J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Dave Mac

Trencher wrote:When a store mounts bindings on skis for you, They are required to mark a left and right ski as part of process. They will normally place a sticker on the right ski to differentiate.

So they would do this, when the skis are not manufactured as L&R? I would guess this reinforces what we have said.

Ian Wickham wrote:

Dave Mac wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:About 7.5 for me, seems to work out ok for me as I'm slim 8)

What about the reduction for age, Ian? :)

When I get old Dave my legs will break anyway, so I'll just roll down the piste and tape them back on with some of that gaffer tape :thumbup:

Haha! :)

Ian Wickham wrote:About 7.5 for me, seems to work out ok for me as I'm slim 8)

What about the reduction for age, Ian? :)

mackar wrote: I checked now my own skis and they are set to 9,5. I also bought a pair of skis just like the I rented with the shop set those to 9.5 too after getting my weight och checking how I ride so I'm not surprised that the rentals released when i was skiing.

Mackar, what bindings are on your skis? Many manufacturers put a binding setting chart up on the web. You can fill in the main parameters and get an on reading, as a check.

9.5 is a racers setting. A 6in nail driven through the boot and the ski might provide an easier release!

Tony_H wrote:So whats being said is that skis BECOME left and right skis because of wear and tear. They're not made left and right, right?

In general,skis are NOT made left and right. However, there is no such thing as pure exactness, and even when new, there will be minute, (hopefully), differences in the ski. Obviously when skis are new, this is not an issue for most people.

By creating a left and right, the opportunity is there for the body to learn how to deal with increasing usage variants ~ it isn't something that has to be thought about, the body of an experienced skier, constantly learns and adjusts.

This is much in the way that the body learns how to cope with having an injury to one leg. There is an adjustment in angulation, toe pressure.

Posted by a Truthful Non-Fanticist, Non-Genius, still awaiting an apology, but given previous experience, not really expecting one.

TonyH said:

I have to say I think you're either lying Dave or you've convinced yourself you're some kind of psychological genius.

This is not the first time that you have either directly accused me of lying or associated it with me. Certainly, I am not a genius. I hope you have a large bank balance.

As to the subject, I am an engineer and understand production manufacturing and it's limitations. However, a major factor in ski variants is usage, and how the two skis become damaged in different ways during their lifetime.

There are many ways in which ski damage occurs, the two main divisions, apart from initial variants, being incidents and constant usage by the same skier.

Incidents might include hitting or glancing off something, tree, rock banking, (or in my case, Admin) Because of preferred turn direction, most hits occur on the same side, and damage compounds.

Without realising it, most skiers do use a left and right, even if they neither plan to do so, nor even think about it. The reason why I identify l&r is that my right hand holds the skis with the right ski brake on top, then I pull upwards with my right hand, and drop that ski to the right. All right handed skiers do this most of the time, because their right arm is stronger. Left handed skiers do the opposite, but they do it constantly.

Now, almost everyone has a dominant turn, and this is only significantly reduced with experience. Your dominant turn, TonyH, is right.

The effect if this is that one ski is constantly under greater pressure than the other. Over time, torsional and longitudinal stiffness between l&r increasingly varies.

Then the question is, can you notice it? My view is that VERY inexperienced skiers will never notice the difference, they will have too many other issues to contend with. Then there will be intermediates, some who do think about things, and try to understand the hundreds of variations going on in ski technique.
Of course, some skiers do not care about technique. Fair enough.

When you consider the great advice from people such as Pavel, Trencher and CEM, on how much difference a small change in binding and boot set up can make, then why would you NOT consider how much difference a ski variant can make?

No I am not a genius, I just think things through. And I can assure you that I do not lie. By my reckoning, this is the third time that you have accused me, or associated me with lying.

And do you always use them in the correct configuration? Does it annoy you if you get them the wrong way round? Do you have to swap them if you do?

I always use the same config. It doesn't matter which way, but at the start of the ski life or ski hire, I decide a left and a right ~ and keep them that way, every run, every day.

The body learns to recognise within a few hours the variants, (there is no such thing as perfection), and quickly learns to compensate.

And, yes, I have, got them the wrong way round and, on occasion, noticed their different performance, then changed them round.

Some of my skis are marked, some are not. But I always know on any ski, which is the right and which is the left ~ and I can do it blindfold.