ski design question

[ToddF]

has anyone ever messed with weighting a ski differently? I know there is torsional flex and rocker flex and bevels and everything else but I haven't ever heard of specific weighting

 

Example: a wonderful ski design except it will ride a bit to deep in the tail add a couple of ounces strategically to the tip of the ski so it doesn't ride as deep. Or offside weight vs onside lighter.

Would it even make a difference?

[BraceMaker]

Tail weights sure help newbies get up but its more than a few ounces. Be curious what people have to say, my instinct would be that in comparison to the leverage of a 180 pound man and the force of the water you'd have to have a ton of weight to specifically impact the depth of flow.

 

[Horton]

@ToddF at least at the high end of the sport I'm pretty sure you are not going to change the way ski rides without adding so much weight that it would screw everything else up

[eleeski]

Light is always better!

 

Lots of experimentation has happened weighting the center of the ski - binding selection. Some bindings are really heavy; Wileys, Fogman and some others. Others are quite light; Reflex, Radar and others. How much does the ski's performance change with the different weight of the bindings?

 

I've made light and heavy versions of the same ski. The heavy version was more consistent and better in rough water. My buoy count was higher on the light ski.

 

I NASCAR drill out the plates of factory bindings to reduce the weight. Not sure how much it helps but it doesn't seem to hurt.

 

There are hydrodynamic tricks that are far stronger than a couple ounce weight. Add some Bondo to the tail to thicken the ski to keep the tail from riding so deep. Move the bindings and fin. Adjust the rocker. Keep the ski light.

 

Eric

 

I assume you are talking slalom. Light weight tricks are even more important. I wonder how a light pair of jumpers would feel? Easier to travel with for sure!

[Zman]

Why does a few ounces, especially near the center of the ski matter when 180 lbs is standing on top of it? Come on.

[eleeski]

Your center of mass is somewhere in your core. A ski and boot is a long way from that center of mass so it does have a strong effect. Especially if you are weight shifting or snapping the ski around. It is something you can certainly feel - whether it hurts your skiing is another issue. Light skis rock!

 

And lose some weight to ski better!

 

Eric

[Horton]

@eleeski I understand the theoretical basis of your statement but I respectfully disagree and say that a few ounces at your feet is insignificant. Now if you took half a pound and strapped it to the tip or tail your ski that would probably make a pretty huge negative impact.

 

I made the statement at least a dozen times over the years and I'll say it again... for the most part lighter skis are better performing skis because the materials and processes to make them lighter are superior to the materials and processes to make a heavy ski. As an example there is an ideal resin content for carbon fiber. At that ideal resin content skis start getting pretty darn light.

[eleeski]

Many people stress over .001 fin placement. Some need micro adjusters for binding placement. Is there advantage in the details? Weight is a variable that can be controlled.

 

Watch Badal at shortline. He snaps that ski around. While his skills are good enough to handle almost anything, a heavy ski will not be an advantage.

 

Eric

[Zman]

? Most people cannot even get a fin measurement within 0.001 much less fret over it.

But, I digress...

What @Horton said. But, he's moving to Korea.