Have you seen a convex ski base or have you felt them? They are rounded from edge to edge like the underside of a dish or bowl. Tips and tails are often concave (more like an upside down shovel) but the meaty portion of a ski is more often than not convex. Convex ski bases steal speed as the running surface of the ski is not fully engaged with the track! Pressure is not evenly distributed across the base and glide suffers. Skis are hand made with imperfect materials and are used, heated, scraped, re-heated, used more, etc. and this all deforms the base over time. This can be reversed or at least remedied with a quality stone grind. Depending on the severity of the damage and/or the base material available to work with, a ski may not return to flat but it can get awfully close! Ideally, ski bases will return to a flat stage which will ensure even glide (pressure) and wax / snow interface.
Leave a Reply