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Old December 22nd 04, 08:21 PM
BarryT
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"gr" wrote in message
...
I got to try the new Start Grip Tape for the first time today. It is a roll
of klister like stuff you apply as kick wax for classic skiing. It is
supposed to have a very wide temperature range, and well suited for someone
like me, who doesn't want to mess with wax, and hasn't been able to make it
work often, and has variable type snow conditions often (Eastern US)....
gr


A few observations from my use of the Grip Tape last year:
.. kick surface must be rough (sanded) otherwise tape will come off. The
sanding I had done for kick wax was fine.
.. typical application lenght is same as klister.
.. it will work in most temperatures, snow type and moisture levels.
.. it will wear off the edges when "braking" in downhills, same way as
klister does.
.. life expectancy depends on conditions (dirt in track, braking, etc).
.. do protect the grip tape when you take your skis off; this stuff will
stick to anything.
.. don't allow your ski bases to touch each other... you will have to pry
them apart, and tape will end up all on one ski.
.. soak with wax remover and let sit for some time before removing with a wax
scraper.
.. grip tape is thicker that the typical 3 thin layers of grip wax. If you
skis have a very "thin" or "low" wax pocket, you may experience glide
problems...

Overall, a good product. I often go out for a few kms, when I have a free
hour in the evening. I often spent more time getting the wax right than
actually skiing. Now that I have a pair of skis with grip tape on, which I
call them my "evening" skis, I do ski a lot more : )

However, for long daytime trails, I still prefer the regular kick waxes.
Besides, I have to justify those 40+ tubes of wax stuffed in my wax box!

BarryT


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