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February, 2025

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Sharp edges and rails

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Shredneck
Posts: 2051 - Karma: -32

OK so I've avoided rails at all costs for the last couple of years I'm pretty good at boxes (270 on. 50-50's etc) but havent even attempted a rail yet. Everyone I ride with says its necessary to dull the fuck out of you edges with a gummi stone. But I live on the ice coast and want to make it to the park without sliding all over the place. Soooo is it possible to do rails consistently with sharp edges (not like race sharp but non-dulled)?

16 years ago
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,627
dull edges help its def not necesary i sharpen my edges for the ice cosat cause i love to cruise around the mountain to and it naturally dulls out the middle i mean if there razor sharp u might catch but people make a much bigger deal out of it then it is
16 years ago
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Bamski
Posts: 814 - Karma: 79
Yes, it's completely possible to slide rails without your edges being totally rounded. If the skis have been ridden fairly hard for a couple days up the slope, the majority of the edge should be somewhat smoothed out. You just have to keep in mind that there is a slim chance you could catch an edge, but so long as you're balanced that shouldn't really be a problem.
16 years ago
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marinejonny19
Posts: 221 - Karma: 11
Yea i like to have at least some what sharp edges for use here on the ice coast. its not that bad i usually sharpen my edges about once a year and they work fine on rails. You could probably do it a few more times then that too and still be fine. Just dont go crazy and sharpen em evry like 4 or 5 times you ski like some people.
16 years ago
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no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,273
what you can do is just dull underfoot with the gummi stone, i did that with a pair of skis and they still gripped fine on ice but i wasn't as paranoid on rails
i have caught an edge on a tiny burr in a rail and faceplanted so i'm a believer in dull edges for rails but they're totally doable with sharp edges
16 years ago
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Shredneck
Posts: 2051 - Karma: -32
Thanks so much guys 10/10 karma for everybody
16 years ago
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Mex_LineJib^a
Posts: 3928 - Karma: 65
word. i did that with my anthems last year and it worked like a charm.
16 years ago
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Malcolm
Posts: 15953 - Karma: 9,500
i dulled mine by grinding them on a rail a little
16 years ago
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Squid.
Posts: 1904 - Karma: 23
I skiied a few days on mine, then did boxes mostly and by the time i could do rails, my underfoot edges were dull enough. I ski in VT
16 years ago
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Shredneck
Posts: 2051 - Karma: -32
I ski Whiteface aka ICEface  and some small surronding mtns thanks so much for all the advice everybody ... I know people who take a gummi stone and like seriously put their weight into the ski and dull it down to nothing.... then they bitch about not carving
16 years ago
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Bamski
Posts: 814 - Karma: 79
Yeah, the people who completely round out their edges often end up hurting their performance rather than improving it.

It's all about de-tuning certain parts of the ski and leaving others intact. As I said earlier; when in doubt, ski it out. The edges will dull themselves to the ideal sharpness taking the guess work out of it.
16 years ago
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Shredneck
Posts: 2051 - Karma: -32
I think im going to just rub off any burs (if any) underfoot with a gummi stone. I'm going on a weekend school trip to smugglers notch in VT so I want to be on top of my park game but still enjoy the whole mtn.
16 years ago
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KramerC
Posts: 619 - Karma: 21
I have found through the years that i like it best if i dont detune my edges and just let the rail smooth my edge out. That way you still have edges everywhere but under the foot or where you actully are grinding. The first grind will be catchy but it gets smooth quick.
16 years ago
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N.L.
Posts: 2420 - Karma: 2,747

this is an awesome question.

i personally dont ride edges anymore. to me its freestyle to slide the whole mountain, east or west, i ski my skis and not my edges. therefore, i do take my edge down throughout the whole ski, enabling me to press out my slides nice and smooth.

now to start the war...edges are for racers. yup, i said it. if you are a beginner, you gotta do what you gotta do, but if your sharpening your inside toe edge so you can pretzel anything, your lame. dragging edges on a rail is silly, and if you want to ski freestlye, do it edgeless.

16 years ago
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PhaedeD
Posts: 11499 - Karma: 342
i ski the ice with no edges.
16 years ago
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Elg
Posts: 2998 - Karma: 3,881
It's all about personal preference...
16 years ago
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jfletcher
Posts: 1208 - Karma: 188
my local shop detuned my edges from the from the toe piece of my binding to the heel piece, and since I dont notice it when im just skiing. but it helps so you don't catch on rails
16 years ago
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joly.sp
Posts: 2305 - Karma: 585
I just hit the rails and the edges naturally dull out after only a handful of hits. Just do some small flat bar or something and then you will be fine
16 years ago
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DBAKE
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 340
My edges are still a tad bit sharp, but barely, do think haveing dull edges would help with butters and when I cant get that 7 around would dull edges help me ride it away without catching an edge?
16 years ago
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
i ride no edges whatsoever. it helps with butters and comming out of under/overrotated spins without catching and dying.
16 years ago
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Franny
Posts: 3980 - Karma: 77
I still catch edges sometimes with my dull edges. Maybe i suck.
16 years ago
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XxECskierxX
Posts: 66 - Karma: 10
Lol I never even thought about that it's a good question, but I don't think it matters....I think
16 years ago
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DBAKE
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 340
Ok what the fuck, I just took a file to my edges and they seam sharper, can someone tell me what else will dull them. Or how I will know if there dull.
16 years ago
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
put your file at a 45 degree angle to your edge, then after taking a few hard passes (or once they are as dull as you like) take a gummy stone to smooth out the parts you filed to take out any burrs, nicks, etc.
16 years ago
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hellomynameisjef
Posts: 5794 - Karma: 167
same. its really not that hard
16 years ago
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thephamily
Posts: 54 - Karma: 10
I made the mistake of hitting a wooden feature with sharp edges and left with an imprint of it on my chest and face.
16 years ago
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Slinger1x1
Posts: 8853 - Karma: 66
I got my skis, four days of use and i hit my first box, i kept catching, it was pretty bad. i brought them in to the shop at lunch, they ran the gummi stone over the underfoot edges, and bam, no more catching, and i also hit a rail and it didnt catch
16 years ago
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KramerC
Posts: 619 - Karma: 21
your dumb or just suck as at skiing.
16 years ago
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jmcgeady
Posts: 15 - Karma: 11
Heres what you gotta do,
1. Find a big ass rail
2. Texas tuck
3. Hit that thing with all the speed humanly possible.
4. if you catch ... tuck harder, u werent goin fast enough
16 years ago
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