Race_Carver

I agree. Absolutely horrible finish corral design. I suspect what got him was not crashing into the netting, but ramming his head into the large pile of snow/ice at the edge of the course.

I believe that last jump at the Hahnenkamm was redesign last year to address that issue. I don't know if you have ever rode on the Streif slope where the Downhill is run, but that is one scary piece of real estate. I don't think you could ever make that place safe.

Hi Pat, Ted and Bode are super skilled at what the do, and I'm sure they will adapt just fine. This change only affects GS the most. Slalom rules are unchanged. SuperG has a minor change with skis having to be only a few cm longer than now, most racers probably won't notice much. DH is virtually unchanged with the exception on a 5mm lowering stand height. Ted and Bode will have to adjust their GS technique, but so will everyone else on the World Cup so everyone will be in the same boat. As far as data, the FIS and manufactures have been studying this for 6 years. Both agree World Cup GS needs less turny skis. The only difference is the skis companies feel 35 meters is ok for everybody, the FIS wants 40 meters for men. They agreed to discuss this more at the August meeting. Remember, these rules only apply to the World Cup level. Won't effect the NASTAR/Beer League/ J5-J1/ Masters racers at all.

From what I have been told, the course set rules will be the same. Old technique GS skis were 55-60 meter turn radius. The new GS skis with 35-40 meter turn radius will fall between the current GS of 27 meters and the current SuperG skis that are 40+ meters or so in turn radius. If you have ever watch a SuperG race, you know those skis can really carve too.

Jack, I see your point. Going from a ski nominally called "27 meters" to a ski nominally called "40 meters" does seem like a big jump. The point my source of information was making, and this is the FIS's point also, is that with the current World Cup GS set, the "27 meter skis" are too turny and can really hook up at speed. I don't know if you have ever seen a World Cup GS set up close, but it is nothing like a USSA J1 or Masters Level set. Those gates are really set far apart down the hill, more like a J1 or Masters SuperG course. When I said it wouldn't be a radical change, I meant that a 35 - 40 meter ski will be able to carve down that type of course. It will be more challenging for the racers to accomplish that, but the FIS thinks that is the lesser evil than using a too turny ski that has been shown to hook at at World Cup GS speeds. Kind of like running a 163 slalom board balls to the wall down White Nitro at the 'Loaf. Yes, it can be done, but if that sucker hooks up at 40 mph, watch out!

If anyone is interested, I found out some more info on this topic. The FIS has stated that starting in 2012-2013 Men's GS skis used at the World Cup level must be 40 meter turn radius and a minimum length of 195cm. Women's GS must be 35 meters turn radius, and a minimum of 188 cm in length. Maximum waist width will be 65mm, and the current total stand height (base of ski to bottom of foot inside boot) will remain at 50mm. Apparently, the FIS has been studying this issue for years, and has determined that the current 27 meter skis cause too many injuries at GS speeds which can reach 55 mph. The biggest problem is with the new shaping and flex technology applied to race skis that allows the 27 meter skis to turn much shorter than their physical radius implies. This allows the ski to "hook up" at speed causing severe knee injuries in GS. The ski manufactures are pretty much on board with the findings except they state that they prefer 35 meter turn radius for both Men and Women, as the increase from 35 to 40 meters only showed a marginal increase in safety. From what I have been told, with new technology the 40 meter skis will be able to carve turns in 29-30 meters, so this will involve some change in how GS skis react from a racers perspective, but it is not a radical change as it seems on the surface.

Hot Boxing only has any benefit for alpine equipment if you are talking about speed skis for SuperG or Downhill events. Speed event skis spend much more time gliding flat on the snow than turning. I don't know anyone, including tuners at the World Cup level that hot box technical event skis for Slalom or GS events. Alpine snowboards are much more similar to tech event skis in construction and use (lots of turns being made). You really need to be careful with hot boxing. If the box gets too hot, it is very easy to overheat the epoxy and delaminate the equipment. Mike DeSantis doesn't suggest hot boxing alpine equipment (skis or boards) at all, with the exception of speed event skis used in serious competition.

Agree with Bordy 100% on the UPZ liners. Once you get some time in on them, they will really mold to your foot shape well. I find the full heat molded types spongy and vague feeling, but in the end boot feel is personal taste.

Thanks for the update! I had a feeling this may be the case with the 4x4 plate designs. This is not the fault of the plate designers, they have no way of knowing the spacing / offset between the front and rear inserts for every board design out there. My two SG race boards have the original Hangl plate system secured by 24 ski binding screws. Sigi mounted the plates up himself according to my specifications. I was thinking of converting to the newer mono plate design using the boards existing 4x4 inserts, but without actually trying the plates on the boards, I think I will stick to the existing Hangl system for now. When I get new race boards, I will investigate the the UPM mounts as an option.

??? They have already won 6. I have no prediction on the score, the Steelers seem to keep you right on the edge of your seat to the very end. I'm thinking a Steelers win, with a typical Big Ben last minute amazing play.

Importing ski/snowboards into the U.S. from Europe is duty free. Your biggest expense will be international shipping. I've used DHL in the past with good service. If the seller wants paid in Euros, your local bank will charge an additional fee for the conversion. Like Jack said, I don't know if I would go through the hassle for a FP.

Thanks, I feel confident that the Donek plate works well in free carving situations from what I have read here. I haven't seen any reviews/opinions about how the plate works in racing situations say compared to the Apex or Bomber carbon plate. Does anyone know if Sean has some racers on his plate? Racing/race training is a very different dynamic than free carving. Basically, I got the SG at a steal, and Sean's price point is good for what I want to use it for. However, if the Donek plate doesn't react "right" in the course, then it really isn't a bargain for my intended use of it.

That's what I do too. Actually, this is exactly what you need to do to get race plug ski boots on/off too, so inserting/removing the liner with your foot is really not that uncommon.

When it is that cold, the snow crystals become sharp and aggressive like an abrasive. Like others have said, use a cold temp wax, and make sure you brush it totally out. You will need a stiff metal brush to remove wax that hard. Any wax left on the surface will just slow you down.

Looking for opinions/feedback on how the Donek plate works for racing. I just picked up a mint condition used first generation SG 185 metal race board with a 4x4 insert pattern that I'm planning to use for general carving/gate training/jumping into a NASTAR course/ etc., when I don't want to bring out the new SG race boards.

I have SG boards. While the tune from the factory is certainly rideable out of the box, (unlike some other boards I have used), it is not a true handcrafted race tune. It all depends on what you want out of the board. If you are not racing, and the board is working for you as is, then just use it until you need a stone grind. In any event, I would talk to a number of racers in your area about who they have tune their equipment. The last thing you want is have someone with little experience put a half-baked tune on those boards and negate their performance potential.

For what it is worth... Mike deSantis (Ski MD) always puts a non-variable 3 degree side edge bevel / 0.75 base bevel from tip to tail. He was a World Cup tuner for years... If you get a chance to ever talk to Mike, he can relate hundreds of (horror) stories of seeing "variable angle" edge tuning on skis/snowboards with so-called "factory race tunes" There was no intent by the factory to vary the edge angle, it was just imprecise work to get the ski/board out the door as fast as possible. Actually, all the factories expect that any racer buying a race ski/board will immediately have it re-tuned to their own specs.

What you are seeing is more than likely the result of imprecise factory tuning. This is very common with factory produced skis/boards. Just put a 2 or 3 degree side bevel tip to tail and don't worry about it. When you are ready for a stone grind, definitely take it to a shop that has a reputation for good ski race tunes. Most shops out there do a horrible job of tuning high performance equipment.

Wow, that's a bad core shot. I'm not sure that a base weld will last very long considering the size of that tear. You could try it, but don't be surprised if it wears away quickly from the abrasion of the snow/ice. The only way to really fix that would be to order a small sheet of sintered base material from Tognar, a cutting template, and some base epoxy. Basically, you use the template to cut out a section of base around the tear, cut the same exact shape out of the sheet of base material, epoxy and clamp the patch into the hole. After the epoxy cures, you have the board stone ground. If done right, you will hardly see the patch. A sintered patch is the only thing that will be as abrasion resistant as the original base material.

The Softboot arena seems to be more about marketing an "image" and function is secondary to that image. I remember seeing more softbooters who really knew how to carve back in the late 1990's than I do now. Which is too bad, because today's equipment is so much better. I feel your pain. I was given the same ultimatum years ago for teaching. Hardboots + raceboard didn't fit the marketing image the powers-that-be were trying to sell at my mountain. So I quit. It was their loss, not mine. I moved on, and never looked back. I don't know what you situation is, so you have to do what is best for you.

The Speed Events, Downhill and Super-G, are not to be taken lightly. They are more like extreme sports events than alpine racing. Hope everyone fully recovers.

I'm generally not a fan of up sizing either. In most cases, if ones foot is between 27.0 and 28.0 cm long, a 26/26.5 is the correct shell size. Some punching may need done, but it is better than having a shell too big to start. If your foot is closer to 28, you could go up a shell size, but remember a "27" boot really has a 27.5 shell, so once the liner packs out, your foot may be banging around in there. I think the real problem here is the shape of the Deeluxe last simply doesn't fit your foot shape. That is a real problem for us with only 3 boot companies to choose from. If possible, try a shell fit (liner removed) with a Head and UPZ 26/26.5 shell and see if it fits the shape of your foot better. One other thought: Remove the liner from your current boots, using a flexible tape measure, measure the internal length of the shell inside the boot. Then measure your foot. If the measurements are similar, you may have no choice but go up a shell size, since you stated the boots were already punched to the max.

Yes, that is one of the first things you do to a new ski/snowboard or to a used one that hasn't had the sidewall lip set back. You won't dull the file, the lip is only plastic, but you will clog it up, preventing the file or diamond stone from sharpening the edge. There are several ways to do this. You can buy a dedicated sidewall planer. I like using short section of panzer file, held at an angle, to peel the lip back. I just free hand it. The idea is to create a sharper acute angle on the lip than what angle you use to sharpen the edge with. For example, if you use a 3 degree angle on the side edge, putting a 5 to 10 degree angle on the protruding plastic lip will keep the file from contacting the lip as you sharpen. The angle on the lip doesn't have to be exact, just more than what you sharpen the metal edge with. One addition thing: I only file when the edges are truly dull. For day to day sharpening, I use diamond stones. I do a few passes with a medium coarse stone to knock down any burrs, then do a few passed with progressively finer stones. This only takes a few minutes, keeps the edge very sharp, and eliminates excessive edge removal by filing. I probably only use a file once every 3 to 4 weeks, and even then only try and remove just enough material to get the edge back. I finish up by doing a few passes with a fine diamond stone.

Since you are in Worcester, I'd take the board to Summit Ski Shop in Framingham and let Mike de Santis put a tune on it. He is one of the best tuners in the country. Generally, for alpine boards you are looking at a 0.75 to 1 degree on the base side of the edge, and 2 to 3 degrees of the side of the edge. You want an acute angle such as that for the best performance while carving. Once the board is stone ground, and the base edge angle is set, don't touch the base side of the edge other that very lightly with a fine diamond stone to remove any burrs that may form. All sharping should be done from the side of the edge, preferably with a file guide set at the correct (2 or 3 degree) angle.

Wow, that is interesting. Most of the well known U.S. Weightlifting coaches I have interacted with, such as Glenn Pendlay, Sean Waxman, John Broz, and Don McCulay think the most difficult part of the lift to master is the explosive 2nd pull, and it is nearly impossible to break it down into a simple movement and get the same carry over effect. There is a growing feeling among top U.S. coaches that Americans fail to medal in the sport now because they spend too much time training the lifts in phases instead of just doing the complete lift. Same idea that if you want to be a great snowboarder, then you need to get out on the snow and snowboard.