Quote:
> recently purchased new parabolics and am planning a trip to Vail in
>Jan. Do I need to have these skis sharpened/waxed? Do new skis come
>already-sharpened?>Thanks in advance,>George
George,
I pretty much agree with most of the things Fred said. The "substance"
that is coated on the bottom of new skis can scarcely be called a wax.it
is a product designed to preserve the bases and protect the edges from rust
during storage. It most certainly is not worthy of skiing on.
As far as edges go, they may be relatively sharp when new, but the side
edge is invariably cut at a conservative 90 degree angle, which is not
optimally suited for clinging to the surfaces of Eastern ski mountains :-)
I cut my own edges by hand, usually .5-1 degrees for base edge and 89-88
degrees for the side edge (depending on the ski and the skiers ability).
Another problem with new skis can be an uneven base surface. Ive seen
new skis bases that are convex, concave, base high, wavy, sometimes all the
above.
The approach that I have found to work for me is to:
Check the bases for flatness. If they are not true, have the bases sanded
and stone ground.
Cut the edges to the angle best suited for you and where you are skiing.
You can do this yourself or have some one else do it, but this type of work
is usually done by hand.
Finish off with a proper coat of hot wax. After you wax cools and youve
scraped and brushed it, dont forget to scrape the wax off your edges with
a plastic scraper.
If you are interested in tuning your own skis, Seth Masias definitive
book "Alpine Ski Maintenance and Repair" is a must read. A reputable mail
order catalog of tools and supplies can be found through Tognar Toolworks
1-800-299-9904.
Doug
"East" and "Ice" are two words always used in the same sentence.