Army’s Tech Talk ...a new series of articles for 2009/2010 season. Please find article 8, 9 and 10 under related documents (side of this page).
Army's Tech Talk #7
World Cup Ski Cross is coming to Blue Mountain!
Come out and cheer on our Canadian SX racers as they take on the World’s best at the last World Cup qualifier before the Olympics. SX is one wild and crazy sport that combines speed, big air, tight turns on a snow/ice course that has four SX racers skiing side by side until someone gets out front. Once this happens it’s the job of the other three to get back in front by any means possible, almost. All this makes for incredible thrills and spills!
I think you already know what the Ski Tech job is? To give his racer the fastest skis right from the start!
Here are some tips you can use for quick starts in warm or cold snow conditions.
Now is the time to invest in start wax.
These specialty waxes’ come in powder or solid form and have a very high content of fluorocarbon.
Apply over a waxed, scraped and brushed ski. You must use a very good ski iron with NO SRATCHES and a good temperature control.
Use fluoro powders when waxing indoors, solids work best outside. TIP: when at the start and it’s snowing, hold ski, base down, rub on the solid wax and cork so not to have it mix with snow.
I found it best to “cork in” fluoro wax design for warmer snow than to iron in. (high iron temps will burn off the fluorocarbons, reducing the effect)
When using flouro powders for cold dry snow, use a good iron at the temperature recommended by the wax company. Follow manufacturer’s directions, brush after, first with a nylon brush and then finish with a soft horse hair brush.
At the start apply solid wax by barring (rubbing) on, then “cork in” (this heats wax up for penetration). Use a soft roto brush to polish and finish with a soft horse hair brush. (Add portable drill and roto brush to your kit.)
At the start, have your skis lying base up towards the sun to heat base for a faster start. (always check for ice beads that may have formed on edge while heating in the sun)
The last piece of advice is to have a start coach that screams “Hammer down “BODE” Hammer down” Direct quote from Bode Millers start coach, nick name “Baby Hughie”.
Make up your own start charge!
I hope to see you all next week at the World Cup SX at BlueMountain,
Training Monday Jan.18th,
Time trials Tuesday Jan.19th,
RACE; Wednesday Jan. 20th.
Come out and join the staff at Squire John’s, cheering on our Olympians.
Until then, keep on waxing.
Yours truly,
Dave “ARMY” Armstrong
ARMY’S TECH TALK # 6, Jan. 5th: Twin tips!
I trust everyone enjoyed their Christmas, and had a chance to get out to the slopes.
This week we will turn our attention to all the Free Riders, Twin tippers and Snowboarders.
Since we all share one thing in common— snow - let’s get the most out of our planks.
Here are a few tips to help get more air; turn 360’s faster and smooth out the rails.
Just like the racers, base and edge prep very important.
• Base edge bevel should be at least 1 degree, but 2 degrees would be better. (To allow faster pivoting and less chance of catching an edge).
• For the park riders, detuning under the foot would help out on the rails or boxes. (use gummy stone)
• Side edge bevel should only be 89 degrees, 88 at most. (detune edge under foot if on the rails)
• Waxing is very important as it makes pivoting much faster and helps with speed needed to AMP it up in the half pipe, as well as going into the jumps!
• Apply wax using the techniques describe in the earlier tech talks
• Always carry a stone with you to smooth out any edge damage caused by railing etc.
Using the above tips, I guarantee you will blow your free riding buddy’s away in the park and on the slopes. So make it happen!!
Until next year---- look before you leap!
Yours truly,
Dave “ARMY” Armstrong
ARMY’S Tech Talk # 5...December 23rd, 2009
Let’s talk SPEED skis!
Manny Osborne-Paradis wins at Val Gardena! A real downhill for the speed freaks! Erik Guay and Emily Brydon 7th in their respective Super GS’s this past weekend showing the Canadians are in the hunt for Olympic gold.
Here are this weeks’ tips for your speed skis.
Preparing your SG’s or DH ski is very similar to your GS skis.
• First mark skis right and left for reference.
• To set base edge angle, line up your GS ski on top of your SG or DH ski, base to base, with the mid ski marks lining up exactly.
• With a removable marker, mark the top of the speed ski where the GS skis base ends at the tip and the tail. (These end points represent length you have sharpened your GS skis).
• You will notice since your speed ski’s are longer there will be more ski ahead and behind the marks you put on your skis. These points will be important later in our ski preparation.
• Using your 1 degree base edge guide and file, bevel the speed ski base edge between the marks.
• NOW, starting at the tip or tail we need to create slightly more bevel(2 degrees plus). This is done from the tip to the first mark and from the second mark to the tail.(remember to round off the tail protector). Prep the area between the marks exactly like you GS skis!
• This added base bevel allows the ski to glide faster and lessens the chance of hooking a tip or catching the tails.
• Using your 3 degree side edge guide and file, sharpen side edges tip to tail and finish all filings with diamond stones (detune to your ability).
Now for Waxing!
• Always clean and brush the base to start the waxing.
• First wax with a soft non fluorinated wax (scrape warm wax off base edge).
• Once cooled, scrape and brush (repeat up to 5 + times to condition base).
• Hot boxing can speed up this process, be sure that the temperature does not exceed 50 degrees.
• Use temperature rated wax for all training runs, saving LF or HF waxes for race day only.
• To select the appropriate wax you must take into consideration the temperature of the snow, and air, as well as humidity.
• Thanks to the Weather network we can make a good guess at the next day’s temps and with the great range of wax offers we can nail the right wax.
• Remember to always scrape with a sharp plastic scraper (never use a metal scraper) and brush all wax from the base.
• Finish with a start wax and polish with the proper brush. Roto brushes can speed up the process but will cause problems if any wax is left on the ski after scraping.
• Always strap your skis together for transport to the start (at least 3 straps).
• Once at the race always brush again and add more start wax if conditions aren’t quite what you have waxed for.
• The rest is up to you -- the racer!!
Good Luck and When in Doubt –Tuck it Out.
Yours truly,
Dave “ARMY” Armstrong
ARMY’S Tech Talk # 4...December 16th, 2009
I hope you have been watching the World Cup racing on TV over the past few weeks. I am sure you have noticed the multitude of different snow conditions these racers have had to deal with and I know how stressed out the race service techs have been making sure they sharpen and waxed the skis properly for each race! So for this week’s ski tips we will be working on Slalom and Giant Slalom skis.
Hopefully by now you have good selection of tuning tools in your race kit. And if you have held off getting good vices now is the time to splurge! Tuning precision skis without a ski vice is almost impossible!
Let’s start with our SL skis;
- First mark a right and left ski for reference only (or they may come with a right and left tip).
- Using the true bar check for base bevel, SL ski can be from .5 to 1 degree bevel (less base bevel will help quicker edge grip). Create bevel if required and stone finish.
- Selection of side edge angle varies from 2 degrees for K1 and K2 to 3 degrees for FIS and up to 5 degrees for most World Cup racers (the greater the edge angle the sharper the ski “BUT” the quicker it dulls and the faster you will go through your edge!). Remember WCup racers have many pairs of skis and do not warm up on races skis.
- Once you decide which angle is best for you, sharpen all edges the same! Finish with diamond stone. Tip: Ski on them before any detuning where possible. Detune with a gummy stone.
- Wax for snow/air temp, scrape and brush. Start wax is not necessary for most SL skis.
Tuning GS ski is the same as SL ski except the choice of base bevel and side bevel.
- Most GS skis use a 1 degree base bevel because they have to glide, and since they are longer than SL skis, a greater base bevel makes for quick pivoting.
- Side edges should be 2 degrees for racers who warm up on the same skis they race on, and 3 degrees for all others including WCup racers.
- Always finish your filing with a diamond stone for a smooth non-burred edge (for less friction and sharpness longevity).
- Wax selection becomes critical with GS skis! (A lot more gliding and higher speeds).
- Check air and snow temps as well as air humidity.
- Because of all the gliding we have to start using fluorinated waxes and HF wax as the humidity gets higher than 60%. (LF and HF wax help repel moister which is created by speed and humidity)
- Scrape and brush thoroughly. Now is time to think about using start waxes.
- Start wax is just what it implies. It helps the quick gliding needed before the ski gets up to speed where the base wax will start to work best. (There is start wax for very wet snow and very dry and cold snow, check with your skis shop to find out more).
- Wax does not last too long and wears off quickly so the more often we wax the better condition our bases will be.
- Tip 1: To check to see if your base still has wax in it, drip a drop of water on it; if it forms a round droplet you have wax if it lays flat; your base is dry!! If you have just waxed with Fluorinated wax, not only will the water form a droplet, it will run off the base when you tilt the ski!
- Tip 2: The colder the temperature the more you will have to brush and polish the base.
- Tip 3: All skis bases should be brushed after taking them out in the cold air as wax will be squeezed out of the base as it contracts due to the cold air which would allow the sharp snow crystals to grab the excess wax.
Now get your skis ready because our resorts are now open! Next week we will work on our speed skis. (SG and DH)
Until then, keep up the waxing!
Yours truly,
Dave “ARMY” Armstrong
ARMY’S Tech Talk #3
Wow! What a weekend for the Canadian Women’s Team at Lake Louise! And we wish a speedy recovery for the reigning World Cup Champ, Canadian John Kurcera. The men’s team are already missing him.
This week we will be focus on our used skis which includes any ski we have already skied on.
When tuning used skis we will repeat most of the steps use for tuning new skis.
Here is this week's to do list.
- Always separate and dry your skis when you get them to your tuning room.
- Inspect the ski for any damage that may have occurred while skiing, paying close attention to the edge base.
- If all is good we can get right to sharping. First we will use our Diamond stone to smooth off the base edge. (Do not file or you will increase the base bevel)
- Now to sharpen, put ski on edge in the vice with edge facing away from you and select your file guide and file. Always start at one end of the ski and file to the other. (Never file in one area only) the edge should be the same sharpness from tip to tail and from edge to edge.
- Finish with your diamond stone and detune with a gummy stone (add to kit).
- Wax, scrape and brush.
- If however you have base damage you must fix this before sharpening.
- To repaired minor scratches you will need to get P-tex from the shop. Add P-tex and a metal scraper to the kit.
- Light the P-tex stick while holding over your metal scraper (to catch unwanted P-tex drips).
- Position burning P-tex over base scratches and allow the P-tex to drip into the base, filing the damaged areas completely. Note; if you drip some on your skin it will burn!! Or start a fire in you wastes basket so use caution and good ventilation.
- Allow to cool a scrape excess P-tex off repeat if necessary.
- To finish smooth new P-tex out with Fibertex and then brush with a steel Brush. Add Fibertex and steel brush to your kit. Now sharpen, wax, scrape and brush as above.
- Edge damage should be attended to before base damage (so we don’t damage our tools).
- To repair minor edge damage we will start with our medium or coarse stones by removing all burrs or surface scratches. (note; all we can to is smooth out the edge, if we try to get rid of all the damage we will have little edge left and effect the side cut of the skis).
- Once complete; sharpen, wax, scrape and brush.
- If however you severely damage your skis get them to the shop for a complete base grind and edge machining.
- Always transport your skis using ski straps to prevent unwanted base and edge damage.
Next week we will work on the race skis.
Until then; THINK SNOW!!
Yours truly,
Dave “ARMY” Armstrong
ARMY’s Tech Talk #2
Wow! What a weekend for the Canadian Men at Lake Louise! And some gutsy skiing from our women racers in Aspen!
I trust everyone has started their tuning kit? We will be adding to it as time goes on.
Tuning New and Used skis is almost the same but with new skis we have to set up the edge angles to our own specs and condition the base for maximum performance.
This week we will concentrate on tuning New Skis.
Here is our to do list;
-After taking off the shipping material, scrape and clean the base. (use plastic scraper and base cleaner) Add base cleaner to your kit.
- Put the skis base to base and check for twists in skis and consistent camber (there should be no twist and just a little camber-check with shop if in doubt.)
- First mark a right (R) and left (L) ski for reference only and smooth the edges of the tail protectors.
- With single ski base facing up check for base edge bevel with the true bar. You should see no space between the bar and the base and just a little space along the edge. If there is no space along the base edge we will need to use a base edge file guide (1 degree) and our mill bastard file to create this bevel all along the base edges from tip to tail. Note; the file should only be touching the metal edge and not the base. A good file guide is the trick here.
- Finish the base edges with your diamond stone for a smooth consistent finish. Note; this is not the sharpening; only creating the base edge bevel which helps gliding and quick turning.
- To sharpen we need to turn the ski on its edge and file using an 88 degree file guide. (2 degree side edge bevel) I will speak of other bevels angles for base and side edges later.
- Use an 88 degree file guide with your file for exact angle and sharpness. Note; you will need to remove excess side wall material to create the desired results (add a side wall remover tool to your kit since you will need to remove side wall almost every time you sharpen your skis.)
- Again finish you edge with a diamond stone. Note; sharpening is now finish.
- Clean the base with base cleaner (add to kit), using paper towel or clean rag.
- First, rub on a little universal wax then drip wax on the base from your hot iron (iron should not be so hot that wax smokes!)
- Iron on the dripped wax evenly (scrape the hot wax off the edges only, before allowing the ski to cool).This helps base scraping latter on.
- After the skis have cooled (about 20 minutes or more) scrape of ALL the wax with your sharp Plastic scraper (to sharpen scraper, rub scraper on 80 grit sand paper at 90 degrees.)
- Now, brush all remaining wax off with soft brass brush. Finish with the nylon brush.
- Check and remove any wax that may have dripped over you edges with plastic scraper.
- Strap your skis together at tip and tail with skis straps to ensure no rubbing of bases.
Yours truly, Dave “ARMY” Armstrong
Week #1, November 23rd, 2009
If you ever wondered how today’s World Cup Factory Ski Tech’s got their start? Read on!
I have had the privilege to work with both the Fischer and Atomic race service factory teams over the past 30 years, and have prepared skis for some of the world’s best racers.
The first secret; we all started at home.
Over the next few weeks I will take you through the basics of ski tuning right up to the techniques use by today’s factory ski technicians.
This week we need to gather some basic tools before we get to tuning basics.
Here is a short list of tools need to get started.
- Tuning bar (for inspecting the skis base and base edges)
- 10” or 8” bastard file (for sharpening edges)
- File card (for cleaning files-extends file life)
- 88 degree file guide and clamp (for side edge tuning)
- 1 degree base edge guide (for base edge tuning)
- Medium sharpening stone or Diamond stone (for deburring and edge finishing)
- Electric iron for Skis! (for applying wax)
- Plastic scraper (for scraping wax of the ski)
- Medium soft brass or nylon ski brush (to remove all wax after scraping)
- Note: ski vices are a big help. (to hold skis while working)
- Universal ski wax (for large snow temp range)
All the above products can be purchased from your local ski shop.
Get your kit together and find a suitable place in your home for ski prep and we will get started next week.
Yours truly,
Dave “ARMY” Armstrong