PSA: Don't Store Your Touring Skis Voile Strapped Together

[auvgeek]

None of my touring skis have brakes so I voile strap them together to carry, etc. My friends pretty much do the same, and most of the photos in the quiver pic thread show many mags do this, too.

Now maybe I'm a bit of an idiot, but I just leave them voile strapped together when storing them. The thing is, I've noticed lately that they have substantially less camber than they used to have and the camber is much less stiff -- i.e., it's easy to pinch the bases together. Again, yes, I'm a bit of an idiot. But I doubt I'm the only one...

I haven't heard this issue mentioned anywhere so I thought I'd toss out a little PSA: extend the life of your touring skis and don't store them tightly voile strapped together.

Flame away

[glademaster]

Uh-huh...

[tgapp]

Similar to this; don't store your skis suspended by their tips in a ski rack where they aren't weighting their tails on the ground. I had a friend store his skis that way and it permanently changed the rocker profile of the ski just from the weight of the ski hanging off of the tips. Good PSA though.

[auvgeek]

Similar to this; don't store your skis suspended by their tips in a ski rack where they aren't weighting their tails on the ground. I had a friend store his skis that way and it permanently changed the rocker profile of the ski just from the weight of the ski hanging off of the tips. Good PSA though.

For whatever reason, this makes total sense to me and I'd never do this. But the voile strap issue just didn't click.

[Peruvian]

Just voile strap them together at the point where the rocker ends, you know, where they would naturally touch when base to base.

Duh.

[cravenmorhead]

Does the same issue crop up locking brakes together if bindings have brakes?

[auvgeek]

Just voile strap them together at the point where the rocker ends, you know, where they would naturally touch when base to base.

Duh.

Yeah. Easy solution. But it's not something I considered before.

Does the same issue crop up locking brakes together if bindings have brakes?

Assuming you're not flaming me: No, because the brakes don't actively press the skis together with anywhere near the same force as a strap.

[summit]

Lol

[XXX-er]

I am having a hard time believing this could quantitatively be proven, but what you could do is bend em back by sticking something between the the bases in the middle and strapping the ends

[auvgeek]

To be clear, I'm actually happy with the amount of camber my skis have now. It was an honest PSA because I doubt I'm the only one dumb enough to do this. But maybe I am. And it's nowhere close to the dumbest thing I've done.

[XXX-er]

I got skis hanging by the tips in the coat closet ( just thro the coats wherever ) and i can't say I noticed any loss of camber to speak of maybe they just get softer from use,

[mall walker]

Just voile strap them together at the point where the rocker ends, you know, where they would naturally touch when base to base.

Duh.

yeah... during the season I tend to just leave them separated, but if they're gonna get strapped, it's at the natural contact points to avoid decambering the ski

[IanCH]

LMAO how do I strap at camber rocker crossover?

There is a real thing called "creep" that could change the way the internal forces of the ski resolve - results and magnitude of creep will differ ski to ski.

[mall walker]

LMAO how do I strap at camber rocker crossover?

you place the skis together and put the straps where they naturally touch...????

[Peruvian]

you place the skis together and put the straps where they naturally touch...????

Maybe this IS rocket surgery.

[ill-advised strategy]

Camber is overrated .

[waxoff]

Maybe this IS rocket surgery.

If ya ain't a rocket surgeon ya ain't shit!

[XXX-er]

maybe its Rocket Biology ?

[mtskibum16]

Yeah. Easy solution. But it's not something I considered before.

Assuming you're not flaming me: No, because the brakes don't actively press the skis together with anywhere near the same force as a strap.

I have skis that when the brakes are locked together the skis are either partially or completely de-cambered. So yes, this could change the camber over time as well.

[auvgeek]

maybe its Rocket Biology ?

Explains a lot. I was never good at biology.

[lowsparkco]

I've heard this for twenty years (old tele bindings don't have breaks either) although I've never heard it first hand. Funny, my ex and I would argue whether it's a myth or not. Easy enough to unlash the strap, leave it hanging around the skis loose, and relash it when I grab them for the next outing.

Definitely think soft skis lose camber over time anyways.

[XXX-er]

I made up the term Rocket Biology, stole it actualy from a tree planter/forestry student I had sold a paddle to, he used the term alot & I liked it, duno if Rocket Biology is a real thing ... i suspect not

I always unstrap skis & separate them up agaisnst the wall on a boot tray so they can dry off indoors or the edges will rust wherever they touch

[GeezerSteve]

Just voile strap them together at the point where the rocker ends, you know, where they would naturally touch when base to base.

Duh.

This [duh]. Maybe it's my Nordic ski background*, but why I can't imagine why the fuck anyone would store skis strapped at the waist. [/rant]

* Camber preservation is a fundamental rule for XC skis, especially race skis. Ski sleeves aka ski tights are standard equipment for XC race skis. They hold the skis together at the contact points at each end of the ski, thus ensuring camber preservation. They also have a plastic sheet between the bases, i.e, the bases do not touch. ETA: In olden days, skis were stored with a block placed between the bases at the apex of the camber.

[lowsparkco]

I made up the term Rocket Biology, stole it actualy from a tree planter/forestry student I had sold a paddle to, he used the term alot & I liked it, duno if Rocket Biology is a real thing ... i suspect not

I always unstrap skis & separate them up agaisnst the wall on a boot tray so they can dry off indoors or the edges will rust wherever they touch

I'm partial to rocket surgery. Same concept.

[ExPowderSnob]

you skiing on them will impart, literally, orders of magnitude of more force than strapping them together for a few weeks/months...