape the titanal layer.

Dragging at speed on the tarmac did it for me. Two thin layers of titanal, plus the heel of the Griffon. Courtesy of either Denver Airport or LGA. I'd normally go with Lga, but they needed some distance.

 

[Skisailor]

Nope to all of the above.

Be careful about adding tip protectors. I religiously remove them from my skis (I ski K2 a lot). If they are not super flush on top and bottom the tip protectors can hook together - a real problem even if it’s just for an instant when you’re not expecting it! It’s not a problem on groomers but in bumps or in crud and powder where your tips might not always be precisely where you think they are - watch out!

 

[Seldomski]

That will do it!

Is the blue area on the top sheet of the ski recessed? If it's not, how does that Jennewein sticker stay attached if narrow stance is the cause? FYI I knocked that sticker off a pair of Stockli SR95 rental skis when I crossed the tips just one time in moguls. The edge of the tip of the other ski scraped it right off. If your feet are overlapping like @Unpiste picture, I don't see how that sticker could survive. Or is it replaced when you get them tuned there?

On my rental skis, the sticker sat proud of the surface of the ski. Not sure, but it was around 0.1" tall.

 

[cantunamunch]

Is the blue area on the top sheet of the ski recessed? .

Yes.

Your post surprised me a lot - I didn't think there were active Pugski posters who hadn't seen the Kastle Hollowtech feature in person.

https://www.skimag.com/gear/kastle-mx89-2017

 

[Seldomski]

@cantunamunch Well if it's recessed, that would keep it protected. So there goes that theory

I have seen Kastle in person and rented some for a day. The construction was not something I cared to remember - I personally didn't like the way they skied.

 

[cantunamunch]

[ I personally didn't like the way they skied.

My man.

 

[mister moose]

One doesn't need to go to a "wide" stance. Narrow is fine, just not locked. You'll get some issues with dinging the fronts, esp if you ski moguls or go in weird terrain. I've sort of been banned from testing here because of that.

Most comp mogul skiers do damage to the front of their skis. I've never seen anything like the op's tips though. He is very consistent in what he does, it looks like he went at it with a belt sander.

Banned from testing because of a few scratches?

The OP didn't say ho many ski days on those tips. As a closet tip scraper, I can tell you it adds up over the seasons in the bumps.