2011-2012 ski tuning news

Imagine it is August and I am preparing for ski season 2012.
I am sure you are wondering " why so early" ?

Let me first brief you on all the "discoveries" I have made relating to ski tuning.

First I had the chance to meet the technical people from Swix and they had many irons left from the Olympics at Vancouver! Used so they could not sell them. I happen to be given a course at a local college on ski tuning so they donated all of them!

I was always against those $500 usa electronic digital irons since it seemed to me a "marketing" ploy! My 20 year old regular iron was fine!

Well after testing the Swix electronic iron for a whole season I now know the difference. I do not recommend this iron to the weekend skier, but if you are a serious skier ( +100days of skiing), a level B racer or even a university racer you must get this iron!
Solid construction, wide wide heating plate that takes seconds to heat up! Micro level temperature adjustment! No more wax smoke! No more melted ski bases!

I had about 50 of the lower quality models that have a temperature dial related to the types of waxes Swix makes! Not as "sensitive" as top level iron. Plate not as thick and dial tends to "burn out" but at $50 usa a great iron for first year tuner!


My most rewarding find in tuning had nothing to do with tools, iron or waxes but related to the new ski plates many ski companies are using.

10 years ago most plates ( except for VIST) were passive plate systems. A layer of rubber, plastic and alu.

Now they are engineering marvels!

I took apart the Fischer World Cup Floflex plates since I wanted to take it off a broken Downhill 220 cm ski and place it on another ski!
Imagine this;
two alu pivoting tuned cams at front and rear of plate, allowing ski to flex yet plate remain rigid
three internal springs allowing flex adjustments ( thus allowing personal ski flex ) tuning
One major 4 screw anchor section that allows the alu piece slide into it! Thus the alu plate (which retains bindings) is anchored only at center of ski. This results in a clean flex of ski yet no vibration ( or chatter) is felt!

For you very very competitive skiers take this plate ( which is found on GS or downhill skis) and install it on some SL ski and you have a hot hot ski! Extremely sensitive to edge sets,,yet no vibrations at any speed! Most SL skis at the top end of their performance scale,,tend to chatter,,,to vibrate! Not with this plate system!

The 2010-2011 Fischer World Cup skis had one small problem. those holes and tails tended to cause de-lamination if you were a strong skier! I had to fix several unit.
If you have such skis check every day after skiing the tails ( near both edges) if a space developes. My advice to you is detuned tails 5-8 mm. from tail those allowing ski edges to release!

The tip has a weak area just below the hole section and the ski edges! If you see a tiny crack,,go ski shop where you bought skis! Fischer will honor their product quality!

If you have an older "holed" model the solution is simple ( Fischer has discovered this since all newer models have this solution).
I have 5 pairs of the SL type skis and I have installed a thin metal plate on the base side of the ski! Two pop rivets does the trick! If you look careful all 2012 holed skis now have a yellow plastic sheath!

More to come.

Pavel