People skiing on old straight skis

[riverc0il]

IMO, there's a big difference between collusion and marketing equipment for obsolescence. Over the last 5-6 years, K2 had the axis series and then went to the apache series. Volkl did the same from the G3 to the AC series.

Yea, there is a difference. But not if all companies making a particular good plan to postpone innovation for an agreed upon time frame which my response was geared towards. Individual companies can plan obsolesence of products but if the industry joined forces to limit innovation to increase sales, I think a case could be made for that not being appropriate.

 

[riverc0il]

I agree with you sbout going backward on equipment, but how is it not the ski???? I say the ski is a major part of the "quality" of turns we see today while skiing. We wouldn't be seeing that itermediate skier throwing down carved turns if it wasn's for the "modern day" ski. So how is it not the ski????

I got the quote backwards. My post was to say the "its not the ski, its the skier" quote is ridiculous. Skis help enormously and more people can ski at a higher level because of them and those at the highest level can do a limited number of things that couldn't be done before and can do everything else at a higher consistency level. For what I would guess is over 90% of skiers, the skis make a HUGE difference.

 

[campgottagopee]

I got the quote backwards. My post was to say the "its not the ski, its the skier" quote is ridiculous. Skis help enormously and more people can ski at a higher level because of them and those at the highest level can do a limited number of things that couldn't be done before and can do everything else at a higher consistency level. For what I would guess is over 90% of skiers, the skis make a HUGE difference.

Gotcha.

 

[tarponhead]

For what I would guess is over 90% of skiers, the skis make a HUGE difference.

That would be me. When I left the sport almost two decades ago I could not turn for squat. When I returned to skiing again last year my ability to turn was like night and day.

 

[Nick]

I have noticed their are still a number of people skiing on OLD straight skis. Just the fact that the bindings are so very old and "Non-Current" could be a safety issue. A lot of these people ski fairly fast.

Saw a guy with an old pair of Salomon SX70 rear entry racing boots. I can understand people using old boots they like. The ski shop guys tell me that ski boot liners wear out after 70 to 75 days of skiing. I don't buy that. I had a pair of Nordica boots for 18.5 years and about 370 ski days before the outer shell plastic got hard and brittle and cracked apart one day after skiing when taking them off.

is the issue the bindings then? My dad used everything.. forever. We upgrade equip. a lot more now than people did even 10 years ago. My dad has some Kneissl skis that he used for literally > 20 years. It was only when the shaped skis started coming out in the mid 90's that he finally upgraded from that pair, that i think he had bought in the early 70's.

 

[MarkC]

is the issue the bindings then? My dad used everything.. forever. We upgrade equip. a lot more now than people did even 10 years ago. My dad has some Kneissl skis that he used for literally > 20 years. It was only when the shaped skis started coming out in the mid 90's that he finally upgraded from that pair, that i think he had bought in the early 70's.

It has everything to do with the bindings. Each year a shop is sent a list of all accept bindings to adjust (providing the tech is certified by each individual manufacture). If the binding is not on the list it is considered obsolete and should not be used.
here is a list of bindings from 09/10/

 

[BenedictGomez]

I think Skiing magazine had a blurb on that in their buyer's guide this year. IIRC...75-90 days is what they said? I'm sure it depends a lot. If you cruise along...I bet that can be expanded upon.

If there is one source on the entire planet that I would NOT trust to tell me how many days you can get out of a pair of skis or boots, it would be a skiing magazine, whose primary source of topline comes from advertiser revenue.

Hell, subscription revenue has dropped so dramatically that they "give" the subscriptions away now and survive on advert revenue.

This also goes for golf magazines that tell you you need to change your $395 driver every two minutes, and that "water balls" wont perform as well because of the impact of the pond/lake (which may be true, but I still havent seen a scientific study on that conducted with an Iron Byron, which would be extremely simple to do, which leads me to believe that h2o does not significantly impair a golf ball).

It has everything to do with the bindings. Each year a shop is sent a list of all accept bindings to adjust. If the binding is not on the list it is considered obsolete and should not be used.

This too, is a relatively new development in the equipment world, and I imagine there's more like 50% truth to it, and 50% "the quest for revenue" to it, as opposed to 100% truth. FWIW, I have a pair of Salomon X-Screams from 1999 that I still use. They're 68 underfoot, which I guess would be considered a race ski now, and the bindings still work just fine, going on 12 years strong. Anomaly? Perhaps, but I doubt it.

 

[Abubob]

It has everything to do with the bindings. Each year a shop is sent a list of all accept bindings to adjust (providing the tech is certified by each individual manufacture). If the binding is not on the list it is considered obsolete and should not be used.
here is a list of bindings from 09/10/

This too, is a relatively new development in the equipment world, and I imagine there's more like 50% truth to it, and 50% "the quest for revenue" to it, as opposed to 100% truth. FWIW, I have a pair of Salomon X-Screams from 1999 that I still use. They're 68 underfoot, which I guess would be considered a race ski now, and the bindings still work just fine, going on 12 years strong. Anomaly? Perhaps, but I doubt it.

Seems to me the rule of thumb for bindings is 10-15 years. Which A. is NOT new (been around as long as I can remember) and B. is also bogus because its not gauged on actual use. These rules and lists are for technicians that can't tell a fatigued binding from another and to reduce liability in a sue happy society.

Also skis can get as fatigued as bindings and therefore lose their camber and torsional stiffness.

 

[thinnmann]

I like taking photos of people skiing old skis....

MLK weekend really brings them out -

Jan 21, 2008 at Belleayre:

They usually have old boots, jackets, and headgear too:

But still, more recent photos -

MLK weekend Jan 21, 2010 at Belleayre:

January 31, 2009 at Belleayre:

Feb 17, 2008 at Belleayre:

Feb 16, 2008 at Belleayre:

 

[billski]

Something tells me these skis only come out one trip per year.. What I really want to see are the boots!

 

[PomfretPlunge]

Don't laff!

I just bought a pair of K2 Extreme 195s to ski bumps on You know, black on top, with neon bases just like the tops of those ^^^ Guy sold 'em to me for 40 bucks. Brand new <well, he did ski one day on 'em in 1998>.

Can't wait to go freestylin'

Twisters & Volkl Wall Moguls are all fine, but they are too short by 10cm!

Plunge

 

[Nick]

Bump!

 

[Highway Star]

or, maybe my 1998 outback with 140K miles is just as good as a 2010 outback...they've both got 4 wheels, both have all wheel drive...both have internal combustion engines...both roll down the roads under their own power, they just look a little different on the outside right?

Actually, you'd be shocked to find out just how similar they mechanically. Subarus have all been pretty much the same car from 1990 to today.