Towel definitely does.
Do Skis Get Blunt?
71–80 of 196 posts
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's an guy blogging about sports gear that he doesn't seem to have much experience with, but has instead used a geek gadget and reasoning-from-first-principles to analyze and then blog about it, with a youtube-style "I debunked the myth" flavor to the narrative. I have seen plenty of other stuff like this on HN...though this isn't the best example of the genre, that's for sure.
The article is fine, it's the discussion that is maddening here. Sometimes HN is just too much. This would have been great n-gate bait. Too bad that site isn't updated anymore.
I used to ski religiously for 20 years but stopped for health reasons 10 years ago. I found the debate fascinating rather than maddening to see how the tech has continued to evolve. When I started (1986) it was still expected that you would use thin straight skis that were much taller than you were. Carving skis simply weren’t available, at least not at my beginning level
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#73> Snow and ice are quite abrasive stuff
Per wiki ice has mohs hardness of 2 to 4 depending on temperature and if it has fallen out of the sky I guess it shouldn't be mixed with sand or other abrasives.
How is it abrasive then?
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#74> "Last winter, I rode a ski lift alongside a guy who claimed to be a retired Olympic ski tuner." On another note, this is apparantely a high-risk occupation due to exposure to PFAS and other carcinogens in ski wax. The FIS recently banned the use of fluorinated wax in competitions, but it was the norm for many years. Not great to be a ski tuner breathing in all those heated/aerosolised PFAS compounds...
Yes, we used to wear a p100 respirator with those waxes. Many didn't. Can't purchase them any more and I'm glad because they were crazy expensive
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Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#75I'm a ski race parent. I tune every couple of days on snow. My U12 boy skis on 0.5 degrees base bevel, three degrees side edge. Here he is on a firm course at his last race this year: https://youtu.be/RWYO2ib-qe8?si=CRH01ViFUFApSx_o Setting that up is difficult but it's pretty easy to maintain once it is there. Side cut.com has great advice and tools. If you are on groomers and ski on decent skis, not powder boards,…
Son is U16, same 87/0.5 and if I am not doing them well, he will tell me as he can feel the difference. Of course, we have race and training skis, this helps having the race skis very well tuned.
Your son is good :-)
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#76> Snow and ice are quite abrasive stuff Per wiki ice has mohs hardness of 2 to 4 depending on temperature and if it has fallen out of the sky I guess it shouldn't be mixed with sand or other abrasives. How is it abrasive then?
That assumes that most of the snow is actually fallen from the sky.
In central european ski resorts, largest parts of ski lopes are not natural snow anymore (or are mostly mixed natural/artificial). And artificial snow has far more sharp crystals than natural snow.
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#77It totally depends on the type of skier and the type of skis you have. I worked in the ski industry and thus lived and worked in ski towns for 15 years. If you are a ski racer, tuning edges matter. If you aggressively ride groomers all day, then they will matter. Riding big fat powder skis everyday, inside and outside of the resort? More or less doesn't matter. Are you a park rat that only ever skis the park? Those f…
Ski here in the northeast or midwest and on the ice we get? You're going to want sharp edges.
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#78> Snow and ice are quite abrasive stuff Per wiki ice has mohs hardness of 2 to 4 depending on temperature and if it has fallen out of the sky I guess it shouldn't be mixed with sand or other abrasives. How is it abrasive then?
That assumes that most of the snow is actually fallen from the sky. In central european ski resorts, largest parts of ski lopes are not natural snow anymore (or are mostly mixed natural/artificial). And artificial snow has far more sharp crystals than natural snow.
Shape doesn't matter what the shape is if it's softer than the other material, you can't scratch glass with chalk no matter the shape of it.
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article is fine, it's the discussion that is maddening here. Sometimes HN is just too much. This would have been great n-gate bait. Too bad that site isn't updated anymore.
I used to ski religiously for 20 years but stopped for health reasons 10 years ago. I found the debate fascinating rather than maddening to see how the tech has continued to evolve. When I started (1986) it was still expected that you would use thin straight skis that were much taller than you were. Carving skis simply weren’t available, at least not at my beginning level
Now that you mention it I suspect this may be a big reason some people have had different experiences.
I also started with long straight skis and they are a lot less forgiving than the carving skis that followed. Nowadays I see a lot more freestyle skis which are again a different thing, but I don't have much experience with those. So maybe that's where people are coming from.
I'll admit the discussion has gotten a lot better by now, I guess I was just too early.
Re: Do Skis Get Blunt?
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article is fine, it's the discussion that is maddening here. Sometimes HN is just too much. This would have been great n-gate bait. Too bad that site isn't updated anymore.
I used to ski religiously for 20 years but stopped for health reasons 10 years ago. I found the debate fascinating rather than maddening to see how the tech has continued to evolve. When I started (1986) it was still expected that you would use thin straight skis that were much taller than you were. Carving skis simply weren’t available, at least not at my beginning level
And if you sharpened your edges on straight skis, you would often intentionally blunt the front and back and only keep it sharp around the foot/middle, in order to have grip when going diagonally but have it easy to twist around turns.