A number of years ago I met someone on the slopes who was about to give up skiing completely. He just could not get it. He was struggling and frustrated. He believed it had something to do with his skiing. – his technique. He was literally ready to catch the chairlift back down, hand back his skis and give up skiing for good. Luckily I managed to persuade him to meet me after his ski lesson. He was fit, reasonably young and there was no reason why he should not be able to ski.
I met him on the slopes and saw him do two turns, and I immediately recognised there was something wrong with his skis. They had been serviced badly. Later, and this was the reason he was struggling. I managed to get him on a lift back down to the village, walked withtook him into a ski shop and asked for a brand-new pair of skis that had recently been placed into the hire stock. This way I knew that nobody had tampered with the skis, and I could be assured they had not been serviced by a poorly adjusted machine or by a poorly trained technician. We went back out and he could ski. The difference was astronomical. He could ski well and was loving it. In fact, he now skis every year and can venture off-piste and into the backcountry with ease. On that day he could have so easily given up for good simply because he was using skis which had been badly serviced.
Unknown to him.
Can your skis make that much difference? You bet they can. This is just one example of what can happen to thousands of skiers every year.
For many people going on their annual ski holiday, the choice of skis is left to the person that greets them at the airport and accompanies them on the bus on the way to the ski resort. He/she moves around the bus selling ski hire on the way to the resort. The choice of skis is often decided at that moment, with little to no knowledge of your skiing ability, the type of ski, the quality of the ski, the servicing, the shop or the person who is going to fit the skisor the shop. Sometimes skis are booked in advance over the internet to save a bit on cost. It’s complete chance, and the decision is often based on cost with no knowledge of how much effect getting the right, well-maintained equipment can have on the outcome of the skiing holiday. An average ski holiday can cost upwards of £1,000, so saving 20 or so euros on ski hire is a big price to pay if the skis ruin your holiday.
A number of seasons ago I was skiing on my new Salomon BBR 8.9s. Normally I try to avoid putting my skis over a machine for a service if I can and just ask for the edges to be sharpened and the skis waxed. With skis that are very shaped the quality of the base is paramount. You only need a slight concave sole with the edges left proud from the base and the difference in the skis performance is astronomical – negatively. When the skis need repairing then a shop and a machine it is. I took my Salomon BBRs into a shop I was not familiar with to get them repaired, then took them out for a ski afterwards. I literally could not ski on them. The skis would not move sideways on the snow, making it more or less impossible to control speed. The skis had been left with the edges proud of the base. It was equivalent to a builder trying to lay brinks with a wonky spirit level! Or a top chef preparing a gourmet meal with no scales! It’s guesswork, and the result – pure luck!
That was one experience and luckily I could recognise the problem and rectify it. I now know all the shops in the resort where I ski and know all the technicians. But how many skiers experience this every winter and are unable to recognise the problem, continuing to struggle with their skiing for an unknown reason and just putting it down to poor technique?
Recognising Poorly Maintained Skis
So how do you know if your skis are badly tuned? It’s simple. Skis need to be able to slide sideways on the snow and also grip. The edges can be as sharp as you like, but the skis should still be able to skid sideways unhindered. So if it feels like the skis cannot skid or they skid sideways with jerky, catchy movements then you have problems. To work well skis have to be able to skid and grip with ease in order to control speed and direction.
Using poorly or incorrectly maintained skis is like driving a car with bald tyres, using training shoes with no grip, ice skates with blunt edges, a non-stick frying pan that doesn’t slip or a tennis racket with broken strings. Skis should be easy to use, and if they’re not then there’s definitely something wrong with them. If something doesn’t feel quite right then it’s probably not. Trust your instincts.
Don’t Leave Your Skis To Chance
If you do wish to reserve your skis in advance or on the bus on the way to the airport, reserve the best you can. If you’re not experienced, you can still get top-of-the-range skis for your ability level. Don’t fall into the common mistake of thinking that if you’re not that experienced then the skis do not matter. They matter even more. You can get advice before you go; do not cut corners to save a few quid, make sure you can change them as much as you like and do not get trapped in a contract where you cannot change shops if you’re dissatisfied. Think of how much the ski holiday is costing along with the flight, the hotel, meals out and après-ski. Make sure the equipment that connects you to the mountain is the best you can get.
Photo by dynamic pictures.co.uk