Ski Bottoms - more scratch resistent

[Angus]

this is one of those "just wondering" questions.

When I started skiing back in the 70's I was constantly having to ptex my skis to fill holes and big scratches. I've noticed that new skis seem to be much more resistant to scratching and gouging.

Is it my imagination, a change in my skiing style - I'm admittedly kind of crazy about avoiding rocks and roots, etc - or have ski bottom surfaces significantly improved from a durability perspective in the last 20-30 years?

What prompted my question was my Monday trip to Wildcat which was a ton of fun but there was definitely thin cover on many open trails and thought I hit stuff that would have left huge gouges.

 

[billski]

this is one of those "just wondering" questions.

When I started skiing back in the 70's I was constantly having to ptex my skis to fill holes and big scratches. I've noticed that new skis seem to be much more resistant to scratching and gouging.

Is it my imagination, a change in my skiing style - I'm admittedly kind of crazy about avoiding rocks and roots, etc - or have ski bottom surfaces significantly improved from a durability perspective in the last 20-30 years?

What prompted my question was my Monday trip to Wildcat which was a ton of fun but there was definitely thin cover on many open trails and thought I hit stuff that would have left huge gouges.

I don't think material has changed much, but I'm not a pro. Perhaps you've gotten more skilled?

I do a lot of off-trail stuff and am always gouging up my gear. I haven't even looked at the bottoms in the last two weeks. Perhaps I'm fearful of what I will find!

If you can remember the 70s, then you remember the trails were not in nearly as pristine shape as they are today. There was always something protruding on the trails.

 

[Angus]

Yeah...you might be right...always different when you're anteing up the $$$ for equipment versus your parents. I'm really bad...whenever I take my skis off, I inspect. When I was hiking up Loon late this fall, one of the thoughts that occurred to me was "absent the long lines this would be a great place to ski because there aren't any rocks protruding from the slopes" - kind of weird obsession.

 

[Marc]

I would imagine high density polyethylene was more common in the 70's than now. These days, most quality bases are drawn or sintered ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHWMPE) and is indeed more abrasion resistant than HDPE.

 

[drjeff]

I would imagine high density polyethylene was more common in the 70's than now. These days, most quality bases are drawn or sintered ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHWMPE) and is indeed more abrasion resistant than HDPE.

No doubt about it, todays plastics are much more ding resistant than the plastics of old. That being said, today's granite is as hard as it was in the 70's and coreshots are still fair game

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I feel like todays skis are way more durable than skis of the past and they are also alot cheaper..not retail but due to deals online..

 

[Angus]

I feel like todays skis are way more durable than skis of the past and they are also alot cheaper..not retail but due to deals online..

you are absolutely correct...I would be hard pressed to buy skis at a shop when you get great deals online. I've had great experience with backcountry.com and affiliates. and I feel bad about not supporting my local shops with big ticket sales but I'd rather keep the $$ for me. I'm hoping cheaper skis help me deal better with my scratch phobia.

 

[Marc]

you are absolutely correct...I would be hard pressed to buy skis at a shop when you get great deals online. I've had great experience with backcountry.com and affiliates. and I feel bad about not supporting my local shops with big ticket sales but I'd rather keep the $$ for me. I'm hoping cheaper skis help me deal better with my scratch phobia.

Realising you can abuse and scratch the shiat out of a pair of bases before it becomes a functionality problem should do more for your scratch phobia... unless you race very competitively, in which case, I'd think you'd have a separate pair for that.

Seriously, just ask another member here, awf170, how much abuse skis can take and still be skied on. It's really not that big a deal. Take a core shot, throw some wood glue or epoxy, and melt some more plastic in there. It's one of the wonderful properties of thermoplastics, they can go from solid to liquid and back again without changing their chemical properties.

 

[wa-loaf]

Snowmaking is better now too.

 

[riverc0il]

Having killed skis earlier in my powder hunting days... I have noticed a big difference having moved to fatter skis. Not sure if you have increased width... but more float = hitting bottom less which is very helpful.