In the name of marketing, some ski companies would not have you know what you need to take care of yourself! They withhold information and hope to sell you new product before the old was used up! Not us, read the following and learn everything you ever needed to know about ski equipment!

SKIS

There is one main source for all ski making machines! Almost all factories have one source for their machines to make skis. There are about 11 makers of ski parts. One man sells everyone P-TEX cores and metal edges. Nearly all skis are very similar- there are basically 4 cores on all skis. Most all companies have the plastics machines to make the kids or ladies skis. They are usually lighter and softer. Salomon has made the foam skis respectable with their own patented high density Monocore skis & with their "excream" foam core. They have been working on this for years, they don't change what works. The wood core is the largest selling ski in the history of the ski business and there is one main source for this core. ONE COMPANY accidentally made this core in the early seventies. They have refused to change it for all these years. The main supplier for everyone is one factory, then Salomon, Rossignol, etc. takes the core from this factory back to finish off sometimes up to 17 different skis with different paint jobs.

There are 4 cores for skis: Plastic, Foam, Wood and Wood with Titanium.

Plastic core skis are the lightest skis in the world. They are great for kids, beginners, ladies, older folks, over 45- light weight so that the legs are not as tired at the end of the day. They work great in the powder, packed slopes but they will chatter on ice OR WHEN PUSHED.

Foam core skis have become FAMOUS with the "excream" core the widest ranged skiing ski on the market. It works fine for beginners, intermediates and even the most advanced skiers that are cruising and not pushing really hard. It also works really well in powder. Pleasant, easy turning and all around enjoyable. At times the foam cores ski better than the wood cores.

Wood core skis have been the standard in the industry for the best all mountain skis. They do everything! It generally has been the most liked ski. Most rental skis are this core. Most companies take a better wood ski, change the top and put it into rental because it holds up and still skis well still. Wood cores also work good in powder, BUT YOU HAVE TO PULL BACK AS YOU ARE DOING POWDER! IT IS THE NUMBER ONE SELLING CORE IN THE HISTORY OF THE SKI BUSINESS!

Wood core titanium is the wood ski with specialty metal on the top. This is the pusher ski. It needs to be skied or pushed to turn and also to get its best performance. This ski core is great on ice! Pushing and aggressive skiing seem to be increased by this technology.

SKI LENGTH

Length of ski depends on frequency each year and how long you have been skiing. If you want to relax and enjoy, the shorter skis are easier to handle. If you want speed and or a push ski, then go longer. Head height has been a good rule of fitting: larger folks can go taller than their own height on softer skis. For the ladies and in-frequent skiers, you can measure a ski to the chin. Skinny folks, go shorter! It's more fun!!!

WAXING YOUR SKIS

The bottoms of your skis do not have to be waxed! The bottoms are a closed, celled product made by one man and are very low maintenance! Your bottoms are better off not waxed! Once they have been waxed with a temperature restricted wax, you have to keep going back for temperature changes. Stick with the original base and it is maintenance free! The old skis 30 years ago had an open celled base and needed wax, NEWER SKIS DON'T NEED WAX, PERIOD!

As the skis get scratches on the bottoms they will slow down so buy your own stiff steel paint scraper (a putty knife will not work) and scrape it with long hard strokes.  If you get a big rock gouge, place the scraper on the metal edges and do a long hard stroke. The best base repair is the soda pop can holder plastic that is twisted together and then melted into the deep hole. Let it cool, then scrape it off hard. You can cut it smoother by using a sand paper grinder or a hydraulic press than pushing your ski into a ski eating stone wheel.

If you want to go fast, simply use Pam out of the kitchen or silicone spray. There are a lot of "not wax" products out there now. Metal edges are better left alone, unless you hit a rock or something major. If you feel you 'have' to sharpen your edges, make sure you buy an edge sharpener that cuts both edges at once. A dull edge for recreational skiing is forgiving; you make a mistake it will let you correct and keep going. A sharp edge is for racing only or lots of ice; you make a mistake while skiing, it will put you down. If the tops of the skis get scratched, use a clear plastic or clear acrylic spray paint. Put it on sparingly and it will erase the scratches and help the shine some. Very sparingly!

BOOTS

Take a very very very long time in fitting your boots!There is a difference between good, better and best fit in ski boots. More than three quarters of the worlds ski boots are made in the same factory! Howver, each company has their assembling warehouses in varied locations. Therefore, the individual assemblers sew most of the inner bladders in the boots. The flow that is in most boots will mold to your feet.

To mold boots to your feet: turn your boots upside down over the forced air heater vent all night long. The next morning while the boot is hot (usually the plastic shell will even move to fit your foot right), get in the boot, buckle it as tight as you can and walk around in that boot for 40 minutes at room temperature. This will not work sitting in front of the TV or computer! You need to WALK AROUND for a good 40 minutes! But when you go skiing you buckle the boot as loose as you can as long as the heel stays put in the back of your ski boot. If you can pull your heel, slip, etc, that doesn't count. When you are pumping when you are skiing, that is when the heel should not lift. (ex: as you are pumping your turns) The best sock combination is the nylon sock on the skin and a second sock with cotton or wool blend in it. The cotton doesn't have to be 100%. This combo will wick the moisture from your skin leaving it dryer and warmer. The #1 reason for cold feet is boots that are too tight.

BINDINGS

Latest change for the better has been going from the 2 angle toe to the newer 5 angle toe. Roll, diagonal and vertical toes. It is safer for the skiier. Each company has some minor differences but basically they have all had to come up to this new standard. Bindings are like a tool: they hold you in when you are feeling frisky and they let go when you are not feeling well. First, you must designate a right and left ski, usually with a sticker or "r" on one ski. Then, you'll ski them that way from then on. You will end up with one leg stronger than the other, even a normal person is about 30% stronger on one side than the other that is before any injuries. While you are flowing your inner boot bladder are your "feet", that is a good time to step into your right and left ski. Roll one ski at a time to the outside, as far as your ski, boot, bindings and leg will let you and push. Bang! It clicks, then loosen the binding until you can punch out of the binding by yourself. Do not use any outside pressure, i.e. hitting it with your hands or kicking it with your feet (not good!!!)  Roll and push until it comes off. That is too loose so you'll need to tighten until it doesn't come off. You are ready to go ski.

Now, say out loud: "righty tighty, lefty loosey!" Always say that before you touch your binding! Right to tighten, left to loosen. The heel is checked by sliding one leg in front of the other. Stretch, jerk, open which loosens it untill you can pop the binding open by yourself. That is too loose so now tighten 1 full turn in the rear and ½ turn in the front. After doing this: never tighten or loosen! More than ½ turn in front, 1 turn in the rear at any one time. Once the toe pops off, tighten before you go skiing and then while you are skiing. This is how much you tighten as you are skiing: it is ok for youth to tighten multiple times during a week. But if they don't ski for weeks then they'll need to do this exercise again. The industry has a chart set by weight and ability level. It is a fast chart! But strong, old, weak and young people should not be set on the same setting simply because they weigh the same. Weight is only one of several variables that create the foot-pound energy (pressure) to get the bindings to release.

As you are skiing, if you hit a turn and the toe pops off: turn both toes ½ turn to the right. If you hit bumps and the heel pops: tighten both the heels 1 full turn. Also, set up each binding separately and independently in the beginning, then when skiing tighten or loosen together. At the top of the lift, at 20 degrees temperature, and a 20 mph wind- your bindings will be frozen shut. The numbers mean nothing. In the spring before you store your ski stuff, take a minute and put masking tape near each binding, move the din number onto the masking tape and loosen each binding to the lowest number on your binding for the summer or each summer your spring will take a set (weaken). In the fall before you go skiing, take the ski bindings out somewhere so you can spray and drip them without getting the silicone on the floor.

Turn the bindings one way and saturate them. Run the pure silicone in one end and out the other, then turn upside down and run the juice the other way. Once a year is all you need to service your ski bindings.

POLES

Poles are usually fitted at the arm pit less 2 inches. The fanciest poles are now the graphite pencil poles. They flex more than the race poles. Racing poles are usually brittle: they flex more but can explode. The mid-grade poles are ok to bend and can be straightened. The low-end poles are soft and will straighten but will keep small bends. Kids usually don't need poles untill they get about 130 cm skis. Depends on your preference.

GLOVES

Usually get them a little bigger than your hand. Tight gloves won't breathe or let the water out. Pull the glove tight between the thumb and the first finger, then pinch the end of the fingers. There should be a little room at the end of the finger so that the water can get out.

SNOWBOARDS

Snowboard fitting is done with the chin to the floor in inches, most of the pros measure at the chest. We like to keep it between the chest and chin. Shorter is better for beginners. We need to know the street shoe size for the boots. Then stand behind the snowboarder and gently push forward. Let us know which foot went out first.

CROSS COUNTRY SKIS

Cross country skis are fitted by extending the arm over the head and measuring to the fold in the wrist. We need head height in inches. Weight also determines some for the length.  We need the floor to the armpit for the poles.

If you have any additional suggestions, let us know!

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