How many days?
March 30, 2005
21 posts
11 users
8k+ views
How long do you keep your equipment, skis/boots particularly. I know the life will be affected by where you ski and how you maintain your stuff. Right now i've got over 100 days on 6 year old boots and 80 on 4 year old skis and i'm not looking for an excuse to get new. Are there any telltale signs to look for that indicate pending failure?
jimmy
As far as know skis never fail they will just lose there stiffness, if they are wood core(like my lines 1260s with 200 days) they will never lose there stiffness as long as the core doesnt get wet. Now skis like salomons for instance with foam core will break down over time, my friend 1080s were like jello after 2 year.
So simply put wood and metal cores skis will not break down(at least i have not gotten them to break down), but foam cores will break down.
As for boots i myself streach a pair to 214 ski days and the lining was done probably around 80-100 days. Needless to say my feet were hurting and i needed to upgrade anyways so i now have some X-Wave 10. As for the plastic i am not sure if that part of the boot gets softer at all, IMO it doesnt just the lining.
Hope that helps if anyone has more please add.
Josh Matta
Don't know how long the plastic type boot material will last but I've heard bad stories of old boots splitting and breaking on the slopes.
I was riding the lift one time and saw a guy skiing on one ski with the toes sticking out of the broken half of his other fairly old florescent orange Technica boot
So, the plastic does eventually give up the ghost.
-Warren-
Quote:
I was riding the lift one time and saw a guy skiing on one ski with the toes sticking out of the broken half of his other fairly old florescent orange Technica boot So, the plastic does eventually give up the ghost.
That was a design flaw in that particular model(s) of Technica boots; I believe UV caused the plastic to become brittle. It was a bit surprising since it was an upper end boot. I actually split the entire sole of the boot off with the exception of the toe piece. Technica sent me new shells for the boots; these shells have held up at least 5+ years now. The shell color went from Cheez Whiz orange to Dorito's orange.
The main wear on boots is liner compression (and hardening) and sole wear at the toe and heel. I've heard that 100-150 days of skiing is the approximate lifetime of boot liners.
Skis do lose their camber over time. I'm not sure how much difference there is between wood and foam cores. Eventually, you will run out of metal on the ski edges due to sharpenings.
John,
Was that you I saw at Whitetail several years back? I believe that I was riding the Velvet lift as my daughter and I were getting in our very first turns of the season that day.
-Warren-
Hey John, I was wondering if you know what year(s) that there were problems with the Technica boots. I have the TNT Explosions from 00-01. I was curious as to if my boot would fall apart on me one day.
Most of the trouble, as I remember it, was with the orange sorbet-colored plastic (called "flamingo flame" by Tecnica). TNT, TNS and TCR (not TC3) models had this plastic, IIRC, either as the major plastic of the boot shell, OR as little tiny bright-orange inserts at the junction point of lower boot and boot cuff. This was the "Cutthroat" feature where the TCR boots got their name, and I do admit they were easier to get into.
I think that specific dye/plastic combination was well retired by '98-99. The new Tecnica orange is nothing like it.
Beyond that specific dye/plastic combination, I would think it's anyone's guess and would depend on the environment and history of the boot. himihon, I would say you've little to worry about.
Story 1:
Mt. Sutton in Canada January 1999. I am wearing my sorbet-color TNTs with custom silicone (blue) liners, off to lunch at the hut on top the mountain, deciding that, after a shell grind and custom silicone, these things are well worth the $600+ I shelled out in then-dollars. At least the food and the lift tickets here are affordable. Doodlehum. The lodge steps are punched steel grating- how clever- no ice to collect. Mmmm. Burger and poutine and strong biere. Mmmm. Back out to the skis. Hmmm, let's do some of the tree runs.
Yowza! Right ski does not work! Look down- boot liner clearly visible, bright blue through a crack in the orange sorbet. Crack is from little toe, across outside of shell and up the back cuff!
There followed the coldest and trickiest 500' of vertical I ever negotiated.
Disgusted, I hung the shell remnants on the rack under the ski school bell and cold-toed over to the rentals. When I got back, there was a small circle of ski instructors going 'Ooooh'. Apparently they thought I must be a strong skier to utterly crush a boot like that, so I did get a few free beers that night.
Story 2:
Killington, Thanksgiving 2000.
The girlfriend and I are meeting a friend whom we'd never skied with before, and who decided to drive up a day late. We're chatting along when Pete pulls out a pair of . . . Tecnica TCR. That sort-of-red color with the blue-painted buckles trimmed in yellow. He's pulling the shell open and stuffing his foot in when I catch a gleam of the deadly orange sorbet color. "Uh-oh! They're about to explode!" I whisper aside to the GF and she starts laughing hysterically, so I have to explain to Pete.
20 minutes later, after a slight disorganised search for my wallet, she spots something on the floor. Orange sorbet. "Pete, is this yours?" D'oh!
I agree with comprex in that the Technica shell problem was resolved during the 90's, so any boots bought in the 2000's should be fine. Sounds like my boots were the same make/model as the ones comprex had: Technica TNT AVS's, cheez whiz / sorbet orange, silicone liners, custom foot bed, circa 94-95.
Initially, I had the top of one boot blow out; non-pressure point at first, so I did the duct tape routine for one season. I got a (free) replacement part for the boot. One or two years later, the other boot exploded (after about 4-5 seasons.) I got two updated shells from Technica, and haven't had a problem since (at least 4+ years).
So for my initial investment of $650+ (a lot for the mid-ninties) and a $100 set of silicone replacement liners years later, I've gotten 10+ years of high-caliber skiing on the boots.
I'll upgrade at the start of next season since my current set of silicone liners are shot.
Warren, my boot explosion happend at Whitetail at night on Snowdancer (half-way down.) At first I thought my binding had busted since all of a sudden I lost complete control of one ski. Fortunately, it was on my local hill and not on a ski trip.
I have probably more than 100+ days on my Technica boots (also about 6 years old). They have not cracked or split, however, I have noticed recently that I can't seem to get the power to the ski's shovel. I'm not sure if it is me or the boots. And if I tighten the buckles the boots tend to feel uncomfortable. I am going to play around with the adjustments to see if I can't get some improvement. However, I am thinking that this is the last season for these boots. If they are not comfortable when asked to perform then I think it is time to think about a new pair.
My TCR's are red w/metal buckles. Bought them in 98 or 99. Do you think i'm headed for disaster?
jimmy
Quote:
If they are not comfortable when asked to perform then I think it is time to think about a new pair.
Best words yet.
jimmy, keep an eye on them, esp. if they have that funky orange between the middle two buckles.
If you have the ones I am thinking of, then you'll be amazed at how much better a modern boot can be.
Comprex,
I went to the 'Dilly in Chantilly' this summer and picked up a pair of Nordica Beast 10's on sale. I was skiing with a pair of Nordica GPS boots. I love the new Beast 10's!!
They are a LOT more comfortable and I'm able to get forward in them easier. The flex is a little softer than the GPS boots but I've had no issues with control (Steep, Moguls, groomers, etc)
-Warren-
Ah, warren, I am a little envious, but good job!
I'm still in Tecnica mostly, softer than I'm used to from the 90's certainly.
The only downside to more flex seems to be less ability to control the tips of vintage skis.
Glad you're doing well!
Comprex,
That softer flex really isn't an issue as I'm running Nordica W65 skis which have a pretty decent side-cut (112-65-97). Of course I've started campaigning with my wife to get some Volkl 724 Pros
I figure eventually, she'll give in
-Warren-
Okay, this has me a little concerned. I demoed the 1080s when I was out at Park City a couple of weeks ago and they handled beautifully in both the groomed and light powder (not up to heavy powder in the back bowls yet), so I was thinking of getting a pair but all this talk about the foam core breaking down has me worried. I was planning to use these mostly out west, primarily on groomers for the time being (my ski buddies are relatively new to the sport and we usually stay together), but want to be able to handle any power that happens to come my way. ::wink wink::
My biggest questions are how aggressively and where does your friend ski and does powder stress/flex skis more than groomers.
Quote:
jimmy, keep an eye on them, esp. if they have that funky orange between the middle two buckles.
If you have the ones I am thinking of, then you'll be amazed at how much better a modern boot can be.
comprex, I wasn't looking for an excuse for new equipment, but....aren't we always looking for a reason to buy new equipment? I figure these boots are a couple years older that the TCR that cracked. I'm curious though what difference I should expect from new boots.
he skied about 100 days on them(they were done after about 40-50), skied aggresively with most of the time spent carving and jumping, and the odd bump day at springs or blue knob.
The ski had no rebound at all, my Line 1260s buy comparision although not looking good, still have rebound after a bout 150 days. any solid wood core ski IMO should last longer than a foam core.
PS the Line chronic are the best no metron midfat you can buy today, but unlike the metron they can be taken in the terrain park to.
to turn your x wave tens softer remove the allen key plugs in the sides of the boot to soften up any ?let me know
well that boot the tnt technica no pun on the name the heel and toes would blow out just a defect on that boot the liner will turn to mush before the boot will break unless some thing is very wrong with that boot
