Sbounds...leathers

[greatgt]

Silent ski yesterday....Lots of tracks, Coyotes and Fischer, and all kinds of little ones that make a meal for the larger ones....50o so switched from wax skis to bones and they worked well....Had not been on my old Rebounds for ages....Probably use them again today....Figure at 39o now the base won't collapse and hope that is so....Spent some time on Dead Moose Pond and got drilled with tons of hot Sun.....First time in a month I had two poles for travel and it didn't seem to hurt my hand much...Really helped cruising....TM

[Winterlight]

I really enjoy reading your posts. Your narrative style is engaging and the information is first rate and relevant.
I am getting started with touring here in the Methow Valley, Washington State. I'm only a few miles from the Pasayton Wilderness. I'm an experienced alpine skier.
I picked up some Fischer Europa 99 waxable skis at the thrift store two years ago. Bought new Voile 3 pin cable bindings and a wax kit. I've been doing well with classic style on flat terrain. I'm waxing the kick zone and making adjustments for grip. But, I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong with this or my technique as the skis grab on downhill slopes. It's like hitting the brakes sometimes. I try to balance forward and back to equalize my weight but it's tricky and shouldn't be this difficult. Any thoughts on something that I can do to improve my glide while still keeping grip for advancing?

[Woodserson]

I really enjoy reading your posts. Your narrative style is engaging and the information is first rate and relevant.
I am getting started with touring here in the Methow Valley, Washington State. I'm only a few miles from the Pasayton Wilderness. I'm an experienced alpine skier.
I picked up some Fischer Europa 99 waxable skis at the thrift store two years ago. Bought new Voile 3 pin cable bindings and a wax kit. I've been doing well with classic style on flat terrain. I'm waxing the kick zone and making adjustments for grip. But, I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong with this or my technique as the skis grab on downhill slopes. It's like hitting the brakes sometimes. I try to balance forward and back to equalize my weight but it's tricky and shouldn't be this difficult. Any thoughts on something that I can do to improve my glide while still keeping grip for advancing?

Is your grip wax nice and smooth, using long smooth firm pressure on the cork?

The Methow can be a challenging place to wax, albeit beautiful place to XC ski. Is the snow changing in the shade? Think about how the snow might be different in the morning to the afternoon, from the sun to the shade, from wet to dry and back again.

Keep working on it. Lots and lots of wax advice on this forum. Many fun waxes and techniques to try. Don't give up.

[greatgt]

^^^^^^^ Good info....On the down if your experiencing grip then the wax needs to come off or at least some of it....Wax in the cambered section and use enough to get up but get rid of it if it holds you up on the down....usually with 99's you will get the feel of it...Some days you wax about a foot under the boot some days most of the wax pocket....It all depends on the condition of the snow as Woods said...TM

[Winterlight]

Thanks to both of you for the advice.
I've been pretty casual with the grip wax and I think that I need to be more focused.
I've just been putting a crayon coating on and corking. It hasn't been smooth. The best results I've had were when I coated the kick zone precisely, softened the wax with a hair dryer, and corked in about three even coats. My grip zone was per the Swix advice, heel forward to 65 - 75 CM as I recall. Glide wax on the rest of the ski. I've been following the colors per the wax specifications. I haven't tried klister yet.
I think that with spring here now I will clean everything off and try again.
I picked up some skins at the thrift store (it's a gem out here, we find the coolest old ski stuff) and fabricated some kicker skins ala Black Diamond. I strap them just ahead of the 3 pin toe binding with some Arno straps and press them down in the zone. Homemade, not good performance like with integrated skin XC skis and they drag a bit on the downslope on rolling terrain. But, they grip well and I can remove them if I find an extended slope.
Forgot to discuss boots. Well, as you can tell I'm "economical" with my approach to skiing. I have been using soft fabric-type 3 pin boots... But, I will be receiving a new pair of the Fischer BCX Transnordic 75mm boots next week. I think that they will help me a lot with control and still be flexible enough for touring. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

[greatgt]

When temperature is beyond wax...(red) I switch to bones....(patterned bottoms)....Mostly I get a temperature read then do as you do.....However I don't worry much about corking anything in....Slap the wax on.....figure temperature and where I'm going....Mostly up hill or cruising????....Up hill i want grip and for cruising shuffle and slide comes to mind....Always carry some red, blue, green and white with me.....If way off will stop and re apply....TM

[Winterlight]

That's good advice. The patterned ski I have is an old Fischer model for in track skiing, no metal edge or sidecut. I use it on our groomed trail system out here.
We have just about everything in terms of terrain, and I'm literally at the end of the road before the wilderness boundary. I think that with better waxing I will have good results with the Europa 99s. Are there better corking tools than the little one that comes with the Swix kit? Something that you can get a grip on?

[greatgt]

Blue was the wax with temperature @ 22 degrees.....Even with lots of camber wax was gone within two hundred yards but the rest of the way to dead Moose Pond was slightly down or flat....Big granite erratic on the North side of the beaver Pond/swampy wet lands.....Sat there and absorbed the sun....Re applied blue wax but that was long gone....So headed through the ring of softwood next to the pond and got to where it was low angle up....All this years wax was gone and the skis were slick....Applied Blue Extra....up went easy.....the slight down all wax departed and the skis are ready for what Nature shoots at us....TM

[Telerock]

In answer to corks; I ski with leather gloves, and use them to smooth in the blue or green waxes (plus it waterproofs the gloves). But I do not use red; it is too sticky to smooth, and bones/scales are always better in those warm conditions. I do iron on polar white at the start of each season, and use downhill style glide wax/paste in the spring when the snow is wicked slow.
TM: forecast says 1-inch snow followed by 1/4” ice in your area tonight. I wonder what the western t-boys would think of that? Something like that field run video of you from years ago. Take a vid of T-boy if he gets out on that.
Reportedly 4-inches snow left at my 1,600-ft cabin in the Adks. See you in a few weeks I expect; at least in time for Mt. Washington…

[greatgt]

Be good to see you again Rock....Have a few brews and belly laughs....Last night we made over 10 gallons of syrup....Really heated up the Sugar House!....Went from A dark to a hair below fancy...The first real run with 475 gallons of sap....probably left @ 2-3 gallons of close in the rig before flooding it for the night.....Still have plenty of snow up in the Highlands....If it isn't raining to hard will hit it today...The weather forecast isn't all that good...TM