• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Skis lost camber (and grew rocker?)

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
If factory data is not given out how did you get your number of 50 - 60 days? My 100 days is based on customer feedback from when I worked in a shop. Maybe the people that say 125 days are lighter weight but most people I have had contact with seem to say 100 days is a benchmark. Maybe a pole could be done here in the PUGSKI community about what their expectations of life expectancy of a ski.
about the same as the licks in a Tootsie Roll lollypop.
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,209
Location
NYC
I keep track of days for each of my skis. My skis get pretty useless after about 75/80 days.
My son's skis are totally trashed after about 50 days. He also weights in at around #220.
Same make, model, gen. All hand tuned myself.
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,220
Location
Boston Suburbs
I'm fairly heavy, I ski hard, and I ski full days. So my 50 to 60 might be as much wear someone else's 100.
 

4ster

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
Instructor
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,219
Location
Sierra & Wasatch
I don’t think you can throw a number out on how many days in a ski’s life. I think a lot of it depends on the construction of the Ski, how you ski it, how strong you are along with weight & the type of snow you are skiing on.
I had a pair of foam core skis from a French manufacturer that lost their zing after about only a week. I could still ski them but they certainly weren’t as snappy. On the other hand, I expect my current carbon fiber skis to maintain there torsional rigidity for many years to come. My powder skis which are at least 10 years old, just seem to get better with age.
446A0450-FC98-4D22-A590-B993518E8EAC.jpeg
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,220
Location
Boston Suburbs
I don’t think you can throw a number out on how many days in a ski’s life. I think a lot of it depends on the construction of the Ski, how you ski it, how strong you are along with weight & the type of snow you are skiing on.
I'd agree with that. The Navigators are the first ski I ever felt that I wore out. (I have broken skis, but that's different.) I'm guessing the relatively soft flex might be related.

I noticed the camber was gone near the end of my Taos week. Then near the end of my next trip (the Jackson week) the rocker developed.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
I keep track of days for each of my skis. My skis get pretty useless after about 75/80 days.
My son's skis are totally trashed after about 50 days. He also weights in at around #220.
Same make, model, gen. All hand tuned myself.
You notice any difference with the Stocklis? Or does just Mamie ski Stockli?
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
Skier
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Posts
10,893
Location
NJ
I have been feeling this season that my skis are close to death, camber-wise. I'm the epitome of lightweight, and conservatively, there are at least 150 days on them.
If you are skiing softer snow I would think a ski might last longer than if you are constantly on ICE.
 

Brad J

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
871
Location
Newbury, Ma.
My 8 year old MX88's were felling a little blah so I had a very good tune on them , and after over 100 days on them they still certainly aren't the same as they were new. Its very sad because they had alway put a smile on my face . Now they have a lot of thin cover days ahead
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,209
Location
NYC
You notice any difference with the Stocklis? Or does just Mamie ski Stockli?

You know I am a Kendo guy. I have Stocklis but not enough days to really tell. Will know more with more new data next season.
My Kastles are about similar to my Volkls. 80/85 days.

Asking Mamie for direct input is akin to pissing into the wind. However, being her long time dedicated ski tech, I do have some observations. She started the 18/19 season with 2 pairs of 85W. One new pair and one old pair. Same manufacture year and graphic. The old pair has 108 days at the beginning of the season. The new pair is brand new. She skied them interchangeably without any comments. With her, no news is good news.

She started this season (19/20) with the same two pairs. One with 148 days and the newer with 82 days. She still hasn’t voiced any complaints yet.
While in Taos, I mixed up her two pairs after a tuning session. Putting back together mixed. one new ski with one old ski in each pair. She skied one of the mixed pair for three days before I noticed. I know because I have small labels on each of the skis. She thought they skied perfectly fine. Good enough for me.

Being the proverbial cynic, I would normally dismiss that as the skier lacking feel for their equipment. Being her long time ski tech, I could say she can’t really describe what she like about a pair of ski other than with a smile on her face. She also can’t tell me why she doesn’t like about a pair of skis. But I can tell by the look on her face and the body language. I like her best when she is smiling.

From past experience, I will start looking for a second pair of the same ski for her after about 75 days. She will then ski the two pairs interchangeably for about another 30 or 40 days. The old pair usually get tossed after another 25 days or whenever she no longer happy with them. That was the pattern for her last two sets of Salomon and Dynastar DD.

Going by her smile, so far I am very impressed by the durability of her Stocklis. Actively looking for a third pair of 85W for her. Since I am not enamored with the new Kendo, looks like I will switch partly to Stockli next season and see whether they will hold up for me.
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
Skier
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Posts
10,893
Location
NJ
You know I am a Kendo guy. I have Stocklis but not enough days to really tell. Will know more with more new data next season.
My Kastles are about similar to my Volkls. 80/85 days.

Asking Mamie for direct input is akin to pissing into the wind. However, being her long time dedicated ski tech, I do have some observations. She started the 18/19 season with 2 pairs of 85W. One new pair and one old pair. Same manufacture year and graphic. The old pair has 108 days at the beginning of the season. The new pair is brand new. She skied them interchangeably without any comments. With her, no news is good news.

She started this season (19/20) with the same two pairs. One with 148 days and the newer with 82 days. She still hasn’t voiced any complaints yet.
While in Taos, I mixed up her two pairs after a tuning session. Putting back together mixed. one new ski with one old ski in each pair. She skied one of the mixed pair for three days before I noticed. I know because I have small labels on each of the skis. She thought they skied perfectly fine. Good enough for me.

Being the proverbial cynic, I would normally dismiss that as the skier lacking feel for their equipment. Being her long time ski tech, I could say she can’t really describe what she like about a pair of ski other than with a smile on her face. She also can’t tell me why she doesn’t like about a pair of skis. But I can tell by the look on her face and the body language. I like her best when she is smiling.

From past experience, I will start looking for a second pair of the same ski for her after about 75 days. She will then ski the two pairs interchangeably for about another 30 or 40 days. The old pair usually get tossed after another 25 days or whenever she no longer happy with them. That was the pattern for her last two sets of Salomon and Dynastar DD.

Going by her smile, so far I am very impressed by the durability of her Stocklis. Actively looking for a third pair of 85W for her. Since I am not enamored with the new Kendo, looks like I will switch partly to Stockli next season and see whether they will hold up for me.
Are the skis most of the time on soft snow or the east coast ice?
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,209
Location
NYC
Are the skis most of the time on soft snow or the east coast ice?

For Mamie's skis. I would say 85/15 western soft vs eastern hard pack.

For me, FIS SL for the NE and all mountain for the west.
 

sparty

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Feb 15, 2018
Posts
1,005
tl:dr of the following: I think snow conditions make a big difference in how noticeable a "worn-out" ski is.

As another anecdotal data point, I have a pair of Fischer FIS SL skis that at this point I can't get to turn worth a damn. If I didn't trust the guy who ground and tuned them (who is both a coach and has done several pairs of skis for me), I'd say there was something wrong with the tune. I mean, it's not impossible he just goofed, but I can't identify any issues with a true bar, and I strongly suspect the sheer number of days on the skis is more of an issue.

I got the skis in 2007 and they were my primary coaching ski for seven years after that; I'm primarily a weekend coach, and during a couple of those years, I was only helping out from time to time, so I'm not sure what the total day count would work out to—probably averaging 35-45 days a year on those skis after figuring in all-mountain-ski days and GS-ski days, but also a lot of time on the side of the hill. They remained my primary slalom ski when I then moved out to Montana, although I took a year off from coaching and did very little skiing after breaking my leg in December. The next four years I was on the hill at least two, if not three, days each week, and often on those skis, without any significant issue. They still have visible camber.

I moved back East in 2018, and from the first day I was on snow here, I was hating the damn things. I'm convinced that something in the internal structure of the ski isn't as it once was, and the firmer snow here makes it much more evident. At this point, they're a dedicated "side of the hill and slipping" ski, largely to avoid a whole bunch of t-bar laps on other skis. that I'm trying to keep wax on, and the best I can do is either sideslip or sorta fake turns.
 

cantunamunch

Meh
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
21,907
Location
Behavioral sink
^That is exactly why I have been chronically interested in external torque management devices. Imagine being able to bolt one of these onto your old Fischers and getting some of that edge engagement back.

 

Sponsor

Top