Own skis...questions!

[Hard-Drive]

Finally got round to buying my own skis this year, and heading to the slopes next week. Unfortunately I didn't have my boots with me when I bought them so they've not been set up. I figured out the boot sole length (must be right as the boots don't fit a click either way) and an online DIN setting calculator said somewhere between 7 and 8.5 for a 90kg fast intermediate piste skier on an equivalent sole length of size 10.5. Does this sound about right? Of course, I will get them checked in the chalet before I use them but wanted them roughly right if possible.

Do new skis need a wax or any other treatment before I use them? And do I need to know about any other tips re storing them? In the same way that you store ski boots done up loosely and bikes with the derailleur on the small cog, do I need to back the din settings right off before I store them for the summer, or close the bindings?

Lastly, what do people do about theft? I'm guessing it's rare, more likely to be some pissed person "borrowing" them down from a mountain bar. Apart from splitting skis with a mate, do people do anything else? I have a small, thin, retractable cable lock...worth bothering with or not really?

Thanks

[blueheron]

How tall are you and what type of skiing do you usually do? Be honest.

- I used to work at a dry ski slope and calculating DIN settings for customers hiring skis was part of my job

Also, are you over 50?

Edited by blueheron on Wednesday 30th January 10:41

[LaserTam]

Hard-Drive said:

Finally got round to buying my own skis this year, and heading to the slopes next week. Unfortunately I didn't have my boots with me when I bought them so they've not been set up. I figured out the boot sole length (must be right as the boots don't fit a click either way) and an online DIN setting calculator said somewhere between 7 and 8.5 for a 90kg fast intermediate piste skier on an equivalent sole length of size 10.5. Does this sound about right? Of course, I will get them checked in the chalet before I use them but wanted them roughly right if possible.

Do new skis need a wax or any other treatment before I use them? And do I need to know about any other tips re storing them? In the same way that you store ski boots done up loosely and bikes with the derailleur on the small cog, do I need to back the din settings right off before I store them for the summer, or close the bindings?

Lastly, what do people do about theft? I'm guessing it's rare, more likely to be some pissed person "borrowing" them down from a mountain bar. Apart from splitting skis with a mate, do people do anything else? I have a small, thin, retractable cable lock...worth bothering with or not really?

Thanks

Looks like the DIN question will be answered by poster above.

Do they need a wax - depends on what finish they have on them. Some come pre-waxed (or did last time I bought a pair years ago, may have changed) others dont. So guess you need to decide for yourself. If they need a wax, would have thought the shop you bought from would do them for you, gratis possibly.
Storing tips - This is what I do - when you have finished your last day and before you pack them, try and get them as dry as possible. Rust will form on the edges. When home, unpack them fairly soon (dont leave them till following weekend!) and just make sure they are dry, leave them somewhere warmish for a few days to make sure. Then when storing them, dont leave them clipped together. I was told many years ago that this is bad, something to do with affecting the curve because they are not perfectly flat. Dont know if this is still true but its what I still do. Personally I dont touch the DIN settings.
Theft - make sure insurance covers you. Yeah, split them or use the cable if you feel more comfortable. Theft must happen I guess, just never to me thankfully.

[blueheron]

LaserTam said:

Looks like the DIN question will be answered by poster above.

Do they need a wax - depends on what finish they have on them. Some come pre-waxed (or did last time I bought a pair years ago, may have changed) others dont. So guess you need to decide for yourself. If they need a wax, would have thought the shop you bought from would do them for you, gratis possibly.
Storing tips - This is what I do - when you have finished your last day and before you pack them, try and get them as dry as possible. Rust will form on the edges. When home, unpack them fairly soon (dont leave them till following weekend!) and just make sure they are dry, leave them somewhere warmish for a few days to make sure. Then when storing them, dont leave them clipped together. I was told many years ago that this is bad, something to do with affecting the curve because they are not perfectly flat. Dont know if this is still true but its what I still do. Personally I dont touch the DIN settings.
Theft - make sure insurance covers you. Yeah, split them or use the cable if you feel more comfortable. Theft must happen I guess, just never to me thankfully.

^ All of this really. I use a cable lock when outside bars etc but only to satisfy insurance requirements. They request you take "adequate measures" so not sure separating them counts. I know a cable lock won't stand up to snips but it's a deterrant really. Theft seems fairly rare but given your skis are new, it might be a good idea to secure them.

I would probably try the skis out on the slopes before waxing them up, to see what the snow conditions are like. Then if you need anything doing, the shops in the resort should be able to edge/wax if required for fairly cheap. Typically an overnight service.

If you're taking them on a plane, get a good padded bag. I also put pipe cladding on the edges of mine! French baggage handlers are a special breed..

[Zod]

I use a cable lock, principally to ensure that I have skis to ge home on. More often, I think skis are taken by mistake than theft.

[Hard-Drive]

Thanks guys, will take all of that on board...good advice! My bag isnt well padded but I was going to do the pipe lagging trick and perhaps wrap them in old towels or bubble wrap too.

Re DIN settings...I'm...

5'11"
38 yrs old
Just under 90kg minus kit
Boot sole length 327mm
Being honest about my skiing...I'm a fast intermediate. 95% piste skiing, occasional off piste cut throughs but no back country stuff. Mainly ski reds or blues, some blacks for a challenge. Tend to go pretty quick on blues/reds, steep blacks are more about just getting down it! Hopeless and very slow on moguls, not much of a desire to get any better either! Really trying to work on improving carving now rather than going warp factor 10 everywhere.

Hope that helps!

[a311]

It seems a little on the high side given your weight to me. While you don't want them to pre-realese you def don't want them not to realese when you need them to particulary at your level. I'm a bit over 16 stone and have my piste skis set at 7/8. Off piste when you can't really afford to loose a ski my powder skis bindings DIN don't start until 12.

Can you get back to the shop? I'd be getting them to provide the service to set you up, they should have mathced the binding mounting to suit you too. I can really crank it over on piste and the only ocassion I had a realese when I really didn't want it was on a icy run when I was gunning it and hit a rut line and didn't shift my weight quick enough so it realesed. My mate had a nasty injury when the rental shop set the DIN too high when he didn't know better, he had a fall in deep-ish snow and as the ski burried down into the snow it didn't realese so really twisted his leg.

[blueheron]

Ok using the trusty Salomon chart on this page, I'd agree that you were somewhere between a 7 and an 8.5. It's mainly your ability that means there isn't a precise answer.

http://www.dinsetting.com/dinchart.htm

My advice would be to set it at around 7.5 for the first day and take a stubby screwdriver out with you. If you're finding it feels close to releasing when you're pushing it, crank it up a notch (1/4 to 1/2 DIN) or so. If you're going properly off piste, i'd make sure it was closer to 8.

Most people spend the first day or so remembering how to ski and taking it easy, exploring the pistes. Then confience returns and people push themselves harder as the week goes on.
You wouldn't want to set the DIN high on day 1, take a silly tumble because you're rusty, and do your knees in because the binding hasn't released.

Buying my own skis was the best decision ever, no faffing with ski hire shops. Got a good deal too. In 2004 We were offered Salomon ex-demo skis through work, so I picked up a year old pair of Salomon 1080's with bindings (rental but still decent enough) for £110. Utter bargain! They've lasted me so well

Edited by blueheron on Wednesday 30th January 12:48

[WTFWT]

I'm not going to get into willy waving, but I would say those DIN ranges seem pretty low for your weight and ability. If you are going to ski steeps and deeps, I would def crank them up above that.

[blueheron]

a311 said:

It seems a little on the high side given your weight to me. While you don't want them to pre-realese you def don't want them not to realese when you need them to particulary at your level. I'm a bit over 16 stone and have my piste skis set at 7/8. Off piste when you can't really afford to loose a ski my powder skis bindings DIN don't start until 12.

It's not just your weight though. On the page I linked in my other post, you need weight, height, boot sole length, ability and age.

If your weight and height aren't on the same line, you go with the smallest number of the two and follow along the line to the letter. Then find your boot sole length, and then move up/down or stay the same line depending on ability. If you're a child or over 50 you'll move up the chart one line as generally these age groups aren't as strong.

[blueheron]

WTFWT said:

I'm not going to get into willy waving, but I would say those DIN ranges seem pretty low for your weight and ability. If you are going to ski steeps and deeps, I would def crank them up above that.

He's 95% fast piste on reds and blues, sometimes blacks, no moguls. Occasionally cut through from one piste to another, no back country.

Doesn't sound like steep and deep to me.

This isn't about being macho, it's about being safe!

[Zod]

Hard-Drive said:

Thanks guys, will take all of that on board...good advice! My bag isnt well padded but I was going to do the pipe lagging trick and perhaps wrap them in old towels or bubble wrap too.

Get a ski box - much tougher than a bag and you can fit some clothing, e.g. thermals and socks in with the skis.

[WTFWT]

blueheron said:

This isn't about being macho, it's about being safe!

I couldn't agree more. Most of the time, my greatest fears is my skis coming off. Hence why i suggested it.

ETA you are also quite right - for piste skiing you can go really low. My first instructor used to ski on about DIN 2. When he got to the lifts he would just kick his toes out the front!

[blueheron]

Zod said:

Get a ski box - much tougher than a bag and you can fit some clothing, e.g. thermals and socks in with the skis.

Don't do what I did and buy an oldskool KIS ski box second hand thinking it would brill.... got it home and my modern twin tips + bindings wouldn't fit :'(

[blueheron]

WTFWT said:

ETA you are also quite right - for piste skiing you can go really low. My first instructor used to ski on about DIN 2. When he got to the lifts he would just kick his toes out the front!

Instructors are nuts. He was probably kicking them off all day having to pick up fallen kids

At the end of the day, because they're your own skis it's your own risk. If you've hired from a shop and you injure yourself, you could in theory sue them if you can prove they haven't followed their training correctly. Which is why you need to provide accurate information. It was something we had over our heads constantly at the dry slope. We had to pass the Salomon rental technician exam before we could set up customer skis. Customers would still lie about their weight (women) and ability (men) though, had to keep stressing that we needed accurate info for their safety.

Start low and build up once you've got a feel for how they handle

[andy ted]

The distance between the front and rear binding is Called the forward pressure, there should be a way of checking you have this set correctly and shouldn't be guess work. It is important to have this set or the bindings may not release correctly.

[blueheron]

andy ted said:

The distance between the front and rear binding is Called the forward pressure, there should be a way of checking you have this set correctly and shouldn't be guess work. It is important to have this set or the bindings may not release correctly.

From what I remember, this can vary depending on the bindings. Is it not a case that if the bindings have been set up to his boot size in the shop, then this should be already correct?

Trying hard to remember this, think it's just an issue if you're mounting your own bindings or setting up rental skis as their bindings slide and adjust. Something about tabs, notches, arrows and windows. Argh. Haven't worked in this area since 2005 :/

[Cheib]

I wouldn't get too worried about storing them. I have just come back from a weekend's skiing having not seen my skis for three years....long story short I didn't get to ski for the two previous winters. Anyway my skis were absolutely fine and I did no special prep for storage etc...they were left in my ski bag on the floor in my mates chalet. They were in perfect nick....no rust etc.

[timlongs]

Hard-Drive said:

Thanks guys, will take all of that on board...good advice! My bag isnt well padded but I was going to do the pipe lagging trick and perhaps wrap them in old towels or bubble wrap too.

Re DIN settings...I'm...

5'11"
38 yrs old
Just under 90kg minus kit
Boot sole length 327mm
Being honest about my skiing...I'm a fast intermediate. 95% piste skiing, occasional off piste cut throughs but no back country stuff. Mainly ski reds or blues, some blacks for a challenge. Tend to go pretty quick on blues/reds, steep blacks are more about just getting down it! Hopeless and very slow on moguls, not much of a desire to get any better either! Really trying to work on improving carving now rather than going warp factor 10 everywhere.

Hope that helps!

I have you down as a 7. I recently did a ski technician training course and according to the chart I was given, thats where you end up.

Regarding forward pressure, first what bindings do you have? Screw in or rental style on rails? Depending on the binding there should be an indicator, most have a little window on the side at the heel, where it will usually be white and when the boot is in, a black line should appear in the middle, if the forward pressure is correct.

As for waxing, depends on the ski, but should be ok.

You can undo your bindings for storage over the summer, although you won't have them cranked up that high so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

[andy ted]

blueheron said:

From what I remember, this can vary depending on the bindings. Is it not a case that if the bindings have been set up to his boot size in the shop, then this should be already correct?

Trying hard to remember this, think it's just an issue if you're mounting your own bindings or setting up rental skis as their bindings slide and adjust. Something about tabs, notches, arrows and windows. Argh. Haven't worked in this area since 2005 :/

Its OK I haven't worked with them for a while! It doesn't help that although DIN is standardised forward pressure is often overlooked but it is important and seems to be different from binding to binding!

Rental Skis do have much greater adjustment as you say but this is to allow for different boot sole lengths, the front binding also moves to make sure you get the mid sole of the boot in the correct location for the ski you are skiing.

When mounting non rental bindings on skis it is ideal to have the boot but you can do it with the sole length.

You can still usually adjust rear binding back and forwards by small increments (or sometimes a screw) to allow for variation in different boots and small sole length changes.

In the original OP it was mentioned that he was adjusting the rear binding back and forwards and one notch seemed too loose and one too tight.

Any alpine binding I have worked with had some sort of way to gauge that you had the correct forwards pressure applied either with some sort of marker or a screw needing to be flush when the boot was engaged. It is important to have this correct as when the ski flexes in either direction the toe and heel bindings get closer together or further apart. This can affect the safe release of the boot from the binding or mean it slips out too easily.