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In article ,
Bruce W.1 wrote:
I bought and used for one season a pair of steel-edged XC skis. They
were a wax type. I really liked the steel edge. And wax works well in
really cold weather, like below 15F.

Since then I've moved to a warmer climate. The wax type skis are not
practical here, klister wax and all that is a pain, so I bought a pair
of no-wax skis, without a steel edge. I miss the steel edge when doing
backcountry skiing.

I've been thinking of modifying my wax type steel edged skis to have a
no-wax kick base. I will use a router to cut space in the bottom, then
insert a no-wax kick base salvaged from yet another pair of skis which I
found abandoned.

_ It's a lot simpler just to cut divots in the ptex. Take a look
at any waxless ski with a "negative base" pattern[1]. Basically,
you just need to route small circles at an angle. I've found that
a Dremel tool with the right bit[2] and a small jig works
reasonably well. You'll need to practice on a pair of junk skis
to get everything tweaked. All in all, it's a lot easier just to
buy the right skis. I only do this when there is no ski I can buy
that matches what I want.


So I have two questions. Does anyone have any tips on how to do this
operation, like what type of glue to use?

_ I would not recommend routing out the whole base and glueing in
a new one. It's not neccesary and likely won't work very well.


And if steel edges are so great then why don't I see other people using
them? I've never seen anyone use a no-wax ski that had a steel edge.


_ You don't get out enough...%-) They are very common in the
Sierra. All the major XC ski manufacturers make them, they're
generally called backcountry skis. In general, they make a lot
of sense if you ski somewhere with very variable conditions.
Waxing is better when it works, but it doesn't always work.

_ One alternative that you might consider is kicker skins for
your waxable skis if you have stable conditions. While they
aren't as fast as klister, they work pretty well and are a lot
easier to deal with.

http://www.bdel.com/gear/backcountry/kicker_skins.php

_ Booker C. Bense

[1]- Fischer Rebound is a good example and a mighty fine ski to
boot.

[2]- Once you go to the display and look at all the small steel
cutter bits, it's obvious.

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