Edging Assistance - Nordica Santa Ana 93's

[NicoleVNC]

I ski Santa Ana 158 x 98. Mostly out West so powder, bumps, bowls. Love them. But I often wonder if the 93s or narrower would be more versatile in early season granular and crud as the 98 is a lot of ski to edge, especially on moguls. I came from Blizzard Black Pearl 88 which were very easy to edge. I’m not convinced wider is better except in true powder days. It took me a full season to adapt from 88s. I think it’s the width making it harder to edge

 

[lisamamot]

The edges were at 0º probably from the side grind before I got them.

You noted side grind, but did you mean base grind?

When you say “before I got them”, does that mean you bought new and had them tuned immediately, or did you buy them used?

 

[contesstant]

You noted side grind, but did you mean base grind?

When you say “before I got them”, does that mean you bought new and had them tuned immediately, or did you buy them used?

I caught that, too, but forget to ask about it. 0 degree edge on any side is odd.

 

[KayOss]

I bought them used from Powder7 who "tuned" them prior to shipping. We checked the base for flatness and only checked the edges for sharpness or defects. AND sorry, should have said 90º not zero.

 

[contesstant]

I bought them used from Powder7 who "tuned" them prior to shipping. We checked the base for flatness and only checked the edges for sharpness or defects. AND sorry, should have said 90º not zero.

I hope you didn't think we were making fun of you. Just trying to clarify. That being said, 90 degrees would be 10 degrees, so still doesn't sound right. Either way, you'll have to let us know if they feel any better on groomers now. Soft snow definitely can mask tuning issues. Harder snow on wider skis can be a lot to adapt to if you aren't used to it.

 

[KayOss]

And I'm back - attached is a photo of tool we have been using to sharpen and tune the edges on our skis.

Obviously not from this decade With the new "edges" I have noticed a significant improvement and with a little more fine tuning and adjustment to the new width I will be able to enjoy these a lot more. I've skied them 6 times since and while mostly on snow I'm able to control them on hardpack surfaces much better than a month ago.
I so appreciate the feedback and advice - well presented and absorbed.

 

[Jilly]

Take a look at this kit.

Intro Tuning kit - Ski & Snowboard

Check out the deal on Intro Tuning kit - Ski & Snowboard at SIDECUT

www.sidecut.com

 

[Verve]

Glad they’re skiing better for you! My beloved stocklis (96 underfoot) got a bad tune in Utah and were like a different ski - unwieldy, hooky, no fun. I got them fully retuned (a bummer) and we’re back in business. Great to keep your edges smooth & correct at home but a note of caution that too much edge work without base work can create issues over the long term so the occasional base grind from a shop is still wise (I’m guessing you know that but just sharing for others looking into edging and waxing at home).

 

[contesstant]

Glad they’re skiing better for you! My beloved stocklis (96 underfoot) got a bad tune in Utah and were like a different ski - unwieldy, hooky, no fun. I got them fully retuned (a bummer) and we’re back in business. Great to keep your edges smooth & correct at home but a note of caution that too much edge work without base work can create issues over the long term so the occasional base grind from a shop is still wise (I’m guessing you know that but just sharing for others looking into edging and waxing at home).

Another word of warning for self edge work is hanging burrs. Hard to see, but you can sure feel them! I prefer to do the minimal at home, just knocking off any really gnarly edge gouges but leaving the rest to the Wintersteiger and the pros.