 Poster: A snowHead
|
You would think I'd already know the answer to this but I don't.
When you buy a new pair of skis and they are all bright and shiny with factory wax on them and we all love our new skis.
But the following season we try something else and we think its better.
When do we really need to throw the old skis away?
Is there still some life in them after 5 years?
or even 10 ?
Or Longer?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@DrLawn, my last daily skis, 2010 Völkl Mantras lasted seasons 2011 thru 2017. So, pretty amazingly, 8 seasons of I guess 40-50 ski days a season.
Never had skis last like that before.
Reason to bin them was that they didn’t have enough base to actually tolerate a service.
Other than that...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
I have just binned some Skis, as Spyderjon advised me that the Bindings were no longer indemnified by the manufacturers, due to their age....and he'd seen several sets fail.
The skis themselves were OK, but new bindings won't fit.
This is just another angle to your question.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Seems to me to vary considerably from one to another.
I bought some old Kastle skis, loosely dated to early 1970s from binding type, serviced them and ran them recently for "research" purpose. Absolutely nothing wrong with them structurally or otherwise, bought from a car boot sale with no idea of how they've been stored.
A pair of Salomon 1080 original type, bought news and only hand serviced by me, still fine and structurally without problems. Nearly 20 years old and seen quite a bit of use.
More recent Head Monster 88, lovely skis and one of my personal favourite, really started to fall apart with top sheet delamination both ends of both skis, repaired and still used until I crashed them and one bent upward in front of binding. One rockered and one straight so forced retirement for them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@Old Fartbag, the whole indemnification thing is a load of old smelly pants but Spyderjon’s experience is very definitely a thing worth treasuring and heeding. Imv.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| under a new name wrote: |
| @Old Fartbag, the whole indemnification thing is a load of old smelly pants but Spyderjon’s experience is very definitely a thing worth treasuring and heeding. Imv. |
That was the conclusion I came to. My beloved 2004 Atomic SL11s are more easily replaceable than my old knees.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I think the question might be your tolerance to ski's that are now performing well below best. Like a car they may still get you from A to B but if your skiing is about enjoying the journey and having a bit of a poke then you'd need to upgrade sooner.
I'm not sure there is an objective answer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What I found with the seventies skis was that they lacked nothing in potency at all. They appear structurally perfect and punish any lack of technique with ease, just illustrates how very accepting modern ski design is of having a lazy driver aboard.
With good direction though they could certainly hook the edges up and run with some serious centrifugal force building up, certainly made me concentrate 
Built with decent materials integrity and attention to detail would seem to count for a lot. If they fall apart it's more to do with initial build etc in my view.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I just went out in the garage to look in nostalgia corner.
I love nostalgia.
Its given me an idea,
I should take my wife's skis on the next trip as we are going by train to Zell am See.
They are a pair of Atomic ETL short adult skis ... just 123cm long.
A bit like a pair of Blades but proper bindings.
She has decided not to ski any more after this years broken leg.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
“When is it time to ditch an old pair of skis?”
When they don’t match your new jacket and salopettes. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
@DrLawn,
| Quote: |
I was wondering if they would still have that "pop" that skiers bett
|
All skis -- especially those with a foam core, will deteriorate through use over time. If stored properly, and used spareingly they will pretty much last for ever. I too have some skis from the last century (Tua Big Easys), which don't get much use, but feel great when I get on them. My 2013 Mantras have got to their Use By date... a much much better skier than me skied them and said "They are doing you no favours"... so your XT800s would be fine.
A way of making any ski last longer is to never have therm shop serviced --- looking after the edges yourself by hand will remove less material. Waxing frequently minimises the risk of rock damage, by reducing friction, and accepting that the odd scratch isn't actually going to do any harm you can avoid ski shop grinders...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A ski is done when both edges have been popped and you've gooped more expoxy in the top sheet than is strictly sensible. Until then you're just glory hunting.
Sez he - too many skis, not enough lifetime to ski them all out.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
I ditched my Mantra's after many years. They just felt lifeless - possibly it was just me.
When i skied them alongside a newer ski i could tell they were knackered.
They are in the garage and have a Marker Duke binding on them if anyone wants to make an offer
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I have just bought some head I speeds after several years of renting various models and manufacturers. The last skis I bought were kneissl white stars ( GS type things) in 1998. I absolutely loved them while carvers/parabolic skis were being developed. I had trouble changing my technique to the newer shapes as I got high sided frequently. As skis got laterally stiffer, I enjoyed them much more and now I can't ski on the old ones. I suspect that they are fine and, perhaps I'll take them for a spin in the snow dome for a laugh one day, but I only changed because I found something I liked better. If in doubt, experiment
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@DrLawn,
| Quote: |
Did he mean they were on their way out?
|
Yup --- too soft. And it was a she.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
@Dave of the Marmottes, On Kooky's old Atomic Access skis I have clamped and flex epoxied the last 20cm of topsheet on each end, some more than once. Still holding up 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
My Volkl Explosiv's are 25 years old and still in use, best crud / manky scottish powder ski ever. They do however have new bindings mounted at least.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
when to get rid of skis -
1. they break - blow an edge, delaminate, run out of edge to sharpen, get bent out of shape or go all floppy
2. you try something similar but better and have the cash for an upgrade
3. you realise that you are never going to use them (because it won't be worth carrying them to the Alps or under any condition you have an alternative you prefer)
The lifespan of skis varies massively depending on construction, how much you use them and how hard you treat them. Not useful to generalise.
I've got rid of four pairs of my own skis (and have one other that I've kept for visitors - have frame touring bindings and skins, handy for people who want to give skinning a try). Of those two were "broken" and two were just outdated/upgraded.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
