Ski Edge Angles

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Ski Edge Angles

Postby tigernbr » Sat Jul 14, 2018 4:48 am

I found an old thread which discussed base and side edge angles. IIRC, HSS recommended at the time to have a 0.5 degree base edge angle and a 2 degree side edge angle. Most people preferred a 0.5 to 0.7 degree base edge angle and a 3 degree side edge angle. I believe Head skis come from the factory with 1 degree base and 1 degree side angles. I recently bought Head SS i.Speed skis online and may not have time to have them tuned before I go to the camp. Are the factory edge angles ok or should I take a day out of skiing to have them tuned to the edge angles HSS recommends? There are no ski shops near where I live so I can't take them before I go on my ski trip.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby jbotti » Mon Jul 16, 2018 6:07 pm

Assuming they came with a decent factory tune (which is about 70% of the time with Head versus 90% of the time 10 years ago) you should have no issue with the factory tune which on these skis is 1 degree base and 2 degrees side (most of the times). From time to time head skis come with very little base bevel. If this is the case you will know it right away and it will be real hard to brush them at all (they will ski railed). If this is the case you will have to get a tune with a full base grind.

Where do you normally ski? This has bearing on what base bevel you want on your skis. For Colorado, Montana and all cold Rockies snow you can go with .5 to .7 on the base. If you ski in Tahoe or the PNW (or anyplace where you get wetter, heavier snow) you want a less aggressive base bevel and 1 degree is what to ski there. East coast guys that are skiing on ice generally like .5 to .7.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby tigernbr » Tue Jul 17, 2018 3:29 am

Thank you for the reply jbotti. I ski mostly in Colorado. I went to the green/blue camp last season and am going to the blue/dark blue camp this season at A-Basin. For the foreseeable future, I don't see me skiing anywhere but CO, MT and WY (would love to go to Jackson Hole).
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby Mikhail » Thu Oct 18, 2018 4:26 am

Hi jbotti! I've got 2018 Head i.SL and they are with zero base cant level. The base has some structure. Can you kindly answer should I get a tune with a full base grind instead of just edge tuning and why if so?
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby jbotti » Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:01 am

Generally skis don't come with a completely flat base (90 degree angle on the base to side). But if so you absolutely need a base grind. Depending on where you ski you should put a .5 to 1 degree base bevel on the skis. If you ski on the east coast and mainly on ice .5-.75. If you ski on rockies snow (Colorado, MT, Wyoming) .7 is great. If you ski on wetter snow like in Tahoe or the PNW you need 1 degree. Also intermediate skiers do better with a little more bevel as .5 can be a little grabby for those that aren't used to it. If you are not an advanced PMTS skier err on the side of more base bevel vs. less.

Ask the local shop what structure they recommend for the snow you will be skiing. East coast and Tahoe you can have more structure. In the rockies you need and want less.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby tigernbr » Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:21 am

Thanks for the info jbotti. There isn't a ski shop around me. I was going to take them to a shop in Summit County, CO when I got there. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good shop for tuning and waxing skis there? Also, how long would it normally take them to do that? I don't want to lose any ski time!
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby midwif » Thu Oct 18, 2018 11:01 am

Harold has recommended Precision Ski; its in Frisco.
Mostly great work.
They had a really bad day with brand new skis(machine malfunctioned and burned a hole in my skis, but made it all better.)
Have gone back regularly even after that.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby tigernbr » Thu Oct 18, 2018 11:19 am

Thanks! I will give them a call in the next few weeks.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby Max_501 » Fri Oct 19, 2018 6:06 pm

Decreasing base bevel makes the ski engage faster (less tipping required) but can lead to a twitchy feeling in aggressive or uneven snow. I run most of my skis at 1 degree base and they are fine everywhere I take them. I do have one pair at .5 and have to watch them like a hawk when skiing fast.

I only give new skis a base grind if:

1) The base isn't flat
2) The base structure isn't a match for my snow
3) I want to decrease the factory base edge angle (never had a reason to do this)
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby noobSkier » Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:42 pm

Max_501, is it possible that with heavy use, the base edge on a ski might increase to something greater than what you would want?
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby tigernbr » Sat Oct 20, 2018 3:12 am

Also a question for Max. I was going to have the shop put 0.7 on the base edge and 3 on the side edge. These are brand new 2018 i.Speeds, never touched the snow yet. It's been difficult to determine what the factory edges are but I'm assuming 1 on the base and 1 on the edge. I will go to my second PMTS camp in December, the blue/dark blue. I attended the green/blue last season. I am still learning how to ski with PMTS. I called Precision Ski in Frisco yesterday. I talked to a very nice guy and he said they would have no problem getting my skis ready in a couple of hours so I can have them ready to hit the slopes Saturday morning.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby jbotti » Sat Oct 20, 2018 6:37 am

noobSkier wrote:Max_501, is it possible that with heavy use, the base edge on a ski might increase to something greater than what you would want?


Yes bases get worn down from skiing/friction (the base bevel is increasing) and they eventually get "base high". The feel like swivel sticks as they brush super easy but there is a delay before edge engagement. It seems to take 50+ days before you start to notice the skis are becoming base high.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby Max_501 » Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:36 am

tigernbr wrote:I was going to have the shop put 0.7 on the base edge and 3 on the side edge. These are brand new 2018 i.Speeds, never touched the snow yet. It's been difficult to determine what the factory edges are but I'm assuming 1 on the base and 1 on the edge.


I'd guess they are a 1 base and 2 edge out of the wrapper. To go to a .7 the shop will remove base material and edge material. This shortens the life of the ski. I wouldn't do that to a new ski unless they aren't skiing well.
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby tigernbr » Sun Oct 21, 2018 7:47 am

Max_501 wrote:
tigernbr wrote:I was going to have the shop put 0.7 on the base edge and 3 on the side edge. These are brand new 2018 i.Speeds, never touched the snow yet. It's been difficult to determine what the factory edges are but I'm assuming 1 on the base and 1 on the edge.


I'd guess they are a 1 base and 2 edge out of the wrapper. To go to a .7 the shop will remove base material and edge material. This shortens the life of the ski. I wouldn't do that to a new ski unless they aren't skiing well.



Ok. I guess then all I need to have the shop do is give them a good waxing?
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Re: Ski Edge Angles

Postby ErikCO » Mon Oct 22, 2018 2:12 am

If you have never skied them before, just get them waxed. Most of the time I will get my edge angle set to 3 degrees, but that is really just personal preference. I would wait on doing anything with the base angle until you have skied them. The first time you have to get a base grind you can try out a different base angle if you want to. I've done plenty of skiing on 1/2 and, while I prefer 0.7/3 most of the time, the biggest thing is keeping your edges sharp. I'd take a sharp 1/2 over a dull 0.7/3 any day!
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