How often are you putting yourself in new equipment and also fwiw even attire?

[RSTuthill]

I'll call BS on that.

Ask any material scientist. Unless of course you delaminate them.

 

[laine]

I'm a gear junkie. I buy and sell skis because I like to try new things. And I have three pair of pants and four jackets because I like color and variety. I only replace boots if they don't feel right.

We don't have kids. We have toys.

 

[KingGrump]

Ask any material scientist. Unless of course you delaminate them.

The material scientist will sell you a bridge in lower Manhattan also.

I have several pairs of FIS SL where the cambers been beaten out of them. Literally dead flat under foot. No rebound. Lose of torsional rigidity. Won't hold on ice anymore. No, they are not delaminated. no fan fare. No funeral. Just dead. Happens about 70 days of free skiing. Not racing.

 

[tromano]

I try to wear stuff out. Many skis been in regular use for 4+ years. Demo skis every year. If I decide I don't like a ski or much prefer something else, it's gone.

 

[RSTuthill]

The material scientist will sell you a bridge in lower Manhattan also.

I have several pairs of FIS SL where the cambers been beaten out of them. Literally dead flat under foot. No rebound. Lose of torsional rigidity. Won't hold on ice anymore. No, they are not delaminated. no fan fare. No funeral. Just dead. Happens about 70 days of free skiing. Not racing.

Wood core? Do you tune when there is ice, setting both edge and base bevel angles? Polish with diamond stones?

 

[surfsnowgirl]

your ski collection are more akin to tinder action on Friday night....

I am a great junkie and proud of it. . Although my ski collection is pretty chill these days. Tinder definitely has more going on.

 

[KingGrump]

Wood core? Do you tune when there is ice, setting both edge and base bevel angles? Polish with diamond stones?

Yup, multiple pairs of Atomic FIS SL over the years. I send them out at the start of the season for a base grind and base bevel - 0.5 degree. Verify the base bevel when they come back. Clean up base bevel at the tip and tail. Set the side edge to 3 degree with a edge grinder. I find the edge produced by the grinder to hold better on hard pack & ice than a hand filed edge.
I used to hand file and polish with diamond stone - up to 600 grit. I don't race so grip is more important to me than time. It's a tech ski anyway.

A very standard routine for us at the start of the season.
I have multiple pairs of the same ski. Whether they are race or all mountain. I can tell the older ski once it get pass about 60 days. Just have to ski them back to back.

 

[Ski&ride]

Just how often do you feel or have the need or simply the desire to change to new equipment?

Desire? Often! Especially in clothing. Probably a case of “retail therapy”. But being small and skinny, it’s really hard to find ski attire that fits me “right”. Always some part is too short or too big... Off to buy some new ones!

Feel the Need? Often. Every time I can’t ski something, I “feel” a new ski would be “needed”! Or at least those I skied with felt *I* “needed” it.

“Have“ the need (for real)? I rarely get to test whether the “need” I or my companion “felt” is actually for real or not. Because my wallet has the final say and the answer is equally often a no. But also partly because the condition on the terrain I can’t ski tend not to repeat itself exactly.

I’ve had much better success in taking expensive multi-day camp/clinic (or private lessons with instructors I feel “connected”). So the “need” for new skis to cover the condition/terrain I can’t ski had decreased significantly the last few season. Somehow the wallet seldom say no. So I have result to show for it.

That said, every new skis and boots, even poles, improved my skiing noticeably! Well, the fact I’ve also taken some lessons in between new gear acquisition muddled the cause and consequences somewhat. Still, I feel both skills and gear “needs” updating at some reasonable interval. It’s just clinic/camp tend to produce immediate results, while new gear takes some getting used to. So my wallet prefers the quick result of lessons.

 

[Philpug]

Race skis, specifically slalom skis definately wear out. We refer to most used race skis as "binding holders", it's better to buy used bindings when they are still on the race skis..there is a better chance there are no missing screws.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Many frequent skiers seem to get 5 years use out of a head lid. Trying to get two seasons out my helmet that I got last year is a stretch. Need to open and close the vents via a screwdriver as the switch got ripped off playing in the trees. Normally the stink factor as the spring approaches is the killer.

 

[Scruffy]

Many frequent skiers seem to get 5 years use out of a head lid. Trying to get two seasons out my helmet that I got last year is a stretch. Need to open and close the vents via a screwdriver as the switch got ripped off playing in the trees. Normally the stink factor as the spring approaches is the killer.

I wash my helmets in a laundry wash basin sink thing we have next to our washing machines. Just use anti bacteria dish soap and soak for a while in warm water then swish around the helmet in the suds and rinse and let dry. I never use to do this, but a biking friend of mine told me she washes her biking helmet every once and a while, and so I thought why not try the skiing helmet too. You'd be amazed at the funk that comes out.

 

[RSTuthill]

Yup, multiple pairs of Atomic FIS SL over the years. I send them out at the start of the season for a base grind and base bevel - 0.5 degree. Verify the base bevel when they come back. Clean up base bevel at the tip and tail. Set the side edge to 3 degree with a edge grinder. I find the edge produced by the grinder to hold better on hard pack & ice than a hand filed edge.
I used to hand file and polish with diamond stone - up to 600 grit. I don't race so grip is more important to me than time. It's a tech ski anyway.

A very standard routine for us at the start of the season.
I have multiple pairs of the same ski. Whether they are race or all mountain. I can tell the older ski once it get pass about 60 days. Just have to ski them back to back.

Yeah, using an edge grinder will limit the life of the edges. I have never had a problem with hold using a good sharp hand file. Three passes down the edge will usually make them so sharp as to be hazardous on the way from the parking lot to the base lodge. And btw, here in the east where "eastern packed powder" (aka ice to westerners) is common, I sharpen every other day, even every day, if needed. But we can also go weeks with hero snow and in that case I do not sharpen at all. The test of the ski in my opinion is whether or not it holds on the surface skied, carves well, and doesn't do any crazy things at speed. Of course the ski industry will promote the urban legend that you have to have new skis every year or every 70 days on the hill. That is what they are in the business to do.

 

[Bad Bob]

New stuff comes along whenever the itch gets too bad.
The Enforcer 100's are on their 3rd season and doing great. The old Nordica Hot Rods are 10 and getting pretty floppy. (They have taught me the quality of some of the new waterproof tapes though.) The itch is getting pretty bad for their replacement. Boots are on a need basis only, it is hard giving up on a good marriage. Clothing doesn't count, still wearing some that is older then some of our members.

 

[KingGrump]

Yeah, using an edge grinder will limit the life of the edges. I have never had a problem with hold using a good sharp hand file. Three passes down the edge will usually make them so sharp as to be hazardous on the way from the parking lot to the base lodge. And btw, here in the east where "eastern packed powder" (aka ice to westerners) is common, I sharpen every other day, even every day, if needed. But we can also go weeks with hero snow and in that case I do not sharpen at all. The test of the ski in my opinion is whether or not it holds on the surface skied, carves well, and doesn't do any crazy things at speed. Of course the ski industry will promote the urban legend that you have to have new skis every year or every 70 days on the hill. That is what they are in the business to do.

The edge grinder actually takes off less edge material than a hand file. YMMV.
I run out of ski long before I run out of edge.

 

[RSTuthill]

The edge grinder actually takes off less edge material than a hand file. YMMV.
I run out of ski long before I run out of edge.

Right. Hard to believe since one checks after every pass of the file. That doesn't meet the machinist's eyeball test. You imply that you sharpen at the beginning of the season and that is it?

 

[KingGrump]

Right. Hard to believe since one checks after every pass of the file. That doesn't meet the machinist's eyeball test. You imply that you sharpen at the beginning of the season and that is it?

Full base grind, base bevel, side edge, full wax treatment for every ski at the beginning of the season. To bring everything as close to zero as things can get. All 20+ pairs in the family.
Usually ski the NE Dec & early Jan. Side edge every 2 to 4 days. Depending on the snow.

Early to Mid Jan, we load up the AWD mini-van and hear out west. Usually come back in last may. Last season, it was June. Our seasons are usually 100+ days. Last season it was 130+.
Lot less edge tuning out west. Every 8 to 10 days. Lots of waxing though. We travel with a full tuning kit. Bench & all.
Usually I get a base grind on a pair of ski after logging 20 days on it in the NE. About 40 days when we are out west. Core shots & rock strikes are usually the unknowns.

 

[ARL67]

... it's better to buy used bindings when they are still on the race skis..there is a better chance there are no missing screws.

Reminds me of when I bought some bindings at TGR and the schmuck used the thinnest cardboard box available ( old Kleenex box ? ) and just threw the screws in loose. Naturally half of them didn't make it to me

 

[Eleeski]

Just an observation. Many race skis have wood cores, and wood core skis do not lose pop over time. Bases wear and edges get too thin, but if you have a quiver of primarily older race skis they should last you a long long time. OTOH, there is always that urge to try something new ....

I built wood waterskis. They warped within one season. As an engineer, wood has many wonderful properties but stability over time is not one of them. There are lots of small cellulose fibers carrying loads - but these fibers are not as strong as fiberglass or carbon fibers and can deform or stretch easier. Wood certainly can and does move over time.

Wood can be constrained by composite skins so a wood ski can be as durable as the composites in the skin. The epoxy in the skins can get some creep over time and use. Individual fibers of glass or carbon can be overloaded and fail without all the skin failing - softening the ski over time. Small delaminations happen. Skis age.

With that said, we test "dead" old waterskis. Surprisingly, they stiffen over time. The thinking is that the epoxy gets harder with age. The "dead" feeling is more associated with the ski getting stale for the skier's skills. Buy a new ski just to keep your skills sharp!

Eric

 

[RSTuthill]

I built wood waterskis. They warped within one season. As an engineer, wood has many wonderful properties but stability over time is not one of them. There are lots of small cellulose fibers carrying loads - but these fibers are not as strong as fiberglass or carbon fibers and can deform or stretch easier. Wood certainly can and does move over time.

Wood can be constrained by composite skins so a wood ski can be as durable as the composites in the skin. The epoxy in the skins can get some creep over time and use. Individual fibers of glass or carbon can be overloaded and fail without all the skin failing - softening the ski over time. Small delaminations happen. Skis age.

With that said, we test "dead" old waterskis. Surprisingly, they stiffen over time. The thinking is that the epoxy gets harder with age. The "dead" feeling is more associated with the ski getting stale for the skier's skills. Buy a new ski just to keep your skills sharp!

Eric

Eric, you I am sure are familiar with the purpose of the core? It is simply to bond the top and bottom structural members together, right? Not to provide stiffness itself. For instance, it was not too long ago that Atomic was using foam rather than wood in their SL skis.

 

[Scruffy]

^^ Yeah, and it seems they've all gone back to wood cores. Those foam core skis sucked and died an early death, as I recall. I think you underestimate the value of the wood in a ski core, and your above statement seems to counter your initial statement about wood core skies never dyeing.