199 replies to this topic

[driley]

Pete Anderson, on 28 August 2010 - 01:48 AM, said:

Ski season, less than 3 months away...

Woot!!!

It is OK that I sit in my ski rig in the garage and dream of skiing?

[qman]

wow, had first serious pow day in the rig this season and it was nuts. there was so much snow in my face most of the time i couldnt see. LOL, nice problem to have.
phat skis rock. had some great skiing and some massive crashes.

Have GS adaptive nationals tomorrow. hope i didnt overdo it today.

Q

[whippersnapper]

Hey Q, can you see me now? 8D After you've polished your trophies (best of luck!), would you please describe your current setup? I think you're on the Prasch and have several skis available. I'd like to know what is working well for you in different conditions; i.e. for fast groomers, racing on hard stuff, bumps and tight spaces, powder, and crudbusting. I have some monster skis for both railing the groomers and blowing through crud. Being a slow and imprecise turner, I like the long radius boards. You gave some fine advice for an all-purpose, one-quiver ski a while back. It would be nice to hear what you're riding these days.

Edited by whippersnapper, 29 August 2010 - 05:26 PM.

[qman]

oh well, GS was postponed today because of bad weather, just as well as i am hurting still from yesterdays pow day.

Yes i ride a Prasch and have it set up nicely now. and am really pleased with it.

I have about 7 skis at the moment, and thats after getting rid of 3 in the last couple of weeks. i have been super lucky with people giving me most of them. most are singles where the other was broken, I generally ride Marker comp 30 bindings where i can but have just been given a pair of Vist bindings which i am pretty impressed with, they have a race plate that can clip off the bindings which means you can transfer the binding from one ski to another and also move the binding forward and back which is great.

here is my quiver.
1. stoklii SL 166 fis world cup ski . This ski is really stiff and rocks for carving the groomers, love it. even ok off piste. really good for laying over carvey turns, can pretty much ride with elbows on the ground. :-)

2. stoklii GS 182 , havnt riden it yet, but should be nice.

3. head Monster 88 175 - probably most versatile. great ski, little short for me now maybe, i would prefer in 180-185ish. great all round, dont really make it anymore though.

4. Head GS RD 192 race ski- amazing, had 2 broke the other. great GS and big carving ski, fast as hell. Minimum length for GS is 185 and was worried they would be long but has been great in all but tigher GS courses, super stable at speed, will probably do a SuperG race on this ski also.

5. Kingswood Archetype, 184cm 104mm great pow ski and actually carves really well on piste (not ice) but maybe a little soft for me. was super surprised by how well it carved. gets a little loose when really bumpy.

6. Black diamond, verdict, 182cm 100mm should be ok pow ski, havent riden yet.

7. rossignol WC GS ski 175, should be great but have never liked it. Is looking for a worthy home to pass on.

had also a k2 apache x which was way soft for a sit ski, also some older head XRCs which i just gave away, but they were OKish, but past their prime,

depends on what you are doing but really pays to have a little quiver, Love carving SL and GS skis on piste, and nice to have a wide phat ski for soft snow. Stiffer is generally best i have found. I basically havent found anything to stiff dispite a couple of Pro level racing skis,

I have a theory that the mono sort of dumbs down a ski a little, ie stiff ski = pretty normal, normal ski = noodle, soft ski = waste of time.

If i only had one ski i would probably go something like the monster, that is pretty stiff, 90mm-105mm underfoot, 180-185cm (for me), good turn R 18-24m, and a marker comp 30 binding mounted with DIN to max.

Volkl mantra looks nice i have thought,

would love to try some reverse camber pow skis,

I have played with stuff quite a bit this season and am learning alot about what works and what doesnt. I have discovered that stiffer is way better, wider doesnt mean it doesnt carve or edge well on piste, and longer isnt always harder to turn and is often more stable. and like wise shorter doesnt mean less stable at speed, it has more to do with the side cut and stiffness of the ski,
i am amazed by what i could get away with (on and off piste) on a 166cm super stiff SL ski.

[whippersnapper]

Whoa, thank you Q for all this great detail. I'm swamped for the next day but will look hard at your choices and reasoning. It strongly agrees with the advice I got from the Freedom Factory folks, only yours is much more complete. Great post, I'm saving this this one in the "Skiing" file...
Hope you get to run the GS and slam it!

[qman]

Two good runs in the GS on a really tricky course mens FIS level course. I was really scared of doing a DNF so dropped it a few notches.

Was enough to be NZ adaptive GS champ :-)

dont be to impressed though it was a pretty poor turn out and our NZ paralympic team are all having a year off after vancouver.
But hey, i will take it.

SL tomorrow, just home i can put in 2 clean runs which is a real struggle in SL.

[qman]

completely bombed in the SL, bummer

[whippersnapper]

Aw well, it's good for the other racers to practice dodging the craters. You took the main event, which everybody knows is much bigger because it's "Giant."

After you've knocked your friends' heads silly with that trophy or medal, I'd like to hear your thoughts on mounting position and tuning. I'm finally close to driving to Freedom Factory's World Headquarters in mighty Sparta, Tennessee, and would like to know whether you're mounting your fore-aft balance point on the ski's mark or elsewhere. FF makes their own solid binding, and I hope to mount it the an adjustable plate to seek the best spot. Also, I'm tempted to alter my factory tune of bevels from +1 base/+1 edge degrees to a steeper edge, +2 or +3, to hold on icy runs, too common here. I have some quite-long-radius skis, but figure that my weight and desire to rip (finally) will help me bite the turns quickly enough. Finally, it seems like you've been migrating to longer boards. Let us know how they work out. I was just looking at the Mantra before you wrote about your quiver, thinking it might do very well (in 177 or 184) for tighter, less-speedy work. Thanks again for the thorough report on other skis!

Congratulations on your victory Q, I think many will follow.

Cheers!

Edited by whippersnapper, 01 September 2010 - 10:16 PM.

[qman]

One thing i have learnt about sitskis is that the principles are exactly the same as AB (able bodied) skiing. Dont try and do anything out of the ordinary because its a sitski.

Ski mounting and tuning is a fine art but dont do anything radically out of the norm.
skis should be mounted on mark. i mounted one 50mm forward (as per FF manual) and regretted it, have since had it remounted to mark. It skis a huge amount better.
IT IS A REALLY BAD IDEA TO IGNORE THE SKI MAKERS RECOMMENDATIONS.

Mounting off centre is actually really pronouced in a sit ski because your ability to balance fore aft is much less than "normal skiing"

This is of course reliant on you being well centered in the rig. In my prasch the back rest angle is enough to adjust the balance point.

I have found no good reason to do anything other than the mounting point the ski was designed for.
Same applies to tuning stick to relative normals. If you need more edge bite it probable has more to do with your technique skiing than your tune.

You probably wont enjoy a ski that is "overtuned"

In terms of length i have had no issue with skis up to 192cm so far. I was actually really surprised as i said above that the stiffness and side cut were way more important. My 166 SL skis actually skis "longer" than some of my other skis 175-182cm.

In terms of bindings i wouldnt go anywhere near the FF binding. It is too restrictive in terms of compatability with skis and bindings, Dont let anyone tell you they are a safer or better option.
either a race type binding with super high DINs or a modified blocked binding will be sweet.

Get a standard 325mm boot plate on the rig.

I have 3 types of binding and all have been very effective and easy to come by.
1. marker comp 30 are my preferred - 30 din and bomb proof.
2. tyrolia race binding 20 din - ok, have had no issues. Have this screw mounted in a race plate so can move easily forward or back if i want to play with centre.
3. Vist speed plate and 16 din binding, i have blocked out the toe piece spring and ride the back normal. these are great because you can move then forward and back to play with centre without tools.

I love the markers but if i have my time again i would put Vist speed lock plates on everything and have 1 pair of bindings that i could move between skis.

[driley]

Thanks for info Qman. It all makes sense to me, even though I am just learning about this stuff.

One area I have heard conflicting information about is the stiffness of the ski. Some say to get a really stiff ski. The thinking being that we have all of our weight on a single ski. Makes sense. The other line of thinking is that you want a ski with good torsional stiffness but otherwise not too stuff. AB skiers are able to apply a lot of leverage to their skis, which we cannot do. Women's skis tend to be a bit softer as most have a lower center of gravity and they have less influence on the ski when shifting their body weight. Mono skiers, sitting, and being very low, have less ability to affect the ski through body position, so the idea of having a ski that is not too stiff but has good torsional rigidity makes a lot of sense to me.

[qman]

no worries,

that is probably true to a point. but i have had more problems with skis being to soft than to stiff.

I have actually found something that is to stiff now ( in some snow). lol, but i will learn to ski it better.
but torsional stiffness is very important.

I am not sure i agree about not being able to leaver the ski. sit skis are inherantly well centered and there is limited for aft balance BUT there is very little limit to how far you can lever over.
on good snow with the SL ski and to a lesser extent with other skis i can lay over so far my elbows are on the ground in a turn, hardly poor leverage of the ski.

so yes, you are right, dont get something super stiff rather something that is stiffish with great torsional stability but most soft skis will be problematic.

I still think a mantra would be great, i also saw the womens version the other day which was still pretty stiff, so that would be ok also probably.

You still need to be able to bend a ski to carve it. bending a ski is easier on softish snow, and requires more inclination and good technique to bend to same ski on ice.

[Pete Anderson]

Hey Q-Man, post any links or pictures that you may have. I'd be interested to see any info that you may have.

Also, regarding stiff skis vs soft skis, ie foam core skis, If you get a good stiff ski that is shaped, and a reasonable length, carving it up on the piste, or getting an edge into an icey slope, a monoskier will find on a stiff ski more versatile. A soft ski, I have found, is a waste of time and as I have found, can lead to trouble. More than once I would be washing out on a turn and finding myself sliding down a steep embankment or mountain side due to loosing an edge. Initially, the soft ski was not a problem because I was on the "bunny hill." However, as I became more confident and my skills got better, it wasn't until I was on the steeper, more demanding intermediate runs when all hell broke loose. I finally figured it out, but it cost me a few, what would have been great ski days and some bumps and bruises.

Pete

PS: Thanks Giving is the kick off for the ski season!!! Counting down!

[qman]

yeah stay away from anything foam core in my experience.

Some mono skiers break heaps of skis and others dont but i think it can be greatly reduced by the quality of the skis being good and strong.

i have had 2-3 skis that i have abandoned and passed on to others because i was getting the tip giving out on me and dumping me when i pushed it to hard.

i will post some pics when i can.

[Pete Anderson]

I'm applying for an instructing position at Park City Ski Resort this winter. I would teach on weekends and likely take some vacation time from work to teach during the week. I'm excited to share my experience with others and give them insight as to what to look out for, ie foam core skis, mounting bindings properly, sliding into trees and shattering knee caps, etc.

I really want to break away from my current career, insurance claims, and pursue other challenges. I have ideas for a better designed sit ski.

Although this venture may not be a profitable one, I certainly would like to make my disability go from a negative to a positive move in my life.

We'll see.

Pete

PS: Thanks Giving is just around the corner. The kick off to the ski season!

Edited by Pete Anderson, 23 September 2010 - 04:55 AM.

[qman]

was chatting to someone the other day about adaptive instructor ratings.

In NZ and for many systems you have to get your Level 1 and level 2 before you can do your adaptive cert.

and the competencies required mean it is impossible, i will follow up and see what they can do.

[driley]

That sounds great. I would like to do volunteer work with adaptive programs.

The Hartford Ski Specatular may have some sessions or events that will help you with becoming an instructor...

http://www.wix.com/d...ski-spectacular

Pete Anderson, on 23 September 2010 - 04:54 AM, said:

I'm applying for an instructing position at Park City Ski Resort this winter. I would teach on weekends and likely take some vacation time from work to teach during the week. I'm excited to share my experience with others and give them insight as to what to look out for, ie foam core skis, mounting bindings properly, sliding into trees and shattering knee caps, etc.

I really want to break away from my current career, insurance claims, and pursue other challenges. I have ideas for a better designed sit ski.

Although this venture may not be a profitable one, I certainly would like to make my disability go from a negative to a positive move in my life.

We'll see.

Pete

PS: Thanks Giving is just around the corner. The kick off to the ski season!

[whippersnapper]

qman, on 02 September 2010 - 05:53 AM, said:

Ski mounting and tuning is a fine art but dont do anything radically out of the norm.
skis should be mounted on mark. i mounted one 50mm forward (as per FF manual) and regretted it, have since had it remounted to mark. It skis a huge amount better.
IT IS A REALLY BAD IDEA TO IGNORE THE SKI MAKERS RECOMMENDATIONS.

Mounting off centre is actually really pronouced in a sit ski because your ability to balance fore aft is much less than "normal skiing"

This is of course reliant on you being well centered in the rig. In my prasch the back rest angle is enough to adjust the balance point.

I have found no good reason to do anything other than the mounting point the ski was designed for.
Same applies to tuning stick to relative normals. If you need more edge bite it probable has more to do with your technique skiing than your tune.

You probably wont enjoy a ski that is "overtuned"

In terms of length i have had no issue with skis up to 192cm so far. I was actually really surprised as i said above that the stiffness and side cut were way more important. My 166 SL skis actually skis "longer" than some of my other skis 175-182cm.

In terms of bindings i wouldnt go anywhere near the FF binding. It is too restrictive in terms of compatability with skis and bindings, Dont let anyone tell you they are a safer or better option.
either a race type binding with super high DINs or a modified blocked binding will be sweet.

Get a standard 325mm boot plate on the rig.

I have 3 types of binding and all have been very effective and easy to come by.
1. marker comp 30 are my preferred - 30 din and bomb proof.
2. tyrolia race binding 20 din - ok, have had no issues. Have this screw mounted in a race plate so can move easily forward or back if i want to play with centre.
3. Vist speed plate and 16 din binding, i have blocked out the toe piece spring and ride the back normal. these are great because you can move then forward and back to play with centre without tools.

I love the markers but if i have my time again i would put Vist speed lock plates on everything and have 1 pair of bindings that i could move between skis.

Q, I'm very sorry for replying a month late! This was a great post, the most useful I've read on this forum. Your advice has greatly affected my plans, surely for the better. I'm trying to get hold of a Prasch to try, and am studying the VIST system. Some folks (e.g. MarshalOlson on TGR) have complained about breakage on VIST bindings. But since VIST supplies parts to big makers, I expect the product must be pretty solid and will get better and better. The 30DIN Markers are hard to find now, but we'll see. I had always planned to mount on the line or just slightly forward (1-2cm), because that is sometimes best for the icy conditions found here. How is your VIST rig working, is it staying tight? I really need to use a system with some fore-aft adjustment like the VIST, but that locks me into VIST bindings. You mention you have the Tyrolias mounted on a race plate, and you can change the mounting position on them. Which plate is it, and do you have different sets of holes drilled? It's hard to picture how that works. I spoke with a tech about Tyrolia plates--he said Railflex were the only ones with fore-aft CoG adjustment, but that they weren't terribly strong and so were not suited for very-high-DIN (force) applications, but I don't know. I'm sorry for this endless slew of questions.

Thanks again for all your great posts friend!

Thank you also for the link to www.adaptivesportsforums.com/forums, that is a great site. You might reply there, it is a little more skier-centric at the moment. I do want to support both forums, the sponsors of this one have done a great service.
Best, Sam

[qman]

i like the vist, it works well, was super easy to block for the toe, and so far seems solid, i have the heel at 16 din which is fine but should find a way to block it. you can just pull the lever and reposition the heel and toe and relock it. easy.

i have 2 pairs of head race RD skis which both have mounting plates, factory fitted. One on them has marked holes and you could easily move the binding just by unscrewing and rescrewing in the plate but it is limited to tyrolia bindings because of the hole positions.
the other has a plate but need holes drilled but would allow remounting forward or back. you could fit any binding to it.

I will try and get some photos or video up.

[whippersnapper]

Thanks Q!

[easternski]

I have a Grove Titanium and a Yetti HPB for sale if you guys know of some people interested. The Grove is about the best starter ski out there and the HPB is a good second machine. If you are interested or know someone who is please use my email thegillams@verizon.net Thank you for your interest.