WICKED STICK or SWEET MISTAKES?

So, did they work, and how were they? Show everyone proof that your ride was a success (or even a complete failure)!

Moderators: Head Monkey, kelvin, bigKam, skidesmond, chrismp

Post Reply
rockaukum
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:23 am
Location: Placerville area

WICKED STICK or SWEET MISTAKES?

Post by rockaukum »

Some of you may have seen my post on the need for help with my cat track on the press. Well here is the result of my last experiment. The skis are named "WICKED STICK" by "ROKMZ". My son, the computer wizard, did the grafics and the ski design for me. He was able to liven up the grafics with his usual flare! The #2 on the tail is to represent the second set of skis I have made. Kam, I hope you don't mind but I kinda took from your skis the "not made in..." idea(?).The skis had two problems.
1. The cat track issue of not pressing in the areas between the RL and tip and tail, and
2. The core shifted despite nailing the core to the base mold, or it may have been the base material?
Any way, I made a trip today to the mountains and gave them a run for there money! First turn was a crash then I setteled in and they are fantastic! Have you heard of the "KOOL AID"? It's the ear to ear smile that comes to your face in times of great pleasure! The ski dimensions are 122-98-114 and 185 length. Construction is poplar core with maple sidewall. Profile is 2-12-3mm tail. Iused 22oz triax aboce and below the core. Grafics are silk at tip and tail and the printed area is on rice paper. The skis are real close in weight and come in at 2000g.
Here are the skis in the shop with the bindings freshly mounted.
Image
Here I am at the top of the mountain. You may notice the duct tape on the tip of one of the skis. I had problems with keeping the loop for the skins on the ski (tip too fat or loop too small? It is the largest loop that they made).
Image
Here I am skiing the wicked sticks!
Image
All in all, a great ski, and a great day! The skis take what I call patients while turning. My first skis could be turned very quick but these float and do turn with ease and do bring on the KOOL AID SMILE!
rockaukum
User avatar
RoboGeek
Posts: 239
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 12:08 pm
Location: Middle of a cornfield...

Post by RoboGeek »

congrats! They look sweet!

Whats all that white stuff on the ground though :evil:
I used to be a lifeguard, but some blue kid got me fired.
SCHÜSS
Posts: 99
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:21 am
Location: Australia

Post by SCHÜSS »

wow really impressive! and thanks for the reply in my gamma post too.

congradulations on a sucessful 2nd ski!

I am particulary interested in the graphics method. What type of printer did you use? and does the rice paper go 100% clear on the non printed bit or did you cut it out?

any way, well done.

schuss
SCHÜSS 2011
G-man
Posts: 600
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:58 pm
Location: northern sierra nevada

Post by G-man »

I keep telling you guys those round tips are worthless for attaching climbing skins to :) .

Hey, looks like the skis were definitely fun and performed well... and it doesn't look like you were in fluffy powder... nice flex, good form, pretty trees.

G-man
User avatar
bigKam
Site Admin
Posts: 538
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:15 pm
Location: Park City, Utah
Contact:

Post by bigKam »

rockaukum: nice tips, but i would have softened the shape a bit like this:
Image

overall, nice lookin' skis!
G-man
Posts: 600
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:58 pm
Location: northern sierra nevada

Post by G-man »

Hee, Hee, Hee, Hee... :D

Now, those tips look just like my tails... Hey! Rockaukum can just put his skins on backwards and climb 'switch'!

G-man
rockaukum
Posts: 558
Joined: Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:23 am
Location: Placerville area

Post by rockaukum »

Schuss, The graphics were printed on a HP Deskjet 930c (whatever that is?). The rice paper was cut to the black parimeter on the design so I would minimize showing through. On the light backfround it is somewhat transparent however on a sample over the black silk, the graphic was very muted and you could see the rice paper. So I opted to go W/O the full cloth top.
Gman, Don't think I did not think of trying to figure something out about the skin issue. The fat tip should work very well in the soft and deep(I hope anyway). I'll solve the skin issue by making my own loops. They actually did end up holding on after having to pack them away four times that day. They had to because the duct tape got mangled in the packing process!
Kam, One thing at a time. It was enough to use your idea and come up with "NOT FROM CHINA" under the #2. But if your okay wiht that,Maybe my next skis (MOBETTA STICKS) will reflect the square tips!
RoboGeek, That would be.... I almost forgot, SNOW! It started as a beautiful sunny day. Our first run was great and the sun remained until we got to the top and started to have lunch. The clouds finally found us and begun their wonder and snow came a falling!
Cant' wait to go again.
Hey Gman, It should be snowing now? How about a Sierra Report? Dumping since sunday non stop?
rockaukum
G-man
Posts: 600
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:58 pm
Location: northern sierra nevada

Post by G-man »

Hey rockaukum,

You may or may not have picked up on it in the past, but the K's and I have this running joke with each other regarding tip design... goes back quite a ways. So, I think that the square tips were for my benefit :) . My first pair skis sported some pretty pointed tips, mostly because I was so tired of my skins continually falling off of the round tips of my store bought skis. My latest skis aren't quite so pointed (industry pressure ;) ), but I still make sure that a skin loop will stay in place. There are some newer tip loop designs that are more 'wrap over' rather than 'wrap around', and they work really well for round tips. Actually, round tips do provide for a bit better tip float (more surface area per a given tip length), and that's why I'm giving in a little to the 'round side'.

We got lots of big ol' snow flakes here for much of the morning, but nothing stuck for long (about 4,000 ft). Lots of precip for about 16 hours, though, so headed for the volcano in the morning to get some of that deep heavy face planting mank before it turns into something more skiable. I'll be using the big wide skis with the really pointy tips.

G-man
Post Reply