 Poster: A snowHead
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....the other post I put up recently opened up the issue of the relative merits of wood, foam and composite cores, but this in turn threw up the issue of how long should a pair of skis last. This obviously has a 'how-long-is-a-piece-of-string' element to it but what are folks' experiences? Obviously there's a difference between 'should last' and 'do last' - it's not impossible to trash a pair on the first run...but I think it's an interesting issue. I have a couple of pairs of 'Rasputin' skis - die damn you, die - but rocks, core hits, mud patches and heavy jumps (ie daily conditions this season in the valiasan alps) seem to be shrugged off. Maybe they are dorian gray skis and there's a mutant, twisted pair of skis in my attic, with the bases torn to shreds and the edges peeling off into spirals....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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On average, a season. So 12 weeks or thereabouts.
Clearly for someone who does only 1 week a year....
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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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120 days for any bit of kit, IMHO.
Doesn't mean it's trashed, just that it's time for a new one.
Exceptions: Mountain Hardwear FTX Ultra GTX jacket, probably at end of it's life at about 600 days (11 years old), Arc'teryx Gamma SV softshell, used lots over5 years still going.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If it's not trashed, why is it time for a new one?
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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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Potentially, doing a couple of weeks a year, 10 years. I've got a pair of skis that are 10 years old, and due to the previous user only giving them a couple of weeks use they are going very strong, like new skis still. They've got a lot of weeks of skiing left in them, and they should.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've had a pair of Völkl P30 RCs for about 15 years now. Ok, admittedly I don't often use them anymore, but that's only cos I've got a pair of Völkl Mantras now. Nothing wrong with them, they feel good as new. In between I had a pair of Atomic All Mountain something or others which were great for two years and then went completely dead, sort of like skiing on a pair of ripe bananas... no spring, dead!
So the moral of the stoy is, if you want your skis to last, buy Völkl!
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VFM
they need to last only as long as
a. You use them enought to offset the hire / carrige cost
b. you never hire because you need a ski that cannot be hired and want to look cooler than you ski, replace when ski is not cool(VFM is percieved in the bar)
c. a week, you hire skis and they dont get solen
d. till the next fad happens(VFM in your head)
e. forever, because you ski like a beginner on the first day and never get in the big Q
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I've currently put about 100 days on my Big Troubles - and I tend to abuse my kit. Whilst they do show the signs of it, and the bases have need A LOT of p-texing for a while, I honestly expect them to last another hundred days or so, then I'm gonna make some furniture out of them. I only get them serviced like once a season though, so the edges last longer just 'cos of that.
Saying that, Dynastar do seem to have great build quality, and I don't expect my other skis to last as well as the BTs. I reckon under a new name's 120 days is probably pretty accurate.
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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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A full season - 120+ days for a decent wood core ski. In practice I'd expect to blow an edge long before skis are clapped out. I've only ever scrapped equipment on this basis & I'm not exactly a finesse featherweight (apart from 1 foam cored snowboard that I eventually snapped in front of the front binding).
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To a point though, it depends on where you draw the line. I have a pair of Rossi 9X WCs that can't be sharpened (as the edges will just pop out) but they make a lovely slush ski (bizarrely).
So they'll never be sharpened, filled nor waxed ever again, but I don't see them getting significantly worse, until, of course, I blow the edge.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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clarky999, ...I use a couple of rules which seem to prolong the life of my skis - one, I have some 'rock skis' which I use on days/weeks when I am likely to be hitting things other than snow, so the damage is concentrated in those skis. It's a bit neurotic though really, since some of my 'best' skis therefore see very little use, are often superceded technically long before they are worn out. Witness a perfect pair of x-scream 700s which I recently ebayed which were way out of date but were in perfect order, with at least 90% more life left in them. Secondly, I do all my own servicing, and keep edges really quite sharp (except on de-tuned skis) - this is much better than taking off loads of metal to correct really rounded edges. So...constant sharpening ironically gives you a longer 'high quality' life from skis. Doesn't extend their life but a greater proportion of their life is spent sharpish. But little stone-grinding - maybe once every three years. Instead, reasonable amounts of P-texing for big shots, and leaving small scratches, since they seem to make virtually no difference to the performance of any ski. But I guess the most healthy attitude is an acceptance that skis are expendable - no unecessary trashing, but they will get scratched, they will get their edges filed away and you will need to replace them.
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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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| valais2 wrote: |
| the most healthy attitude is an acceptance that skis are expendable |
Quite true, and if you worry about expending them, you are going to miss out on memorable skiing somewhere along the way. Also agree it makes no discernible difference if your bases are a mixture of scratches and filled gouges so long as the edges are kept sharp, the base profile is right and they are behaving themselves on the snow. I reckon a sensible balance is somewhere between not worrying about scratches on topsheets, bases and getting the odd edge ding / little core shot versus deliberately or carelessly skiing down nearly bare scree slopes / gravel paths / tarmac roads.
As for how long skis should last, 5 year/135'ish days K2 Recons on alpine bindings & boots feel noticably 'limp' v. a new lightweight, fattish touring set up (that according to all logic shouldn't be that great inbounds) which is in fact much, much better than the K2's even for fast carving on groomed snow. If that's mostly because of the newer ski's design, my changed skiing style, the old ski's wear & tear or whether it's a combination of all three, I wouldn't like to guess but I'm pretty sure now that I exceeded the use by date on the old ones.
So wear them out but don't be afraid to replace them when they're knackered. The new ones will probably feel better. 
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Sat 14-05-11 18:01; edited 1 time in total
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So at 2 weeks per year even I should be capable of wearing out a set of skis in 6 years? That doesn't seem possible the way I ski.
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You know it makes sense.
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Megamum, 2 weeks (12 days skiing?) a year makes 72 days. They could last you more than 10 years. If you want to finish them off sooner though, try some early season off piste 'powder' skiing. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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clarky999, I've seen that general rule apply to Rossignol, Atomic, Volkl, Nordica, Stockli - and all high end (often race) skis. I can see there being individual model outliers, but I think it applies generally across the range.
If you consider, that's a full time season when you bear in mind mixing in different skis and some days early/late season on rockhoppers.
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Poster: A snowHead
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moffatross, ...I think there's an issue about safety too, interestingly. If I am on a 'flat out, mad, narrow-and-steep, bumps and following XYZ down really hairy stuff' day, then I tend to select my less than best skis. On such days, at the top of a serious bit of hill, I don't want that infintesimal delay in reaction caused by 'ouch what about my bases' - I just want to treat the skis as an extension of my body, albeit extensions which can take a lot of abuse. Was certainly true of a day last year, when the bases got fair trashed on some 'intuitive' off piste excursions following and then leading. Any hesitation/lack of concentration or commitment would NOT have been good.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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moffatross, and the distinction you draw in:
I reckon a sensible balance is somewhere between not worrying about scratches on topsheets, bases and getting the odd edge ding / little core shot versus deliberately or carelessly skiing down nearly bare scree slopes / gravel paths / tarmac roads.
...is VERY sound
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Megamum, ah, yes, but the poster, was, IMO. wrong to suggest a season was 12 weeks.  Also, most holiday weeks are only 6 days long.
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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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valais2, yep, it's just best not to think about it & instead just enjoy 'interesting' terrain. Many of my best learning experiences have been on thin/broken cover and while worrying about it isn't going to stop any damage, I've found the same area that wasn't a problem when skied confidently can beat my skis up when passing through in poor visibility just because I've had to slow down so lost the bit of float that I had.
Megamum, seems most are saying they get about 20 weeks but I suppose 12 weeks might be a break even point for some versus hiring etc. Some hire skis that are a few seasons old could have been used a lot more than that too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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under a new name, ha ha no it's way more than a full season, assuming days off, etc.
I stand by my 120 suggestion.
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| under a new name wrote: |
clarky999, I've seen that general rule apply to Rossignol, Atomic, Volkl, Nordica, Stockli - and all high end (often race) skis. I can see there being individual model outliers, but I think it applies generally across the range.
If you consider, that's a full time season when you bear in mind mixing in different skis and some days early/late season on rockhoppers. |
You could well be right, I haven't had enough time on any other single pair to find out. But my (rough) count was on this single set (not counting days on other skis), not being at all careful and skiing over/jumping off any rock or whatever in the way, early season/late season/whatever, as I know from experience they lap it up (I had a pair of the same skis same vintage before, but they were stolen  )
I don't treat my other skis in the same way, but have/having owned 3 pairs of Dynastar skis, one set of Moments, and one set of Atomics (plus hire skis over they years)... Well, I'm very impressed with Dynastar's build quality. Actually thinking about it my gf's Fischer slalom skis have lasted much longer than mine with similar amounts of abuse and lack of tlc, so there probably is something in high end skis lasting longer (hey, buying nicer toys helps save the planet  ).
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Too many factors to consider but I'd agree that a full season on a pair of skis is about the normal limit. They'd certainly be well past their best by then.
Personally I tend to change skis well before they're worn out - as I typically only ski 4 or 5 weeks per season on a rock free base and there's always something new or different to try. I don't want to be waiting 10 years for my next new pair. Typically I keep my skis for 2 or 3 seasons max. before I get the itch to move on.
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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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The skis I have killed,
-broken 200 days 210s fisher
-broken 5 days replaced under warranty 200s fisher golf
-edges worn away 150 days 200fisher rsj
-broken 10 days replaced under warranty movement 74 red apple
-edges worn away 200 days rossi bandits 2
RIP
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jbob, ...goodness me...that's quite a tally. Can we have a broken bones tally from you as well as broken skis?
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FAQ
