Why has my skiing gone to shit?

**Jacolac** · 04-01-2019, 05:53 PM

At the risk of getting heckled, I’m trying to understand why my skiing has turned to shit with my new skis. Started doing longer tours and some more ski mountaineering stuff so accordingly picked up some G3 Findr 102s. First skis with traditional camber I’ve skied in many years. Pretty much every ski I’ve had in the last 8 years has been full reverse camber, flat camber or minimal camber in the middle.

Skiing the resort groomers I have no issues but in any kind of variable snow in the backcountry the skis just don’t fucking go where I want them to. Hard to describe but I feel like either the tips grab or the tails grab and rocket me off in some direction other than I was intending or I can’t release the turn. I think maybe I’ve gotten so used to smearing/skidding sideways to shave speed that I don’t know how to ski these. I’m used to being able to drive the tips but these I feel like I have to be super careful to stay absolutely centered on the ski or it’ll pull me in some direction I don’t want.

Advice? Would detuning the tips/tails a bit help or just defeat the purpose of these skis? Learn to ski?

**kathleenturneroverdrive** · 04-01-2019, 05:55 PM

Sounds like you need to detune. It won’t defeat the purpose of your skis at all

**Core Shot** · 04-01-2019, 05:56 PM

April Fool

**Jacolac** · 04-01-2019, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Core Shot

April Fool

Sadly not.

**babybear** · 04-01-2019, 06:01 PM

are the bindings mounted at a weird line?
that can make them ski very badly

**Jacolac** · 04-01-2019, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by b-bear

are the bindings mounted at a weird line?
that can make them ski very badly

No, on recommended line

**nyskirat** · 04-01-2019, 06:37 PM

No change in binding or boots?

**SumJongGuy** · 04-01-2019, 06:48 PM

Seems like the traditional camber is highlighting the bad habits (tip and turn, park and ride stuff) skiing reverse camber has been letting you get away with.

**cmcrawfo** · 04-01-2019, 07:01 PM

I have had the exact same experience... aggressively detuning the skis made a world of difference.

**Jacolac** · 04-01-2019, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by SumJongGuy

Seems like the traditional camber is highlighting the bad habits (tip and turn, park and ride stuff) skiing reverse camber has been letting you get away with.

Have a feeling this is probably it

**Jacolac** · 04-01-2019, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by cmcrawfo

I have had the exact same experience... aggressively detuning the skis made a world of difference.

Also traditional camber skis? From where to where did you detune?

**noslow** · 04-01-2019, 07:14 PM

Sounds like the ski is edge high especially in the tip and tail area. Check base flatness with a true bar and if it’s off, it might need a stone grind and reset of the edges.

I’ve yet to have a ski NOT need a base grind to be flat in the last 23 pairs of skis I’ve bought. Base high more common and it feels like you’re skiing on marbles but edge high makes it seem stuck in a turn and hard to pivot like what you’re experiencing.

**cmcrawfo** · 04-01-2019, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by Jacolac

Also traditional camber skis? From where to where did you detune?

I started to detune the edge about 1-2" back from the widest part of the tip/tail. and got really aggressive with the de-tune at the widest part of the tip forward.

if that makes sense. I may be missing some key ski anatomy terms to aid in my explanation.

**cmcrawfo** · 04-01-2019, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by noslow

Sounds like the ski is edge high especially in the tip and tail area. Check base flatness with a true bar and if it’s off, it might need a stone grind and reset of the edges.

I’ve yet to have a ski NOT need a base grind to be flat in the last 23 pairs of skis I’ve bought. Base high more common and it feels like you’re skiing on marbles but edge high makes it seem stuck in a turn and hard to pivot like what you’re experiencing.

Its likely user related. You get used to certain types of inputs with certain types of skis.

Its like when people first try skiing reverse/reveres skis, they wonder how anyone can find their balance point and start to question their weight distribution and mount points... but this is just the newschoolrs version.

**noslow** · 04-01-2019, 07:36 PM

Always at least check the edges with a mill basterd file lying flat on a 45 degree angle to prevent it from bending and pull it from tip to tail to see if any edge areas catch the file. Work that area with light pressure cleaning the file often until it no longer grabs and go tip to tail. Then set your base bevel at 1 degree usually and then detune only in the areas past the wide parts of the sudecut to start. Bring a gummy on the hill and move past the widest parts tip/tail if needed.

I do this on any new ski or any ski that has just been stone ground before setting base edge levels.

Used to chase my tail for years detuning skis when the real issue was them being edge high. Now I can run my skis sharp tip-tail without detuning as the bases/edges are flat and catch free first.
Cambered skis are of course less forgiving of issues like this especially in the tip/tail and that’s another issue.

**swissiphic** · 04-01-2019, 07:58 PM

as an aside: FWIW: Buddy of mine recently bought some G3 findr or seekr 100's and his bases were quite railed/edge high out of the wrapper. The edges were also razor sharp...like waaaay too sharp, tip to tail.

1. as stated, check for base flatness with a true bar tip to tail. Really sounds like symptoms of 'railed' or edge high issues.

2. if edge high, IIRC, some ski constructions resist stone grinding flat. I recall having some atomic REX skis back in the day that suffered from this issue. multiple stone/belt grinds and didn't get flat. talkin' to a guy intimately familiar with atomic skis (i think he was a race technician) said that the heat during grinding and the cooling off process caused the bases to revert to edge high. he said even for race skis, manually flattening the bases so that about 10-15mm is flat from edge towards base center was sufficient to restore 'normal' feeling skis. I never got to that point, just ditched the skis.

2. if not edge high, yup, detune aggressively in rocker sections and pull back the detune a few inches into the running surface.

3. base edge bevel - if all of the above is good, add a bit of base edge bevel and pull that bevel a few millimeters towards center of base. it's an old school trick i learned that i experimented on with a few catchy feeling skis and it made em ski a bit more friendlier.

4. could just be the skis aren't working in synergy for your needs - sell em and buy new ones.

**XXX-er** · 04-01-2019, 08:21 PM

Basic puter repair was always you don't know what it is thats wrong so figure out what ain't wrong by swapping shit around ... try some different skis

**swissiphic** · 04-01-2019, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by XXX-er

Basic puter repair was always you don't know what it is thats wrong so figure out what ain't wrong by swapping shit around ... try some different skis

Better is the enemy of good. Prolly not applicable in this case but just wanted to fire that one off, mr. xxx'er.

**reckless toboggan** · 04-01-2019, 08:38 PM

Praxis Rx.

But seriously, 4Frnt EHP.

**XXX-er** · 04-01-2019, 08:39 PM

well is the problem the skier or the ski?

The idea of componenet swapping is to eliminate possible issues one at a time,

usually one swaps out the easiest things first

because they are the easiest

or just set the fucking things on fire, thro them in the back yard and buy some red ones

**rod9301** · 04-01-2019, 08:57 PM

I think the g3s see lousy skis.
They make good stuff, but in skis established companies (say volkl) have so much more money to send on r&d.

I ski the volkl vwerks katanas and o am blown away by the versatility.

Two days ago i was following two skiers on black crows and g3s in lousy snow. They were good skiers, i skied with them before.

But they had a lot of problems on that snow, and my katanas just handled it beautifully.

Imo. Ymmv and your opinion too.

Sent from my Armor_3 using Tapatalk

**nickel** · 04-01-2019, 09:05 PM

ironically, these are red. This is the most conclusive evidence in favor of the problem being the skier that has yet been presented.

**Bushwacka** · 04-02-2019, 05:16 AM

your skiing was always shit, the new skis jsut let you know.

**jackstraw** · 04-02-2019, 05:52 AM

Originally Posted by noslow

Sounds like the ski is edge high especially in the tip and tail area. Check base flatness with a true bar and if it’s off, it might need a stone grind and reset of the edges.

I’ve yet to have a ski NOT need a base grind to be flat in the last 23 pairs of skis I’ve bought. Base high more common and it feels like you’re skiing on marbles but edge high makes it seem stuck in a turn and hard to pivot like what you’re experiencing.

I would agree, but if railed they would be a bitch on groomers. I'm going with a tune issue though.