Squash a little camber out of S-Bound 125?

[rongon]

Hey, the leaves are just beginning to change color here and I'm thinking of snow again.

I snagged a pair of Fischer S-Bound 125 this past spring, for so cheap I couldn't pass them up. Once I got them, though, I saw that they have a pretty big, stiff camber, uncomfortably close to a true XC ski. Definitely bigger and stiffer than my trusty pair of Madshus Annum. So I was thinking, since I have a bunch of Voile staps, if I leave the skis bound up together for a couple of months with their bases touching each other, will that loosen up the camber a bit? Or will it wreck the skis? Anybody tried this?
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[MikeK]

Doubt it will do much. I don't have that model, but I agree, S Bounds are nothing like Annums.

This is kind of why I leaned toward the skinny version... and kind of why I recommend that people stay with those. At least then it still works like a XC ski when you want.

Try skiing the way they are. You might be surprised by them. You might hate them... either way, you'll learn something. I don't like Annums. I'd take the S Bound any day. They climb better, they glide better and IMO they turn better.

[rongon]

I'll mount them up with Switchbacks and ski them with 3-buckle boots. Hopefully that will give me enough power in the turn to squash out the camber, but allow me to get some kind of a mutant kick and glide going on the flats. That's basically how I'm using my Annums now, but I do find those to be too noodle-y on the packed trails I often ski. Annums are really nice in 6" of powder, though.
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[MikeK]

Don't know that boots will give you more power to flatten the ski... would think that would all be weighting.

If you want an idea, set them up on a couple 2x4s with the 2" up and 4" flat, one up near the tip after it rockers up, one near the tail where it's the widest. Stand on them, 50/50. I bet they reverse like nothing and the center hits the ground. If they can do that in 2" of air, they can do it in a couple inches of snow. In really light, deep pow they may not though... but having the increased width should put more pressure on the bases, help them float and help them flex.

I suspect the S Bound skis are just torsionally more stiff than the Madshus, and why they feel like they turn so good... they bite immediately. They probably don't reverse camber as easily because as I recall, my Annums had almost no camber pop. My last Alpine skis had more camber and more camber stiffness. It's why I actually didn't like them much. All depends on your snow and your weight and your preference. I like some camber.

[rongon]

I'll try that 2x4 test. I'm pretty heavy, so I bet I'll be able to squash those S-Bounds pretty good.

I have a pair of Dynastar Cham 97 HM (fwiw) that I use for lift-served skiing. They have noticeably less camber than the S-Bound 125s, but the stiffness is comparable. Since the S-Bound 125s are quite a bit lighter than the Cham 97s, I'll bet they can be made to arc just as readily. If so, then they'll be just what I'm looking for -- as floaty as the Cham 97s but lighter for touring, with fishscales for rolling terrain. Hopefully they'll track straight enough on packed woods roads to be good for long approaches.

[MikeK]

If you weight 200 or thereabouts, I bet you'll have no issue.

As far as skiing on roads, the jury is out on that. I don't mind skiing the 98s on that stuff. They go straight enough for me. Kick straight, they go straight. Edge them, they TURN! Can't imagine it will be any worse than a ski like a Vector for stuff like that... although that's really a different type of beast in terms of shape and profile.

They are light, nimble and climb like goats. Kind of all the things you want in DH focus XCD ski. Perhaps there are better choices? Hard to say... not a lot of feedback on these really.

Please, let us know what you think.

[lowangle al]

I think I softened up a pair of double camber Karhu XCDs. I tied a rope around the waiste with the bases touching and pounded wedges in from both ends. The first couple of seasons I didn't notice a difference so I just banged the wedges in further every year and I think they finally softened up. Ski the skis first you might like em if not I found that the more you hate them the harder you'll pound the wedges.

[lowangle al]

Rongon the voile straps won't be strong enough if you use the wedges.

If you don't plan on doing much skinning think about the 3 pin hard wires. Cheaper, and they are pretty light without the heel throws and a big difference touring.

[rongon]

MikeK:
I weigh about 185 lbs. Close enough to 200? I'm only 5'7".

I tried a pair of these in 165cm length at White Grass last winter (they had snow for a while). I found the 165s skied too short for me, which was why I went for the 175s. Maybe that was a mistake, I don't know.

lowangle al:
I'll try these S-Bound 125s and see if they work for me. If they need softening, then I'll try that wedge process you described (with rope, not Voile straps).

With skis this big, I'll be touring-for-turns rather than going from point A to point B. I could see a ski tour to an Adirondack slide with these. Those tours usually include a long slog in over rolling terrain (at least 3 or 4 miles one way) and then a steep climb up the slide, the ski down, and that long, rolling slog out. The fish scales would be nice for the trail approach, the width would be nice for the fresh snow on the slide (I can dream, can't I?), and I need the 3-buckle boots to keep me in control going down. So while 3-Pin Cable bindings would be great if I was using these as a deep-snow touring ski, I'm actually using them for where most people would use a pair of Vector BCs. Why?

Well, I have a pair of Vector BC, and I find I don't like the rockered tip. My pair are 170cm length, but they feel much shorter. Last winter, on a rare day when there was over a foot of soft snow, I found that I needed to lean waaay back on my Vectors to keep them riding over the deep, heavy snow. It feels like the bindings are too far forward, making the tips dive in soft snow. I bought a pair of B&D Shift Plates so I can try them with the bindings moved back 1cm or 2cm, without drilling new holes. Hopefully 1cm back will cure the problem. If so, then I plug the old holes, drill the new, and I'm back in business. If not, then I'll have a pair of gently used, drilled once Vector BCs for sale.

I love my Annums for wandering around in the woods when the snow's soft. I've enjoyed the heck out of them many times, but they're pretty pathetic at holding an edge on hard-packed trails. I once had an epic wipe-out on the Wright Peak Ski Trail when I got going a bit too fast and just could not hold an edge with the Annums. They just skidded out from under me. Fortunately, nobody got hurt!
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[MikeK]

I think they'll work for what you are doing. Does yours have the integrated skin attachment? I'm quite familiar with skiing in the Adirondacks but I'm not a slide skier. Scales should be fine for most everything but the slide - you might need skins - if you have the skinlock*, perhaps the short skins will be enough bite?

FWIW I'm 200 and I ski a 189 in the S98, which likely has a similar flex, if not a little stiffer.

*Sorry - I mean "easy skin", skinlock is Asnes I think. Whatever, these things: