Camber in skate skis

Can somebody help me out here - is weight distribution the only reason for
camber in skate skis? Or is the spring effect of the camber beneficial?

- Mike

One may have a good feeling with the spring effect, but it is
essentially loss of power. The "spring" will never deliver back the
totaly power applied.

Camber is not intended for spring effect but for weight distribution
regarding glide effect (less camber for dry condition and more camber
for wet conditions) and skating ability.

Laurent

"Mike" wrote in message news:G92qb.112423$e01.408732@attbi_s02...
Can somebody help me out here - is weight distribution the only reason for
camber in skate skis? Or is the spring effect of the camber beneficial?

- Mike

"Laurent Duparchy" wrote in message
om...
One may have a good feeling with the spring effect, but it is
essentially loss of power. The "spring" will never deliver back the
totaly power applied.

Doesn't the power applied to the spring come from normal shifting of weight
from ski to ski? This would mean that the spring is loaded with "free"
power that would otherwise be lost. Or are you implying that the spring is
further loaded by the leg thrust and that the snow does not stop the ski
from deforming past the flat position?

Camber is not intended for spring effect but for weight distribution
regarding glide effect (less camber for dry condition and more camber
for wet conditions) and skating ability.

Are we trying to achieve even weight distribution over the ski during the
glide? If so, wouldn't the ski with less camber need to be stiffer than the
ski with more camber?

- Mike

(Laurent Duparchy) wrote in message . com...
One may have a good feeling with the spring effect, but it is
essentially loss of power. The "spring" will never deliver back the
totaly power applied.

Camber is not intended for spring effect but for weight distribution
regarding glide effect (less camber for dry condition and more camber
for wet conditions) and skating ability.

Laurent

"Mike" wrote in message news:G92qb.112423$e01.408732@attbi_s02...
Can somebody help me out here - is weight distribution the only reason for
camber in skate skis? Or is the spring effect of the camber beneficial?

I think the answer is both. When you ski in soft snow, the feeling is
that the legs can only deliver about 50% of normal power. If you push
more with the legs, you're simply compressing or pushing snow. That's
some of the effect of remmoving the "spring" in skis. Yeah, springs
aren't perfect, but it's better to have some spring than none. Having
the weight on more surface area is also important for both glide and
stability. It's probably a bigger reason for camber because a good
skier can ski fast on either soft or stiff skis (if they don't plow),
but they'll ski a bit faster on properly fit skis.

Of course I assume this is a skate ski question...

Jay Wenner

The fallacy of "free" power never dies -- it only pops up in new forms of
confusion.

Mike" wrote
Doesn't the power applied to the spring come from
normal shifting of weight from ski to ski? This would
mean that the spring is loaded with "free" power that would otherwise be
lost.

Yes, it is largely body weight that presses down the camber.

But if the ski had less 3 mm less camber, that would be 3 mm less vertical I
would have to lift (or at least sustain) my body weight when I step onto the
new ski.

So for saving power, _less_ camber is an even better: Instead of using the
"spring" to get some it back, better just never to expend it at all.

Ken

Thanks for a very interesting point about soft snow, Jay:

So the more aggressively I push, the deeper I bury the ski in the snow.

So smoothness pays big-time in soft conditions.

Ken