People skiing on old straight skis

[HD333]

Saw a guy this weekend in the lift line with at least 210's K2 5500's, red Rear entry Nordicas (with Jeans tucked in and hi name on masking tape on the back) and suprisingly brand new poles big old puffy blue coat, no hat (never mind a helment), neon yellow gloves. I was pissed I couldn't get the camera out fast enough.

I think the class size is too big. They spend too much time teaching them to use the handle tow. I've seen hardly any ski instruction in 4 weeks. I think I'm going to go with WA next year. More of a haul, but a better set-up there. Ward really needs a magic carpet.

Definitly Wa Wa fo rthe kids. The Polar Kids Camp is great.

 

[dmc]

Oh, and this past Saturday I saw some serious old school randomness. Seeing old skis is one thing...but old snow boards....saw a dude carrying an old Burton Air board that kinda looked like this:

Saw a guy on an old Burton Amp6 with Sims bindings. Offered the guy $50 for it on the spot.. He seemed offended when I told him I wanted it as an antique..

 

[HD333]

Saw a guy on an old Burton Amp6 with Sims bindings. Offered the guy $50 for it on the spot.. He seemed offended when I told him I wanted it as an antique..

Had my old board, K2 Eldorado, with me when I picked up my new board a few years ago. My wife asked the kid mounting the bindings if he thought anyone would want to buy the old one. he replied "yeah maybe the hang on their wall"

I would love to get my hands on one of the Burton Cruisers from back in the day.

HD

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

other issue with old boots is that they wear down from walking and wont 'sit' in the binding properly

 

[snoseek]

My ski boots have probably 350-400 days on them. The heals are reinforced with duct tape and the bottoms are kinda slippery when walking but they somehow still clamp into the bidings with very little play. They rarely leave my car and i just leave them on the passenger side on the floor. Floor heat does a decent drying job. They are on their fourth or fifth season-hoping to get another year out of them.

 

[dmc]

Had my old board, K2 Eldorado, with me when I picked up my new board a few years ago. My wife asked the kid mounting the bindings if he thought anyone would want to buy the old one. he replied "yeah maybe the hang on their wall"

I would love to get my hands on one of the Burton Cruisers from back in the day.

HD

the Red White and Blue Eldo was a great deck!!!

 

[HD333]

^^^^
That is the one. It will be mounted on a wall in my house at some point.

 

[Glenn]

Saw a guy on an old Burton Amp6 with Sims bindings. Offered the guy $50 for it on the spot.. He seemed offended when I told him I wanted it as an antique..

LOL! You've got more brass than I do. Hats off for tossing out an offer.

The board I saw had what looked like the orginal Burton bindings wih the torqouis heel.

 

[Rambo]

other issue with old boots is that they wear down from walking and wont 'sit' in the binding properly

"If ski boot liners wore out in 75 days, I know a couple full-time instructors who'd be going through two pairs of boots in a season!"

Two observations: I think the sales guys from the ski shop that told me that boot liners wear out in 75 days of skiing, were saying that in order to sell more boots.

As far as boot soles and heels wearing down from walking over stones and grates...etc. the 2 ski shops in my area do not and have never sold "cat tracks" which are rubber slip on protective devices to protect the soles when walking in your expensive ski boots. One day I finally got one of the shop employees to admitt that they do not sell cat tracks because they want your soles to wear down so you buy ski boots more often.

 

[legalskier]

I think the sales guys from the ski shop that told me that boot liners wear out in 75 days of skiing, were saying that in order to sell more boots.

+1
I've long suspected the industry builds in obsolescence for that reason. I mean really, how many legitimate equipment breakthroughs have occurred over the past few decades? Shaped skis? The invention of snow boards? Everything else has been tinkering IMHO.

 

[2knees]

his name on masking tape on the back.

:lol: i have that one covered. no idea why but i never removed it after getting my bindings mounted.

 

[Hawkshot99]

"If ski boot liners wore out in 75 days, I know a couple full-time instructors who'd be going through two pairs of boots in a season!"

Two observations: I think the sales guys from the ski shop that told me that boot liners wear out in 75 days of skiing, were saying that in order to sell more boots.

Last year I skied in Nordica Supercharger boots. The amount that the boots changed from day 1, till the end of the season (I skied 83 days, mostly half days) was huge. There is no way that I could have gotten them to last another season in those liners. If I had bought new liners I could have been good to go, but bought new boots instead.
My current boots (dalbello blender) I can feel the liners starting to break down. They are still entirely usable and fit great, and seem to be holding up better than the Nordicas.

I dont understand how the guys who have 300+ days and say they fit just right still.

 

[Rambo]

Last year I skied in Nordica Supercharger boots. The amount that the boots changed from day 1, till the end of the season (I skied 83 days, mostly half days) was huge. There is no way that I could have gotten them to last another season in those liners. If I had bought new liners I could have been good to go, but bought new boots instead.
My current boots (dalbello blender) I can feel the liners starting to break down. They are still entirely usable and fit great, and seem to be holding up better than the Nordicas.

I dont understand how the guys who have 300+ days and say they fit just right still.

I'm thinking that you are probably a hard charging expert, and put a lot of stress on your equipment. Those who get 300+ days and still feel their boots still fit fine are probably stuck at the advanced intermeadiate level and just don't generate nowhere the same stress levels on equipment like a hard charging expert. Just my theory.

 

[Geoff]

+1
I've long suspected the industry builds in obsolescence for that reason. I mean really, how many legitimate equipment breakthroughs have occurred over the past few decades? Shaped skis? The invention of snow boards? Everything else has been tinkering IMHO.

Ski boot technology has not changed since the 1970's. The 1979 Lange Banshee I used to ski on isn't any different from the Head World Cup I ski on now.

Stock liners are indeed designed to wear out quickly. I use custom liners which hold up for 300+ days. I was at the bar with my boot fitter a couple of weeks ago at the ski bum party. My friend on the other side of me was talking to him about boot fit and needing and adjustment. I made a comment about getting shot with custom liners were I never had to go back. My boot fitter replied something like, "Yeah, but you show up every 5 years for boots and then never spend any more money with me."

My mom skis on straight skis and rear entry boots. She tried shaped skis and hated them. At age 77, why change?

 

[abc]

other issue with old boots is that they wear down from walking and wont 'sit' in the binding properly

You only need new toe/heel peices. Not new boots.

There're reasons to NOT hang on to old boots, liner pack out or plastic fatique (mine old boot's shell simply disintegrated bit by bit). But worn out heel piece from walking isn't one of them.

 

[jaywbigred]

Last year I skied in Nordica Supercharger boots. The amount that the boots changed from day 1, till the end of the season (I skied 83 days, mostly half days) was huge. There is no way that I could have gotten them to last another season in those liners. If I had bought new liners I could have been good to go, but bought new boots instead.
My current boots (dalbello blender) I can feel the liners starting to break down. They are still entirely usable and fit great, and seem to be holding up better than the Nordicas.

I dont understand how the guys who have 300+ days and say they fit just right still.

I'm at about 65-70 days on my current boots, and I've had them worked on at least 12-18 times during that span. I still feel a lot of pain with them, and I can also feel the liners starting to break down. This past week I started to feel shin bang for the first time. The liners are stock, and are starting to go, and I think the shell is flexing a lot more than it used to, which may be a good thing, being that I bought a fairly stiff boot that allows me to carve the way I want but isn't suited that well to skiing bumps (which I love) and powder (which I found out last week).

 

[marcski]

Ski boot technology has not changed since the 1970's. The 1979 Lange Banshee I used to ski on isn't any different from the Head World Cup I ski on now.

Not so sure I agree. I think boots have changed along with the ski technology. I think newer boots are not quite as stiff in forward flexion and tend to be more stiff laterally.

 

[bvibert]

You only need new toe/heel peices. Not new boots.

Maybe true, if your boots have replaceable toe and heel pieces, not all boots do.

 

[Euler]

What about skis?

What's the collective wisdom on skis wearing out after a season or few? Does a recreational skier need a new ski every couple years because the "spring" wears out of a ski?

 

[bigbog]

I did not ski very well back in the 80s(just learning), but some liners were definitely tightly packed with more dense foam back then. Would like to have my K2 Comp 710s? <--something close to that... back...I bet they were a fun bump ski..lol.


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