Weather
you buy from us, a local retailer or another Internet service be sure to get
a ski that is fitted to both your weight and height. Some claim to do so by
taking the numbers off a ski provided by the manufacturers. We have been fitting
skis with the skier on the skis, both on a glass bench, with a paper test
and have found the numbers provided by manufacturers are often inaccurate.
We have seen stiff skis softer than mediums etc. The one exception we reluctantly
admit to is the Atomic Skate skis. So far they have been remarkably accurate
and even crucial to properly fitting their skis.
We use
the glass bench test when we have a skier in person and use a device to simulate
the skier's weight to Internet buyers. We have been doing both for decades.
We will
not sell you a ski if we do not have one that fits. Don't buy a ski that does
not fit.
The tests
are done to emulate movements and the way a ski moves, compresses and uncompresses.
Below is a synopsis of how a skate ski works.
An un-weighted
skate ski lying flat has only the part of the tip and tail touching. When
a skier is in the kick phase the ski is compressed so that all or most of
the ski is touching. When the skier moves into the glide phase, energy is
returned to the skier as the compression of the ski is released. The more
the ski can be compressed the better.
The problem
is that during the glide phase the more ski on the ground the faster and more
stable a ski is. To make a ski return a lot of energy the ski must have a
lot of camber and as such little ski on the ground. A ski that is too stiff
will plow into the snow as the weight of the skier is supported on only a
little of the ski and with so little ski on the ground it is difficult to
control. A stiff ski will return more energy but can be slow. This has been
made even more complicated by shaped skis.
Skis manufacturers
have sought to address this issue with shaped skis. A ski shaped like the
Atomic Beta that is 49mm at the tip, 44mm at the waist and 48mm at the tail
will compress more on edge (as the ski will be during the kick phase) than
lying flat (as a ski will be during the glide phase). This allows a ski to
be flexed softer for the glide phase yet return as much energy as much stiffer
traditionally shaped ski. As such, shaped skis must be flexed for their respective
shapes. We flex none of our ski brands the same as another.
To make
matters even worse skis must be flexed to match a skiers skill and temperament.
A beginner would not be able to handle the flex that an expert skier would
demand. They just would not be able to control the ski. An expert skier placed
on beginners skis would find then doggy and unresponsive. This also begs the
question, how fast will someone learn. Someone learning to skate ski from
San Fransisco that has to drive 5 hours to ski at Tahoe may only get out 5
or 6 times a winter. We would recommend they start with a softer flexed ski
they could enjoy for years while a skier in Anchorage that is very aggressive
may get out 5 or 6 times a week. We would get them a stiff ski that may slow
down the learning curve a little but the skis would still perform well when
they are intermediate skiers in a few months.
So, it
is a balancing act. The goal is to find a ski that has the optimum glide and
control ratio to the energy returned by the camber of a ski. To make matters
worse the balance depends much on the snow conditions. If conditions tend
to be very hard, a stiffer ski will not plow much and the only issue is if
the skier is good enough to control the ski which will be very scuirrely if
very stiff. In soft snow a stiff ski will plow heavily and be very slow. While
a soft ski may not return as much energy from the kick phase, it will glide
very well. Softer skis are in order for softer conditions (fit a ski for prevailing
conditions). Then throw in a skiers qualities and everything can get complicated.
This is why we do not like to pick a ski for a customer based on the numbers
a manufacturer places on a ski (along with the fact they are often inaccurate).
Don't
let us fool you. It is not rocket science by any means. It is just a matter
of experience. With a 6 to 7 month ski season every year we flex a lot of
skis.