 Poster: A snowHead
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I have various skis with various composition cores - maple block (yes, Lines - the crow and skull chronics), wood (Salomon suspects/mai tais); foam (Salomon Scrambler 400), composite (Volkl and Rossignol). I've heard and seen foam ski which lose their camber pretty fast (eg the red white and blue crossmax from 2004 ish). The Scramblers (and some X wings for friends in the garage) both of which have been HAMMERED - eg interesting bouncing on them which each end on a mogul, short turns all over the hill, brutal runs on really choppy crust etc etc. And still they have loads of camber. The Rossignols (9s oversize) are a weird combination of different layers of material but are SO smooth - as long as you are on top of them they feel like silk over everything - yet the camber looks to be reducing season on season. I've been very sniffy about foam cores to date (any we get (by whatever means) usually go in the low status pile) but actually they've held up very well. What are others' experiences?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A guide friend of mine was telling me that the foam cored Sweet Daddy skied better than the equivalent Wood Cored Free Dream (effectively the successor). I must say the Sweet Dad was a great ski, I've just bought some Free Dreams so will let you know.
I have the Atomic 9.22 which is also foamed core and they seemed to get very flappy after about 120 days. They are scary on steep, icy slopes.
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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?
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valais2, good question.
When I bought my skis a few years back I had a choice between a couple of Salomon skis: X-Wing Blast or X-Wing Tornado. The only difference was the core (foam and wood respectively). I often wonder whether I would have noticed a difference both in performance (I'm guessing foam makes for an easier/softer ski?) and also how long they'll last.
They've been skied about 10/12 weeks now and haven't noticed a change - but I guess to really judge I'd need to test my ones directly against some brand new versions.
EDIT: Sorry should have said I ended up with the foam cored XWing Blasts (they were cheaper!)
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abj, ...interesting...10-12 weeks is pretty reasonable re no change...from your experience and mine it looks like foam is not quite as pants as I thought it was...my scramblers have had a very hard life indeed - the original bindings have been trashed and discarded a very long time ago, they are delaminating on one tail, and the tips have virtually no topsheet left on either side - it's not that I have neglected or abused them, it's just that they have been skied VERY hard indeed - they are my 'today is a day I need to not think about looking after my skis day' (which includes days looking after my very young children, where they ski over my tips and tails, tread all over my skis in the queue, etc etc - this is normal. what with them being 5 and 7 only...) - and yet despite many weeks of skiing, the camber and pop is fine....
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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davidof, I reckon 120 days tho' is about what you get out of a pair of skis...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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under a new name, ...hmm this is a whole new thread - ie 'how long do skis really last?'
I reckon more than 120 days - ie 16 weeks. I'm not a guide or instructor so am not on skis right through the season/year - but friends that are get a lot more than 16 weeks out of their armadas and rossignols. I agree that most people ski for 2-3 weeks a year and so their skis last 8-5 years - and then are probably outdated in (technical) design anyway at that point.
anyone else?
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120 days is two seasons for me (weekend warrior, I know), by then the edges and bases are a bit shot.
I tend to see skis as consumables but I only buy closeouts so we are talking about a couple of euros a day.
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valais2, I guess I should mention that I am not a particularly aggressive skier, nor am I particularly big/heavy - both of which are probably helping keep the skis in a decent state.
Maybe a big/advanced skier would highlight problems with foam cores better than me!
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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.
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valais2, I agree with davidof, after 120 days they're in the rockhopping category. I got my SLs 4 years ago and they're dead. Mind you, I don't use them every day I ski. Probably 30 days a year.
But I get mine sharpened/services quite often, which obviously reduces lifetime.
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abj, ...good point...I'm 5 foot 7 and around 66kg (opps mixing old and new money) so maybe that does indeed make a difference. Mostly I ski pretty 'light' ie technically, without mad, heavy skidding. That might make a difference too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Foam is generally used as a filler material, in most foam cored skis the "feel" of the skis comes from other material used in the construction. Wood directly adds a few qualities to a ski, such as strength, re-bound properties and stiffness. In my mind there's no competition between wood cores and foam cores, a wood cored ski will last longer and be generally stronger, however a wood cored ski is more expensive to produce!
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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.
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Oh, I'm still on one of the original prototype "One's" from four seasons ago as my park ski and they must have well over 120 days on them!
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the_doc, they don't get much wear and tear sitting around the park. Weed smoke doesn't damage them either.
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You know it makes sense.
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the_doc, they don't get much wear and tear sitting around the park. Weed smoke doesn't damage them either.
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Hey you'd be surprised how much damage comes from drinking beer and spilling ash on them whilst trying to chat up the cougars in apres bars 
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