Author Topic: The Ski Locker thread  (Read 126330 times)

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #450 on: 18 February, 2015, 10:36:36 am »
I wouldn't worry too much about additional brushes, the nylon one will do a good enough job. I confess I've been using domestic irons for years, and just acquired a Toko..... I really ought to have got one earlier, they are soooo much better. I still use a home fettled ski vice (I'll post a pic later)


CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #451 on: 23 February, 2015, 09:25:04 pm »
My ski vice arrived from XSpo.de today and some Vola base prep wax from the Piste Office. I had hoped to defer the edge maintenance until Autumn but on Saturday I checked my edges.  Oh dear. I will get another delivery, files and guides, at the end of the week. The only major thing missing from my 'work shop' is a specialist waxing table.  Too expensive for me to justify.




   

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #452 on: 25 February, 2015, 12:57:48 pm »

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #453 on: 07 March, 2015, 04:55:20 pm »
Today I did my first step of ski maintenance.  I set the work mate up outside the kitchen and attached my ski vice to it. Its a bit short so the middle vice could not grip the ideal spot on the binding plate. I had made the decision not to use rough files and just use my general purpose stone and diamond files. This way I am less likely to take too much off the edge. So I started by rubbing the ugliest bit with the stone. Then I put my 200 grit diamond stone in the 1 degree guide poured water onto it and ran it along the base edge a few times. I then turned the ski fitted the 200 grit stone in the 87 degree guide and ran along the side edge. I repeated base edge, side edge, base edge, side edge with 400, 600 and 1000 grit diamond files in turn. I cleaned the dirty water off the edge with some 'Fiberlene' paper. I was not impressed. I could clearly see the deeper damage on the edge.  I looked across at the opposite edge and realised how much better the newly cleaned/polished/sharpened edge really was. 

I did the other edge then the other ski.  I decide I have done a good job.  The deeper flaws will lessen then disappear in subsequent services. I am not preparing for a race so a few trivial nicks are not an issue. The corrosion marks are all gone,  the dark metal and the kisses of the rust god.   

I wanted to wax the skis but I needed to go to the bike shop to collect a bike. I will wax the skis tomorrow now.

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #454 on: 07 March, 2015, 05:16:34 pm »
A little tip which, while useful all the time is more useful when you do your own edges. If your skis are ambidextrous (as most are), mark the inside edge and always use them on the same feet. This has two benefits: First, you can lavish more care on one edge than the other. Second, if you shag the edge, you can swap them over and have a good edge to ski on until you get home.

(and, 87o? What skis are they?)

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #455 on: 07 March, 2015, 05:24:18 pm »
A little tip which, while useful all the time is more useful when you do your own edges. If your skis are ambidextrous (as most are), mark the inside edge and always use them on the same feet. This has two benefits: First, you can lavish more care on one edge than the other. Second, if you shag the edge, you can swap them over and have a good edge to ski on until you get home.

(and, 87o? What skis are they?)

I lavish care on both edges equally as regards sharpness, and as I also mark the skiis as L/R I then swapping round gives me virtually unused edges to use on the about to appear 'foxes glacier mint' (sheet ice) that the 20C Alp temp swing will bring (-7 to +13C !!).

Glad I'm a ski bum and pick which days and times I ski...

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #456 on: 07 March, 2015, 05:26:43 pm »
Sharpness, yes, but CtF has just got his kit, so is likely to be trying to polish out all the blemishes ;)

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #457 on: 07 March, 2015, 10:28:41 pm »
(and, 87o? What skis are they?)

Fischer Progressor 8+. All Fischer alpine 'race' and 'high performance' skis are 1,3 from the factory according to the Piste Office. The file guides fitted.

Ski History

The first three ski trips I hired skis. I skied with my three brothers. My eldest brother he supplied his old skis to my brothers. Martin, who was usefully living in Geneva at this time, had his new Volkl race skis. Gareth had his Migros supermarket Equipe GS Race skis that Martin had bought when he arrived in Switzerland. David had a pair of Head 100 skis which cost less than that in Scotland when Martin had a less glamorous posting. I loved La Plagne (Feb 1995), skiing is brilliant. I hated Avoriaz (Feb 1996) hardly any snow it rained the first 4 days and snowed later in the week leaving one sunny day. I needed to be persuaded to come to Val D'Isere(Mar 1997). If it had been like Avoriaz I would have given up skiing but it was not. At Val D'Isere David had been bought Rossignol RS3 skis. A horrible ski with extruded base which was the ubiquitous entry level hire ski the following year. I was not given the head skis. Later that year I am fed up at work. Lets go skiing on Saturday I ask David. We are given time off work for the week before Christmas we arrive at Les Arcs on Saturday morning.

My First Skis. Martin has moved and I am now looking after the skis. I allocate myself David's old Head 100 skis pack them together with his Rossignol's. Sunday crowds at every lift with masses of people with Bourg St Maurice ski club jackets which is most of the town.  Monday it is empty, not much is open. The Plagnettes lift had a red and blue which did not correspond to any route on the Piste  map called Teppes. Each morning the Transarc lift would bring Arc 1800 immigrants to swamp us with around 20 foreigners to our 6 native Arc 2000 folk. I mean there was someone in front of me when I arrived at the lift. The operators were sensitive to my distress and started to open more lifts. On Wednesday Dou l'Homme lift opened with a sign saying TPH Aguille Rouge Thursday afternoon. Dou l'Homme gave us a wonderful version of Arandelieres red piste. Around the cable car drop off the road on to the piste proper. I say proper but  this route had some interesting features not usually present. At the bottom it was routed along a steep camber (edge of Dou l'homme black ?). Best of all piste bashers had created themselves a level road across the piste to get to the higher levels. So this distinctly intermediate skier zipped down from the start come cross the road at speed. I learned to jump. After three or four runs picking my skis up further down the piste I learned to land. This is the best ever piste.  There were other interesting pistes. Piste Lac which has been widened had a huge block of square block of blue ice in the middle of the old narrow section. Valle d'Arc had its stream still running through it. More jumping, lets not do that one again. On the last Saturday the resort is properly open. The block of ice has been removed from Lac. Arandelieres is smooth and level. Valle d'Arc has it stream covered and hidden. The missing pistes appear, are properly marked and go the correct way but something special has been lost.  I was not going to cook in the evenings so we found a restaurant. The owner of Sainte Jacques had not had his menu ready. He listed a few things until I recognised something so I had steak and chips every night. A better price than normal.  This is the best ski holiday ever. Nothing will ever compare. I am now a ski addict and evangelist.

Despite the brilliant first outing of the Head 100 the proper holiday to Courchevel (feb 98). Gareth did not come so I upgraded myself to the super market Equipe Active skis. I never liked these skis. They were insufficiently stiff. I decided I needed more lessons. One day on the lift the ski instructor asked me if I always used good skis. I think he saw Equipe and decided they were high end similarly named Salomon race skis. On the other hand these full length skis were faster than the other shorter skis in the class.       

Sometime before 2002 I replaced my brothers Rossignols which were worn out with Fischer Ice 102 Booster. He turned them left, he turned them right and never turned again. I was on a ski bus between La Fornet and Val d'Isere and noticed that I was the odd one out using the old style long skis. So in the end of season sales I bought myself Dynastar Speed Carve 63. This ski had on piste leisure geometry but otherwise was one of their race skis. I liked this ski. If tried to go fast it would. On the other hand it was not the best ski to cruise along with. I would probably still have this ski if it did not sustain an annoying piece of base damage. Barry ski lodge fixed it. Two days skiing the repair had fallen out. I tried getting it fixed in Tignes Lac Ski Set. Their repair did not last the day. So at the end of my 30th ski holiday to Tignes (Mar 2011) I left it in the rack outside the ESF.

I was impressed by the longevity of my brothers Fischer 102s so I turned up at Flaine with my current Fischer Progressor 8+. As always I buy my skis in the previous seasons sales.  I think Progressor is an unfortunate name it suggests this not a proper high performance ski. The higher numbered Progressors share many feature with the race skis. I do not want a race ski. They are very unhappy off icy piste. At the same time although I am happy on the blackest unbashed pistes. Perhaps I would be better off with an all mountain ski but part of me still wants a Race GS ski despite the chances of me getting the best out of is minimal.

   























CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #458 on: 08 March, 2015, 07:47:00 pm »
So today I did part two of my first maintenance.  I applied Vola universal wax and immediately scraped it off and brushed the base. Then I noticed I forgot to use the masking tape I bought this morning Doh!  I used the tape over the binding area. I applied the Swix CH8 from my wax starter kit this time I did not scrape. I did the same with the second ski except this time the masking tape went on first. I waited a for over an hour and a half, unfortunately I started late because it was raining earlier so I could not wait longer before the sun would go down. I scraped and brushed the skis.  I decided they looked better than they had when the shop in Alpe d'Huez waxed them last month.  A successful job.

The globules of wax on the unprotected binding can be scratched off with my finger nail when I am standing in the cable car. Always nice to have something to do then :-)

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #459 on: 08 March, 2015, 08:12:50 pm »
Oh, I've only just noticed this discussion.
Mind if I butt in? No? Thanks!

1) Servicing your own skis is a Good Thing for many reasons.  You get to select your waxes, edge angles etc etc.

2) Race skis are generally not great as all-mountain skis, just like a race car is not great as a family car.

SL and GS skis are set up for exactly that, in terms of their edge angles, flexibility, length and turn radius.  They are not really wide enough for off-piste by today's standard, and the edges then become irrelevant: you don't set edges in powder.   Also, GS skis are a bloody handful on moguls.

3) Regarding edge angles.  Side edges generally default to 89 on general purpose skis, which combined with a base edge angle of 1 degree gives a 90 degree angle on the metal, and is reasonable.   If you are skiing icy conditions, then sharpening up to 88 or 87 is fine, and will give a keener line in ice, but they will become dull more quickly, and you will need to hone them more regularly.   Base edge angles in general should be left alone.   You can only increase it from the default 1 degree, it's not possible to reduce it unless you stone-grind the entire base down which is beyond any home fettling.  The base edge angle defines how much you need to roll onto the edge before it begins to set. If you want the edge to set early like in an SL ski, you may wish to have it set to 0.5 for example. That will start turning quicker, but will make it twitchy and unstable at high speed in a straight line, as the edges will catch all the time.  For a faster line downhill, a lazier angle will make the ski more stable and less twitchy at the expense of a slower response to a turn , as you need to roll it more to set the edge.

4) Waxes: I used Holmenkol when we were racing, but for general family use I tend to go with cheapish universal like Data unless I'm going somewhere bloody cold.  Cold snow wax ( like drymat wax ) is bloody hard, and damn near impossible to scrape.

<ETA> 5) Wax solvents: Did you ask what these were for a few posts back?  They are not used for routine waxing.  They are used to remove all traces of wax prior to a PTEX base repair, with a hot PTEX repair gun.  Traces of wax causes the repair not to 'take' properly to the original PTEX, and it will strip out quickly.

I've never used masking tape. Don't use so much wax that it's pouring over the edges.  A wee dribble is fine, and can be knocked off once it's hardened.
The Perspex scraper will usually have a wee notch out of one corner, this is to scrape residual wax off of the edges.

Don't worry too much about getting the brushing 100%, you never will.
You will find that it will take one or two runs for the snow to finish that job off.
That's why we do practice runs on practice skis, but still take the race skis for one or two runs before the race; they do speed up.



Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #460 on: 08 March, 2015, 09:08:06 pm »
Wot Feanor said about the edges, I was rather surprised when you said 87. My Salomon Streetracers are sharpened at 89 but they go on rails over ice, and manage nicely in most terrain. In contrast, I used to have Crossmax which is far more of a race ski - well, ski cross obv - which was twitchy as hell on the schuss, I've enjoyed life much more since I swapped.

Also,  how have you managed to get wax on the binding? Seems a little odd, even if you have put too much on (as is inevitably the case when you start waxing). You are putting the wax on with the ski base horizontal?  All that's needed in the end is to run down the edges with the notch in the scraper to clear it off, if you can be bothered.

If you want an alternative ski, I'm thinking of selling my Storm Detonate 168 (with bindings) bought in 2012, used once, nice, light, easy skis but I preferred my Salmons, looking for £150 ono

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #461 on: 09 March, 2015, 10:01:14 pm »
I just remembered, I posted a photo of me doing some mid-holliberries fettling a couple of years ago.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55316.msg1393286#msg1393286

The pic of me waxing the ski gives an indication of the quantity of wax required.  A steady dribble, applied along the length of the ski in a wave, as per the photo.   Much more will just be wasted: remember, it's going to be scraped off shortly.

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #462 on: 09 March, 2015, 10:16:01 pm »
I just remembered, I posted a photo of me doing some mid-holliberries fettling a couple of years ago.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=55316.msg1393286#msg1393286

The pic of me waxing the ski gives an indication of the quantity of wax required.  A steady dribble, applied along the length of the ski in a wave, as per the photo.   Much Any more will just be wasted: remember, it's going to be scraped off shortly.

I've got it down to a fine art with a blobby squiggle rather than a constant dribble. Basically, the less wax you can use and still have a full width covering, the better.

Jakob

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #463 on: 10 March, 2015, 04:01:24 am »
Local mountains closed 2 weeks ago, although they did have a futile attempt at turning on the snow guns last week.
Mt Baker closed today. This is the mountain that gets the most snow in North America. Whistler still has snow in the alpine, but I'm not paying $100/day for that.
Looks like this will be the first season since I moved here that I didn't go snowboarding :(. At least it totally justifies our early decision to go to Hawaii instead of skiing/snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor. (Hawaii was awesome, Mt Bachelor had no snow).

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #464 on: 10 March, 2015, 06:56:16 am »
Alp d'huez beckons on Saturday, small fresh fall due over the weekend to freshen it up, this will be my first ever trip outside school holidays.

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #465 on: 12 March, 2015, 01:45:08 pm »
I was at Alpe d'Huez the beginning of February. On Saturday I will step of the train in Bourg St Maurice and step on the Arc en Ciel funicular to Arc 1600 then Navette to Arc 2000. Snow forecast is indicating  Snow/Rain for the first half of the week.
 

Pippa

  • Busy being fabulous
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #466 on: 15 March, 2015, 08:45:57 pm »
Just back from my annual trip to Val d'Isere. Seemed to be a general agreement in resort that last week was the best conditions so far this season; they were certainly the best conditions I have ever experienced. Clear blue skies pretty much all week (a few clouds here and there) and the snow was great. It was a bit warm at the start of the week but cooled down towards the end. Left a grey resort this morning though. My panda eyes are pretty good this year  :thumbsup:

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #467 on: 22 March, 2015, 07:35:33 am »
Whereas the week later.....

Just back from Alpe d'Huez, a very interesting week in many ways, where I learned a lot.

1) French go skiing in big numbers at the weekend, taking kids out of school Friday and Monday. When combined with winds closing anything above mid-station lifts, this makes for a VERY crowded lower slopes.

2) Skiing out of school holidays in the cheapest week in March is not as quiet as you think it might be or should be, in fact is busier than some xmas weeks we have had.

Things I knew already and had reinforced

3) Sunshine really helps enjoy the week no matter what the slopes are like

4) Sunshine really can melt the slopes so that they are really shit by 14:00, especially in a south facing slope resort like Alpe d'Huez

5) Careful planning to the less exposed slopes is far more rewarding than chasing the top-of-the-mountain or the longest-lack-run-in-the-whole-wide-world which many people seem to do

6) French slope gradings can be really weird. No, REALLY. (in Alpe d'huez, under graded for many green and blue, over for red, less so black.) My personal grading system would be Green: you can get down in snowplough Blue: Stem turns Red: you need to be able to ski Black: You're on your own.

7) Going to a catered chalet because it is ski in ski out and actually pretty cheap is not a bad idea, but you have to be prepared for STUFFS, I think we will be going back to self catered for Mrs Ham & my next year "solo" trip

Overall, a good week but not quite what we had hoped for in our first evah out of school holidays jaunt.

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #468 on: 23 March, 2015, 10:00:55 pm »
I arrived back from Les Arcs yesterday.

Days 1-7 ski ski ski ski ski not much to say the sun shined I fell twice I crashed in to a beginner for the first time in years. I was mortified. No lift queues. Most pistes open most of the time.

Day 8
It ended badly as it usually does. I usually take the train so I have a day without an apartment to retreat to. The weather gods spot this and direct the first snowfall since the first few days of the month. So I had a choice of ski high in opaque clouds or go down to the low pistes where the snow is less good. I chose low because I am happier seeing where I am going.  So after lunch I had arrived in Arc 1600. I skied down Cachette and Arolles but decided I did not like rain. I had also noticed that the cloud was descending so I headed for the Arpette lift. The bottom seemed a little misty. This took me up to the top of Arpette between Arc 1600 and Arc 2000.  It is really difficult to see anything here at 2400m. Forward slowly into the gloom I take the blue Edelweiss piste. I keep right with the hill steeply climbing on that side. A small mis-sight on the other side of the road would be a nasty surprise. I notice my usual bumpy route to the left. I continue onward down Edelweiss. I always go down Lac here but not today and continue onto Plan. This might be the only time I ever skied/poled along this piste. There are quite a few groups of skiers heading along with me and my brother.  We reach the Arcabulle lift no one gets on it we are all heading for Arc 2000 or Arc 1950. I arrive back at Cimes des Arc in Arc 2000. I enter the boot room lean my skis against the wall. Instruct my brother to stand guard. I head of to reception and request towels. I shower and change into clean clothes. I swap places with my brother. It is only 5pm but we look for a nice place to eat. It is difficult to do in most ski resorts. Proper cooking only starts after 7pm. There are lots of places offering food 8:30 to 23:59 but most offerings are just crepes or waffles.  Eventually we find a restaurant with a middle menu. After food we return to the residence in time to see France lose their lead to England. Shortly after the second half starts we say goodbye to the hotel staff, catch the 7.30 navette, funicular and train to be woken up before the Channel Tunnel. Another ski holiday completed.

Not quite.

A little over a week before Friday I notice my Oyster card only has enough charge for one trip. So I offer up my credit card to the Oyster website. I get a email your card will be updated when you pass through Paddington tomorrow Saturday to the following Saturday. Sure enough on Friday I get on the tube and my Oyster card can no longer support another journey. No problem I think I will just enter another top up for Kings Cross in the week. So sitting in my room I approach tfl website again. I enter the stuff, I enter my credit card then an error. You cannot set up a top up at Kings Cross you already have one set up at Paddington, Error code 160. So the next day I can top up my oyster is Sunday when I am travelling which if I do it online it would be activated on Monday when I am back in Cardiff. Stupid system. Worse I checked my credit card online oyster have taken payment for the failed attempt. I used my credit card at the gate directly.

 

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #469 on: 23 March, 2015, 10:42:23 pm »
You're better off with contactless than oyster these days, unless you want to lend TfL some dosh for most of the time.


Interesting report of LesArcs, thanks, we're thinking of 1950 next year.

And oops, I appear to have had a slight Tignes-at-christmas web-chalet-finger-interface incident, group size is 22 so far....  :thumbsup:

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #470 on: 24 March, 2015, 01:52:41 pm »
So you are collecting superlative runs.  :)

1. Alpe d'Huez Longest black run in Europe. Sarrenne Although the run off is strictly a green run.
2. Les Arc. Largest vertical drop without an intervening lift. From Aguille Rouge down to Villaroger.

The Chalet des Neiges properties in Arc 2000 are at least as good in quality terms as the Arc 1950 Interwest residences. They have some apartments which can accommodate quite a high number of people. The older properties particularly those built for the Albertville olympic games are of a basic sort.
There are some nice new residences being built in the Chantel area of Arc 1850.  The other place people like to stay is Vallandry. That has the advantage to being the location of the Vanoise Express which connects Les Arcs to La Plagne. It is not that big an advantage the other Villages can get to Vallandry with one or two lifts. Arc 1950 and Arc 2000 use Bois de Ours lift.  Arc 1850 Vagere or Transarc. Arc 1600 Cachette or Mont Blanc then Arpette. Villaroger requires four lifts.  One lift back to Arc 1850 and a further lift for Arc 1600, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000. Once in Arc 2000 Villaroger require one more lift, Lanchette, to get them home.
 
I think there has been too much building in Les Arcs. It used to be a nice quiet resort. Arc 2000 was doubled in size with 1950 and some other new properties. Valandry is a lot bigger than it was and 1850 has built further up the hill where I once could ski. Even 1600 has new buildings. Villaroger remains the small village it always was.  They need to expand the ski area so we can escape the crowds but I believe its hemmed in by national parks. A problem some resorts do not have.   

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #471 on: 24 March, 2015, 08:07:08 pm »
I love the runs down to Vallandry through the trees, worst part of Les Arcs has to be when the non-black down from Aguille Rouge is closed on a crowded day :(

As you say, MGM have opened up some very nice properties, I don't know Chalet des Neiges but the USP of 1950 for me is the pedestrian ski in ski out town.

And Sarenne? longest in the WORLD if you please. That is if I believe what I was told by an ESF chap.

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #472 on: 25 March, 2015, 10:06:54 am »

but the USP of 1950 for me is the pedestrian ski in ski out town.


Arc 2000 is ski in/out. out used to be through where they built -50. Last week Arc 1950 was not ski in/out. In the spring the pavement/road in -50 can be revealed. You could ski to the edge but not inside.


 

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #473 on: 28 March, 2015, 09:36:28 pm »
So once again I find myself in the Seekrit Ski Locker, with a bunch of skis to service for our next jolly, to Espace Killy once more next weekend.

Hmm, the kids have been quite hard on their skis. Bloody great gouges out of the bases.
So it's been a day of hot-scraping, base cleaning and p-tex repairs.

Could be worse. First World Problem, I suppose.

Re: The Ski Locker thread
« Reply #474 on: 28 March, 2015, 10:17:40 pm »
Just edged and stored ours away today. I was quite surprised how little damage the last week caused, much better than the thin cover at christmas time.