Hey everyone, my name is Lyndon and I’m pretty darn tired of all the threads about shops messing up mounts. To prevent any more of these, here is a quick tutorial, equipped with pictures on what you can do to avoid any mix-ups.
Please note: I don’t have any unmounted skis at the moment, so your measurements will be perfectly accurate as your measuring tape will sit flat on the ski.
Getting the skis ready
Here’s what you’ll need.
1. Skis
2. Measuring tape (metric!!)
3. Painters tape (green)
4. Exacto-knife, or very accurate scissors
5. Ruler
6. Scotch tape
First of all, you will want to measure your skis. You will want your skis on a high surface- I used a sawhorse.
Everyone measures theirs different, but here’s how I do mine. I measure the skis length (tip to tail), and divide by 2 to find the true centre. Many mounts are done incorrectly as the tech interoperates the true centre of the ski as the recommend mark. I have my Ar6’s mounted 2cm forward of true centre, but you may want your skis mounted behind true centre. My skis are 176cm long, so the true centre of them is 88cm from the tip, and 88cm from the tail.
Next, take out your painters tape. Cut a strip about 25cm long, and 1-3mm wide. Use a ruler to ensure it is straight. You can cut this in half, and use each strip for each ski.
You should be left with a 25cm long skinny strip of green tape
Now, go back to your skis. Have your measuring tape on the ski, and slide the painters tape under there you want them mounted. I went 2 cm forward of centre, which is 86cm from the tip. Stick it onto the ski, as straight across as you can.
Take some scotch tape, and put a long piece over top of the painters tape so it wont move around. Make sure that the scotch tape wraps around the edge and sticks to the base.
Repeat the same process for your other ski. Don’t worry if the recommended lines on the ski don’t match up with the marks you just put on, as the graphics on skis are rarely equal on each ski.
Getting your skis mounted
If you want your skis done right, wait as they mount them. I always call ahead and talk with the tech to set up an appointment where I can come in, and wait as he mounts them. This allows him to ask my any questions about problems he may run into. Also, you can clearly communicate where you want them mounted. Heck, you can even use your finger to touch the line that you made! Even take the tech’s hand and make his finger touch the line you made! No more confusion! You wont need to say, “Can you please mount my skis -2.5cm from true centre?†You can now say “Can you please mount my skis at the attractive green line?†See what I mean? Its hard for a tech to miss a green line. Unless he’s colour blind. Wow.
Lastly, be polite, and make sure you aren’t in a rush. Mounting skis can take anywhere from 15 minutes, to an hour, depending on the skis and bindings. The last thing you need to do at this point is rush the tech. Get your skis, and hit the hills. No more problems, no more issues. Just skis mounted the way you wanted!
Regards,
-Lyndon
