Foot Pain and Waxless Base on Groomers

[vt_trees]

Skied up Stowe after work yesterday thinking I could catch a run on the snow that fell late day. Unfortunately, accumulation was not what I had hoped. With minimal new snow I decided to test out my "new to me" Vector BCs and new Excursions on a freshly groomed Intermediate run. I was curious to see how they performed "inbounds". Most notable was the amount of foot cramping/pain I felt. This is not something I get when touring for turns in the VT backcountry. Is it possible that the groomed runs apply more pressure to the feet and having not skied groomers for years my feet would need to get re-accustomed to the forces? I'm also curious about other folks experiences with waxless bases on a corduroy/packed surface.

Poor quality photo. Sorry

[lowangle al]

I don't think it was the waxless base that caused it. Whenever I'm getting too much drag from too soft of a kick wax I feel it in my thighs, never felt it with scales though.

It could be your new excusions just not fitting right. Or if your previous boot was higher and stiffer you may need to use more foot muscles than you are used to. When I go back to leather boots it surprises me how much my feet feel it trying to get and hold an edge. The higher and stiffer the boot the more it holds your ankle and lower leg allowing you to relax your feet more.

It could also be firmer snow or higher speeds than you are used to in the bc.

[gulfofslides]

Does Stowe allow skinning after hours?

[vt_trees]

Does Stowe allow skinning after hours?

See the bottom of this page.

https://www.stowe.com/the-mountain/abou ... afety.aspx

[connyro]

I think Al covered it pretty well above. Vector bcs and Excursions can be used on groomers but between the low cuffs and higher speeds, it's not an ideal setup and will lead to premature foot and ankle fatigue when compared to using bigger boots. IMO, the scales are most likely not a factor in your foot discomfort.

[vt_trees]

Guess I should have made two posts instead of one or worded my questions better. Shame on me. Regarding the waxless base, I was looking for impressions on how they react on a groomed slope. Not really how or if the contributed to my foot pain. The way the ski behaved may also have to do with the rocker, which I've never had on previous skis.

I tend to agree that the foot pain was most likely due to more pressure caused by higher speeds and that my foot muscles are what they used to be.

Thanks for all the input.

[fisheater]

Hello VT,
I don’t either own nor have I skied a Vector. My experience skiing a S-112 on groomers, or that I didn’t enjoy the vibration of the scales. Now the S-112 is more narrow than the Vector, so it wouldn’t be as difficult to put on edge. The S-112 isn’t very torsionally rigid, it wouldn’t generate the forces you would put on you feet, knees, hips, etc. that you would with the Vector.
I could be mistaken, but I seem to remember some complaints a few years back about some scales wide skis having some edging issues. These were generally a result of the edge being closer to the snow than the base, if the scale pattern caused a “groove” in the base due to the waxless pattern.
Other than that issue, and scale him, I’m unaware of any issues with scaled skis skiing on piste. I will add another important thought. The Vector may be Voile’s best hard snow ski but.... it is designed to be a backcountry ski. You can ski it on piste. I ski backcountry skis on piste regularly, but those backcountry skis are not designed for conditions commonly found on piste.
Good luck, welcome,
Bob