Hints and Tips

Introduction

Here are a couple of articles from past editions of the Club Newsletter. If you have a skiing tip why not send them in for inclusion in the newsletter - if you find it useful then the others might too!

Disclaimer:
Warning- The Club and the authors take no responsibility if you use any of the ideas given on this page. It is up to you to ensure you will not hurt yourself or damage your equipment if so doing.

Ski Pole Maintainance

A few thoughts that might save you some effort. The easy way to remove the tip of a ski pole is to heat the tip, then pull it off with a pair of pliers. Pole tips are usually attached with hot melt glue which will melt if subjected to the heat from a hot air gun (as used for stripping paint). If you haven't got a hot air gun, try using a hair dryer, or heat the tip in boiling water. Don't do what I did the first time I changed a tip which was to try and cut the old one off. It took hours.

Remember that hot air guns get very hot, and hot melt glue can easily cause burns if you get it on your skin - wear gloves.

Why might you want to take the tip off a pole? Well, if you're using the same poles for roller skiing and snow like I do, then you need tungsten carbide tips for tarmac, and snow baskets for snow. Also, roller skiing will wear down non-tungsten carbide tips very quickly (a matter of hours). You can get tips designed for roller skiing from Highland Guides (in the UK) which will stay sharp until they break (tungsten carbide is brittle). You might also want to change the basket style (large for touring in soft snow, minimal for racing).

To put the new tip on, heat up the bare end of the pole and apply some hot melt glue (just stroke the stick of glue along the hot pole) then push the new tip into place.

author: Nick Davies

Using Skins

If you use self adhesive skins when on skis then the you may find the following tips useful:

Keep the skins in a bag in an inside pocket of your anorak/fleece rather than in your rucksack - a warm skin sticks far better to the ski than a cold one - which may not stick at all.

Take a piece of cloth or some tissues to use to dry off the base of the ski before applying the skin - skins won't stick to wet ski bases.

Carry a roll of duct tape - it can be used to bind the skin to the ski if it starts to come off and won't re-attach (a particular problem at the tail of the ski). It also has a multitude of other uses:- repairing ski poles, boots, skis or anoraks to name but a few. Its really an essential in any ski tourers waxing/repair kit. Alternatively you can now buy double sided emergency adhesive pads to use to replace the adhesive on skins where they won't attach.

Skins will stick over hard grip waxes - blue and colder, don't try this with klister or stick waxes for higher air temperatures (0ºC and above) It is a useful technique when a steep climb is followed by an undulating tour. It is essential to make sure that the wax is firmly attached to the base of the ski, preferably by ironing it in or by energetic rubbing with a cork. Failure to do so leads to the wax stickiing to the skin rather than the ski necessitating the horrible job of replacing the glue on your skins.

author: Nigel James

publish date: 1997

These articles are copyright of the Author and Manchester Cross-Country Ski Club.
No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means in any other publication without the written permission of the publisher.

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© MCCSC 1998-2008 / info@mccsc.org.uk / content altered May 2007