stonegrinding

Does repeated stonegrinding reduce the directional stability of a ski?
As base material is taken off the ski, the groove depth (or double
groove for Rossignol), is reduced. I have seen a poorly ground ski
that lost virtually all of its center groove depth and, with that,
directional conrol was severely reduced. Isn't some degree of loss of
directional stability an inevitable consequence of repeated
stonegrinding, even if the grinding is done well?

You're right, there's lots of debates arround stonegrinding a little
arround grooves.

I guess because one can't change how skis are grooved.

I think you can gain stability by applying a straight deep structure
with a hand tool, such as Swix.

I had the chance to buy a pair of Vandel skis directly from the factory
and I asked no grooves, just for testing.
Man, the glide was astonishing, but no stability at all...

So, I brought them back to the factory to have them grooved.

Vandel skis have also 2 grooves but less deep than Rossignols.
Unfortunately they may not be easily available outside France, as the
factory is small and recovered only a few years ago from finance
difficulties.
They propose the lightest skis available on the market (850g) and
wooden downhill ski also.

www.ski-vandel.com

Laurent.

wrote:
Does repeated stonegrinding reduce the directional stability of a ski?
As base material is taken off the ski, the groove depth (or double
groove for Rossignol), is reduced. I have seen a poorly ground ski
that lost virtually all of its center groove depth and, with that,
directional conrol was severely reduced. Isn't some degree of loss of
directional stability an inevitable consequence of repeated
stonegrinding, even if the grinding is done well?

wrote:
Does repeated stonegrinding reduce the directional stability of a ski?
As base material is taken off the ski, the groove depth (or double
groove for Rossignol), is reduced. I have seen a poorly ground ski
that lost virtually all of its center groove depth and, with that,
directional conrol was severely reduced. Isn't some degree of loss of
directional stability an inevitable consequence of repeated
stonegrinding, even if the grinding is done well?

If you're worried about groove depth, add some depth. Use some
sandpaper around a long socket or AA batttery (matching groove
curvature) and then _very carefully and lightly_ follow that up with
the rounded corner of a metal scraper. If you go from 200 to 800 grit,
you shouldn't have to do much scraping. (BTW, I recomend going very
slow with a light touch.)

Jay Wenner

wrote:
You're right, there's lots of debates arround stonegrinding a little
arround grooves.

I guess because one can't change how skis are grooved.

I think you can gain stability by applying a straight deep structure
with a hand tool, such as Swix.

I had the chance to buy a pair of Vandel skis directly from the factory
and I asked no grooves, just for testing.
Man, the glide was astonishing, but no stability at all...

So, I brought them back to the factory to have them grooved.

Vandel skis have also 2 grooves but less deep than Rossignols.
Unfortunately they may not be easily available outside France, as the
factory is small and recovered only a few years ago from finance
difficulties.
They propose the lightest skis available on the market (850g) and
wooden downhill ski also.

www.ski-vandel.com

Laurent.

wrote:
Does repeated stonegrinding reduce the directional stability of a ski?
As base material is taken off the ski, the groove depth (or double
groove for Rossignol), is reduced. I have seen a poorly ground ski
that lost virtually all of its center groove depth and, with that,
directional conrol was severely reduced. Isn't some degree of loss of
directional stability an inevitable consequence of repeated
stonegrinding, even if the grinding is done well?

Thanks for the reply. I've never heard of Vandel skis. Do you like
them?

Thanks for the tip. It sounds like you've tried this and had success.
I wonder if the entire groove needs equal attention, e.g., the center
section isn't compressed as deeply or as often. On the other hand,
when it is compressed, that may be just the time you are most dependent
on good control, esp. for an aggressive skier who loads the ski heavily
on V2, a circumstance that I suspect may apply to your skiing.
Russ

Yes.
They're light (I Have 2 pairs of L101 that is 1050g) and they've got
real race bases. You can choose the base you want among 6 different
ones but you have to wait for the ski to be build though.
They are designed to be well balanced with pilots bindings. i.e.
bindings are slightly backward than on other skis, but skis pressure
distribution is designed according to it.
They are a bit narrower than other skis. That can lead to instabilities
in some conditions but gives great glide in others.