Relationship between speed and the ski of choice

[lisamamot]

One of the things I have noticed after moving up from my Volkl Luna 158 (69mm) is the huge difference in speed in the Volkl Yumi 161 (83mm), and the Nordica Belle to Belle 170 (78mm).

When I got my Yumi I was surprised, in a thrilled sort of way, how they would glide while I was still getting my pole straps on. When I took a connector trail that I would normally have to ski-skate on, I sailed so much further. Enter my Belle to Belles and WOW....that connector trail is done in a flash. There is such a huge difference in the innate speed of the skis, and I am wondering what makes a ski "fast". Construction, under foot width, length, or some lovely combination of a number of factors?

When I choose to, my Belle to Belles will give me the ability to let loose a high spirited pure bred, where my Volkls now remind me a bit more of a reliable school horse

 

[Skibuilder]

Warning, I might geak out a little.

I am going to make a few assumptions:
1)The connector trail is flat, and you are coasting, not carving.
2)None of the skis are catching an edge due to a narrow waist or sidecut
3)You are not sinking further into the snow differently between skis...they all keep you above the snow.

When skiing, the friction between your skis and the snow actually create a small film of water that refreezes after contact. So all else the same (i.e. your weight, snow conditions that day) the smaller base area of the ski, the more concentrated the heat produced and the further you should travel.

Now, there are two things I left out. First, the faster you enter the connector trail, the further you will get. I would imagine that you are skiing faster with the longer length and better grip of the Belle to Belles since they are more stable at higher speeds than the other 2. This would be a vastly more significant factor than anything else.

The second is the preparation of your bases, and the base material itself. Since the bases' contact with the snow creates that water film, there is an ideal coefficient of friction that will have the best results. A Teflon coating for example will not create enough heat to change the snow to water, allowing glide. The result is a very sticky feeling ski. Not enough wax will cause sticking for other reasons. Extra carbon or gallium in the base material will improve speed properties - one reason essentially all race skis have black bases. So basically, differences in bases and base prep have a large effect and is difficult to quantify.

 

[abc]

When was your Luna last waxed?

I had my skis waxed recently. I'm now staying with my regular ski buddies instead of lagging behind on the flat.

Until the wax wears out, that is.

 

[badger]

Warning, I might geak out a little.

Hey! We love Geeks around here! If it weren't for savvy and insightful information such as yours Skibuilder, a lot of us may not have had the incentive, equipment, and inspiration to tackle more advanced terrain.

 

[Skise]

The second is the preparation of your bases, and the base material itself. Since the bases' contact with the snow creates that water film, there is an ideal coefficient of friction that will have the best results. A Teflon coating for example will not create enough heat to change the snow to water, allowing glide. The result is a very sticky feeling ski. Not enough wax will cause sticking for other reasons. Extra carbon or gallium in the base material will improve speed properties - one reason essentially all race skis have black bases. So basically, differences in bases and base prep have a large effect and is difficult to quantify.

And depending on how the snow is the structure of the base (whether the grooves are almost non existent or huge or something in between) may have a huge effect. Or if you have brushed the skis well after waxing or left all the grooves filled with wax.

 

[Skibuilder]

Hey! We love Geeks around here! If it weren't for savvy and insightful information such as yours Skibuilder, a lot of us may not have had the incentive, equipment, and inspiration to tackle more advanced terrain.

Thanks. Sometimes, I can get carried away.

 

[lisamamot]

@Skibuilder , I love the tech description :-). They all have black bases, but after that I haven't a clue!

Yes, the connector trail is flat...one of those that you need to pick up some speed and tuck a bit otherwise you'll be x-country skiing too much of it. The trail that feeds into it is quite tame so there isn't a lot of runway to be skiing faster with the Belle to Belle. I entered the trail at my usual speed and while the Yumi is a marked improvement over the Luna, I really felt the spark with the Belle to Belle. I think they literally took me all the way to the next trail. My weight is the same and the conditions were similar, but I didn't ski them the same day so there could be a margin of error there.

My Lunas were prepped (CD edge and wax) at the beginning of the season and even then they were tamer in regards to speed; always stable and excellent edgers though. With both the Yumi and the Belle to Belle, especially the latter, I feel like I have a bit of a speed beast to let loose at will.... they seem to ask "Do you want to catch up? Let's do it!".

@abc , I never personally wax my skis. I did not realize your average recreational skier did that. My nephews are racers and obviously tune their skis, but I never considered working on them myself. I pop them back into the mountain shop partway through the season (probably not often enough) and have them tell me what they need. I just noticed they hold a monthly hand tuning clinic for the novice tuner; I am on that next season!

 

[Skise]

I wax mine every 3-5 ski days. All my skiing friends tune their skis themselves too. But when I've attended a "Ladies ski clinic" at Ruka none of the participants did anything to their skis themselves.

 

[Skibuilder]

As your bases start to need wax, the color of the bases start to change. The deep black shine is when they have absorbed wax. The color dulling and graying in comparison, near your edges first, is one indication that the base material could use wax. Harsher snow such as spring skiing conditions (aggregate mixed in with the snow) will wear your skis quickest.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I just started waxing my skis last season. Now I'm a convert. It's a lot less hassle to do it at home than to bring them to a shop; consequently, my skis get waxed more often and are flat-out more fun.

 

[volklgirl]

I, too wax my skis every 3 days or so.

 

[abc]

[USER=291]@abc , I never personally wax my skis. I did not realize your average recreational skier did that. My nephews are racers and obviously tune their skis, but I never considered working on them myself. I pop them back into the mountain shop partway through the season (probably not often enough) and have them tell me what they need. I just noticed they hold a monthly hand tuning clinic for the novice tuner; I am on that next season![/USER]

No, I don't think your "average recreational skiers" wax their own skis. Even I don't do my myself and don't do it as regularly as many others here do. But that doesn't mean I don't notice the difference a fresh wax bring! :)

(it's just I don't really care if my ski runs fast or not. I only care if they're not holding edge or are errotic due to nicks on the edges or scratches to the base)

 

[Albertan ski girl]

I'm kind of fascinated by this post, because this is what I felt on the flat connectors when I demo-ed the kenjas. Couldn't believe how fast I was going across the flats. I know they were waxed before I took them out, and that is probably a part of it. If I wanted to learn how to wax my own skis at home, do you divas have any suggestions on where to look/how to start? @Skise @Skibuilder @bounceswoosh @volklgirl ?

 

[bounceswoosh]

I started by having a friend show me how he does his once. I was still tentative, though, until participating in that tuning thread here a couple of months back.

I think the number one thing is that it's almost impossible to damage your skis while waxing them, as long as you don't keep the iron in one place more than a second or two. Much like ironing clothes, maybe? I never really had to do that.

 

[Skibuilder]

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/in...need-to-know-about-gear-care-and-tuning.2186/

Bases are a pretty resilient material. Not too much work to wax. Clean, to keep the dirt and debris from getting pushed into your bases, apply wax, scrape off, and brush again to remove additional wax. To start, look at a brush, an iron, universal wax, and a scraper. From there you can decide if you want to get more in depth. I know a lot of shops around me are happy to walk someone through this process and the tools.

 

[Albertan ski girl]

Wow! What a great link! Thanks @volklgirl for writing it all up. Great.

 

[volklgirl]

You're very welcome! Waxing your own skis is really very, very simple and super rewarding.

 

[bounceswoosh]

@Albertan ski girl - this is the thread I had in mind: https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/tuning-skis-where-to-start.17375/

Lots of gems sprinkled into the discussion.

 

[VickiK]

What's your collective take on applying a light coat of wax and letting the snow remove it for you, instead of manually scraping it off?

 

[2ski2moro]

I have been waxing my own skis for more than 30 years. If the snow is really granular or in Spring Conditions, I will wax every other day (or even daily). Once you have the equipment, the cost of wax is negligible. It takes 10 minutes. No brainer.