base structure specifically for spring schmooooooo?

[oftpiste]

Anyone have dedicate skis specially prepped for spring, wet, sticky snow with an especially holey/hydrophobic base structure? Seems like it might not be a bad idea.

If so, what are the specifics of your base prep? or is it just a dumb idea?

[Lindahl]

base structure specifically for spring schmooooooo?

On this same note, is a coarse/spring base structure really that slow in midwinter intermountain cold snow, fresh as well as groomed? Wondering if it makes sense to run a coarse structure 24/7 for those that rarely base grind.

[GeezerSteve]

XC ski racers sometimes rill the base then go unwaxed for wet sucky snow conditions. I've tried it with touring skis with better-than-wax results in the suck. ETA: The problem with rilling for spring touring is that it can invite pollen aka Cascade Black Klister.

Sucky snow is the one condition where fat fishscales often glide better than smooth-based skis.

[charles martel]

I had very large linear on FIS GS skis that just sucked them down and went straight. Mike at SkiMD put a nice GS cross hatch on them and they turned like butter.

[GeezerSteve]

Mike at SkiMD put a nice GS cross hatch on them

With a rilling roller? That's common practice with serious XC ski racers.

[charles martel]

With a rilling roller? That's common practice with serious XC ski racers.

No. I think he consulted Trump, though.

I know that he (Mike, not Trump) and Guras back in the day would stay up all night at a WC race to put a struture on by hand using a Scotch Brite.

I'm not sure handjobs are that big a deal these days.

[El Chupacabra]

Do these sorts of hand rilling tools work well? I've never tried any of them.

http://xcski.gearwest.com/c/structureriller-tools/393532

[powdrhound]

I use the Kirkwood rocks to give my skis spring structure. Just be going straight over them. Sideways grooves don't help as much.

[XXX-er]

I have some old Chinese made 2nd generation verdicts with a lot of deep base structure which I find slow in cold mid winter snow but not as slow when the temp gets warmer

[MESH]

I set the structure with a coarse ski visions base flattener stone use hertel spring solution.

[oftpiste]

FWIW, I'm not talking about terrain that will generate accumulations of tar and pine needles, and not XC. More of a lift-served kinda question as I was skiing at Whistler in 65+ temps today. For some reason everyone seems to pass me on the flats all the time.

I do own a ski-visions but not anything coarse that goes in it.

Like, what if you had someone put a REALLY coarse structure on a ski you'd really only ski in warm temps. Would be interesting to know if it could be skied year-round too, but really I'd just like to have a pair that was more resilient to that grabby thing that throws you into the back seat that we all hate.

Quiver geek, first world questions.

[oftpiste]

Sucky snow is the one condition where fat fishscales often glide better than smooth-based skis.

is this a revelation?

[MESH]

I go coarse all season but that's at Alpental I'm not sure how it would work other places.

[lordf]

base structure specifically for spring schmooooooo?

Hydrazorb dry slope wax cures a lot of Spring skiing issues. Not sure if it's sold in the states though but the uk dry slope lot love it, I carry a chunk as a rub on for spring days in the Alps.

[Shredhead]

Use 100 grit sandpaper and then get a stone grind next fall.