Are rails better on a warm or cold day?

theabortionatorIdk, rails and boxes always have seemed stickier to me in warmer weather. Usually slide fine in the cold. Maybe detune your skis a little bit harder. It could be the rails but if you're on a new set of skis it's probably your edges. Also worth getting the detuned dialed so you don't eat shit or rip an edge out.

But yeah, the feels of sticking to rails isn't super fun. Hopefully if you dial the edges in you're in the clear and the rails aren't sticky.

BradFiAusNzCoCaIt’s driving me crazy. I’ve taken so much edge off. I feel like there’s something I’m missing. These goddamn volkls are driving me crazy.

I had a shop detune my armadas (previous park skis) and edge catches weren’t even on my radar at your setup in Northstar

katrinaBevel your bottom edge up 2 degrees.

I used to be a huge fan of just rounding over my edges but since I've started doing that I haven't caught on anything and I can actually still engage my edges in a turn.

Also maybe just get a gummy stone and deburr more often.

katrinaBevel your bottom edge up 2 degrees.

I used to be a huge fan of just rounding over my edges but since I've started doing that I haven't caught on anything and I can actually still engage my edges in a turn.

Also maybe just get a gummy stone and deburr more often.

Butterytips69Bring Pam with you and spray the rails before you hit them

animatorWait does this work? Because I am always terrified of catching an edge so I have a pair of Fully detuned skis but any day I want to ski them I have to resort to sliding around like an idiot if I’m not in the park. If this actually works I’m doing it

katrinaAll I can say is with multiple pairs of new skis it is working great for me. Blind surface swap and rip groomers, life is good.

animatorDoing this. So it’s 2 degrees on the base edge and what, 0 on the side edge?

BradFiAusNzCoCaIt’s driving me crazy. I’ve taken so much edge off. I feel like there’s something I’m missing. These goddamn volkls are driving me crazy.

I had a shop detune my armadas (previous park skis) and edge catches weren’t even on my radar at your setup in Northstar

DominatorJacquesHave you checked the bases with a flat bar?
You might have an edge high pair.
In that case, you can round edges, but they are still high.

Vincent.CrudoIt doesn't matter what the temperature is it just matters what it was. The change in temperature is what causes rails to get sticky. That and maybe ur crew isn't waxing/greasing/sanding or whatever it is they do to the rails to keep them smooth.

I heard this from a member of the park crew at Carinthia so it could be true or straight lies but I'm just passing on what the dude told me after watching me stick so bad I did a literal lincoln loop off a flatbar lol

BradFiAusNzCoCaI’ve checked the base. It’s not an edge high pair. I’ve actually been watching others and listening. Noticing not a ton of people hit the rails and the ones that do, you can hear the rails are sticky. I’ve also been watching their body positioning when they come off and it looks like most people stick a bit.

I think the local park is just bad at maintaining their rails.

DominatorJacquesI do know from riders that certain conditions can make a tube or rail slide slower.
Still a good tune for the park can make all the difference.
Also, well cared for and buffed features are always best.
Any quality park, that I know of, would never put anything on a feature like grease or even wax. Wax your sticks!
I have seen unauthorized folks applying grease one time. That's terrible and a huge no-no!

I know you say your skis are not edge high, but I bet if you put a good "Long Base Bevel" on them, you might change your thinking.

BradFiAusNzCoCaI want a base bevel, I just don’t have a guide! Also, I’m a little hesitant going to shops around me. They’re either corporate big sports shops that do some ski work, or the local resort’s shop and it’s so tiny and the guy is already overworked as is. Plus, I get the feeling he only does mounts & sales. AND I’m worried about the chance of language miscommunication and the tech not understanding what I mean (in Finland right now). So I’m just going to have to take matters into my own hands I guess and get a base file guide

DominatorJacquesUse a coarse file. Use a 1 degree base bevel guide. File until you see the base plastic affected about 2 or 2.5 mm's or so.
The base plastic is hard to file. It will take a bit of time. Finish by polishing with diamond stones 100, then 200. You can stop there, or continue with a 400, 600.

BradFiAusNzCoCaI have a coarse file and diamond stone. Jacques, you’re the man!

katrinaBevel your bottom edge up 2 degrees.

DominatorJacquesI know you say your skis are not edge high, but I bet if you put a good "Long Base Bevel" on them, you might change your thinking.

BradFiAusNzCoCaJust pulled the trigger on a base bevel guide. I’ve never been a fan of rounded edges and I don’t trust a lot of ski shops with my gear. Been hearing about this 2 degree base bevel so figured might as well give it a go and start doing it myself!

DominatorJacques2 degrees is too much. Not needed. A Long 1 degree bevel is good. You can make the base bevel more later if you really think you "need" it, but once you go 2, you can never go back. You can only remove, not add metal.
With a 2 degree base bevel, you will have to throw the skis up full edge angle to get a carved turn. You don't want that going into jumps etc.
Here is all you need, and you can go longer on the bevel, but shouldn't need to. Red is 1 degree.

https://the-raceplace.com/collections/beast-tuning-tools/products/base-beast?variant=24944791687

DominatorJacques2 degrees is too much. Not needed. A Long 1 degree bevel is good. You can make the base bevel more later if you really think you "need" it, but once you go 2, you can never go back. You can only remove, not add metal.
With a 2 degree base bevel, you will have to throw the skis up full edge angle to get a carved turn. You don't want that going into jumps etc.
Here is all you need, and you can go longer on the bevel, but shouldn't need to. Red is 1 degree.

https://the-raceplace.com/collections/beast-tuning-tools/products/base-beast?variant=24944791687

katrinaYea I agree with this, if you don't know exactly what you want and this is new to you then don't go for 2 right off the bat for sure.

BradFiAusNzCoCaNOTED! 1 degrees it is

weastcoastRails for me are never sticky whenever it’s warm out. Unless it’s bone dry. Otherwise it’s always slick cause snow gets thrown on it and the surface gets wet and slippery. Whenever it’s slushy in the day tho and it gets cold at night it turns into a nightmare, you’ll literally stop in your tracks on some tubes.

DominatorJacquesTry it. You can always do a 1.5 later if you want, but should not need. Thing is once you get rail bang, the edge will become so hard you won't get a file to cut it anymore.
Here is what you should get after a long base bevel. Click on photo to enlarge.

BradFiAusNzCoCaI did a 1.25 bevel. Haven’t hit true rail yet with it, only some metal tubes. Plus side, it made my skis feel a bit more loose and surfy while still being able to lay a carve when i wanted. It made the skis more fun

BradFiAusNzCoCaI did a 1.25 bevel. Haven’t hit true rail yet with it, only some metal tubes. Plus side, it made my skis feel a bit more loose and surfy while still being able to lay a carve when i wanted. It made the skis more fun

SkylineGTR_R32My park crew knows me by name because if the rails get icy or sticky I’m out there scraping them with my skis and I always bring some skate wax (literally just wax and wd-40) when I go skiing at home.

ToddlerBodyBagCan’t help you but I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one with this problem. Last week I tried to just do a basic slide across one of the beginner boxes and it felt like my skis hit a wall. The face plant hurt but what really sucked was having no clue what happened so now I psych myself out a lot more.

DominatorJacquesHere you go. Psych yourself back up!




https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/851717/Deep-Meditation-For-Riding-Boxes--amp--Rails

BradFiAusNzCoCaSecond update: it was the skis. I still don’t know what it was. The edges feel pretty damn round underfoot. Maybe I just didn’t prep them right in the beginning but it was a nightmare since day 1 with those skis. I ended up getting 2 edge cracks too so I sold them for cheap cheap to a friend who doesn’t hit rails.

I got some Chronics for cheap and asked the tech mounting to detune them. He didn’t do a heavy detune (in fact I thought it was too little). I skied them for about 3 days and then started hitting rails again. World of difference. This is how rails should feel.

I don’t know what was up with those Völkls but good riddance.

b0ssIs detune only under foot a good idea?

tri_photoI've found that on spring days, rails slide way better. I think because the super wet slush ends up on top of the rails so they stay damp all day. On colder days, I feel like the metal is way more crisp and not slick. Just one man's opinion

I feel like everything in the park is just more fun on a warm, spring day