Soft edges?

My Rossi Vipers don't seem to want to hold an edge anymore - on the slope
or the ski.

I sharpened them right before a trip up to VT this weekend (sharp enough to
shave off fingernail both up and down), and by the end of the third run or
so they just wouldn't hold on the ice anymore. I'm pretty agressive
carving, but they should hold up better than that! They were in a rooftop
box on the way up, so they didn't have road nastiness on 'em.

I'm wondering if I've just worn out the skis. I instructed on 'em for 2
years, plus my own personal skiing, so they've got some wear. I'm also in
new england, which means they were stoneground more than a couple times.
And then one shop used an old stone that put a crown on the skis, so I had
to get them REground, which I'm sure took off a lot of the base. The core
isn't showing through anywhere, although there are a few scratches along the
edge that got down into the white layer of ptex.

So, is it possible that I just got down into soft metal? Any way to harden
the edges up, or is it time for new skis?

thanks!

JB

Jon Bond wrote:
My Rossi Vipers don't seem to want to hold an edge anymore - on the slope
or the ski.

I sharpened them right before a trip up to VT this weekend (sharp enough to
shave off fingernail both up and down), and by the end of the third run or
so they just wouldn't hold on the ice anymore. I'm pretty agressive
carving, but they should hold up better than that! They were in a rooftop
box on the way up, so they didn't have road nastiness on 'em.

I'm wondering if I've just worn out the skis. I instructed on 'em for 2
years, plus my own personal skiing, so they've got some wear. I'm also in
new england, which means they were stoneground more than a couple times.
And then one shop used an old stone that put a crown on the skis, so I had
to get them REground, which I'm sure took off a lot of the base. The core
isn't showing through anywhere, although there are a few scratches along the
edge that got down into the white layer of ptex.

So, is it possible that I just got down into soft metal? Any way to harden
the edges up, or is it time for new skis?

thanks!

JB



I think it's time for new skiis. I also ski the NE, and if you can't
keep the edges sharp anymore, it's a recipe for disaster. But you can
use them for early/late season rock skis (usually softer snow) and not
care if you mess up the edges on the rocks.

Janet

On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 20:47:13 CST, Janet wrote:

So, is it possible that I just got down into soft metal? Any way to harden
the edges up, or is it time for new skis?

I think it's time for new skiis. I also ski the NE, and if you can't
keep the edges sharp anymore, it's a recipe for disaster. But you can
use them for early/late season rock skis (usually softer snow) and not
care if you mess up the edges on the rocks.

Janet

Steel can be surface hardened, and removing enough material could get
you into the less hardened steel underneath.

Assuming you knew how to heat treat the metal for hardness, you would
be faced with the challenge of removing the edges from the ski first,
and replacing them after. Heat treating temps are much too hot for the
other materials.

As Janet says, time to shop.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Try contacting the maker to get life expectancy of your skis/repair or
replacement. Skis shouldn't wear out in such a short time unless they
are mistreated.

Gary S. wrote:
On Tue, 6 Jan 2004 20:47:13 CST, Janet wrote:


So, is it possible that I just got down into soft metal? Any way to harden
the edges up, or is it time for new skis?


I think it's time for new skiis. I also ski the NE, and if you can't
keep the edges sharp anymore, it's a recipe for disaster. But you can
use them for early/late season rock skis (usually softer snow) and not
care if you mess up the edges on the rocks.

Janet


Steel can be surface hardened, and removing enough material could get
you into the less hardened steel underneath.

Assuming you knew how to heat treat the metal for hardness, you would
be faced with the challenge of removing the edges from the ski first,
and replacing them after. Heat treating temps are much too hot for the
other materials.

As Janet says, time to shop.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom