Re: Base bevel

"Don Lee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> I just bought a new pair of '03 Bandit XX, and find it not as stable on the
> crud and heavy stuff.  Someone suggested that the base needs preparing.  Can
> anyone tell me if the skis are already beveled when brand new, or do I need
> to bevel the base and then the side myself.  I hate to file my new skis.

Just to clarify here, there's the base (made of PTex) and the edges
(made of steel). The base isn't beveled (or isn't supposed to be,
anyway), while the edges are, typically. I suspect you knew that, but
just to be clear ....

New skis should come with the edges beveled. I don't think there's
often a problem there.

New skis *should* also come with nice, flat bases. However, sometimes
there *is* a problem there. It's easy enough to check with a true bar.
If the base is convex, fixing it is a matter of removing PTex, and
doesn't affect the edges or their bevel. If the base is concave,
you're going to need to remove some edge to fix it. That would change
edge the bevel.

As for the likelihood that there's a problem, it strikes me as odd
that a bad ski (concave or convex base, railed edges) would feel fine
on normal packed snow and unstable in "crud and heavy stuff." But I
can't claim any real expertise in what skis in bad condition feel
like, so take that with a grain of salt.

How new are the skis, and where did you get them? If they're new
enough, and you bought them from a shop which inspires a modicum of
confidence, you might go back there and ask them to check them out. A
good shop should do this for free, and fix the problem (if there is
one). Unfortunately, a bad shop might do it for money and make the
skis worse.