wintermutt wrote:

where do i learn how do use a structure tool? does it really help that
much.??

If you ski well enough to appreciate different types of snow conditions
and how your speed varies with them, then structure is helpful and, in
racing, important no matter where you are in the pack. It's about how
the snow melt caused by the friction of your skis is handled on the
ski's surface. It's the difference between creating suction that slows
you down because the water has nowhere to go, vs. cutting through more
efficiently by channeling it across the ski base. Thus, we're talking
warmer temps, maybe upper 20s and higher. In colder conditions a fine
or universal grind structure is usually sufficient, maybe aided with a
little horsehair brushing, unless a strong sun is heating the surface
and a little more channeling structure is needed.

Some structure tools work before the waxing and some after. The Toko
Structurite is a very simple rolling tool that is used after final
scraping and brushing. You put in the appropriate roller (patterns:
medium, coarse, etc.), clamp the unit's plastic edges over the side of
the ski and push it down the length (split shifts for classic). Real
simple and quick. I usually run it twice and finish with a quick
polishing brush or wipe.

rm