Does the weight of a ski really matter

[bigtex2011]

Does the weight of a ski ski really matter. Durability would be a question at some point. Does a ski that is heavier carry speed better thru the finish of the turn.

[A_B]

Based on my experience, the weight of the skier plays a much larger role in performance.

[eleeski]

Ski weight is very important. Lighter is better. Keep the weight out of the bindings as well.

 

The ski must accelerate, decelerate and quickly switch directions. Weight resists all those needed actions. The skier must supply that energy to get the ski to move. Excess weight means the skier needs to put extra energy into the skiing. I need every second of the set down timer - I don't want to waste my energy.

 

With that said, weight is not the most critical feature of a ski. I've ridden some sweet heavy skis and suffered with ultralight ones. Many other factors are far more important.

 

If the ski is too light, add weights. I've never seen anyone do that. Proof?

 

Eric

[Horton]

Short Answer.

The best modern skis are light because of the way they are constructed. Using the materials correctly is lighter and making a ski sloppy is heavy. That is not to say that you can't build a crap light ski.

 

Lighter just the sake of lighter is often a mistake.

[Wish]

My boots/plates are stupid heavy and I often take few jabs from fellow skiers for it. When Andy removed them from my ski and went to move it to his, he verbally mentioned the weight in a surprised tone. He was then asked by another skier of that mattered. I think everyone expected him to say yes. He said no and gave a quick hydrodynamics lesson and screwed them to a T1. I do not think it is make or break by any means.

[Ed_Johnson]

I recently switched from Powershells to the new Reflex Supershell with R Style Rear. I know there is not a huge weight difference, but the weight difference there is, is very noticeable...Especially sitting in the water..The whole ski feels MUCH lighter..The ski turns better, accelerates faster, and the edge change is MUCH quicker. Honestly, my Mapple 6.0 feels like a totally improved ski.

[LeonL]

@Ed_Johnson, I have to wonder if the weight has anything to do with the performance aspects that you mentioned. I'd rather think it's just the binding configuration over the weight, or lack of same.

[DW]

Light weight items will accelerate and decelerate better, heavier objects will maintain momentum over a lighter object. Heavier objects will require more work input to achieve same speed / acceleration.

 

@bigtex2011: Carrying speed through the finish of the turn could be construed as a momentum phenomenon.

 

[Than_Bogan]

All other things equal, lighter is better. But usually other things are not equal, and I don't think weight is necessarily the most important factor.

[GOODESkier]

Strap some weights to your "light weight" ski and see how it goes......... like a pinewood derby car!

[Than_Bogan]

@eleeski I'd claim the HO V-type R has added a weight near the tip. Hard for me to believe that's really the best option, but I haven't tried it!

[eleeski]

I have seen internet pictures of ball bearing oil bath weight dampers. They do exist. But I have never seen one in real life. Haven't seen a V-type-R either.

 

If the skis are identical, the lighter ski works better for me. And lighter boots are a free way to lighten the whole package.

 

Eric

[DefectiveDave]

Just don't strap so much weight that it sinks. That would suck.

[Wish]

Wonder what these guys thought of the bit of extra weight on the ski.

 

 

[ForrestGump]

There are trade offs to everything. When you take into account the weight of the skier and the ski as a unit, typically a 1lb difference in ski weight is less than 1% of the unit weight. So if someone says they can feel the difference in that, I call poppycock. They might feel the difference in what the lighter or heavier construction does to the ski, but not the weight itself. Within reason, of course. I'm not saying a 22lb ski is going to ski well in comparison to a 4 lb ski.

 

This is like the discussion I had this week with another bike riding friend of mine. He spends stupid money to make his bike lighter and couldn't understand why my new race bike is 1lb heavier than my old one. He doesn't get that the construction allows it to be stiffer in the bottom bracket, which is what I want in a criterium bike. My new aluminum 14.9 lb pocket rocket will run circles around me on a $16,000 Trek Emonda SLR that's 10.9 lbs.

[Mateo_Vargas]

That's it @ShaneH, the Denali Poppycock.

[Than_Bogan]

Hey when did @ShaneH become analytical!?

 

Better steer clear of playgrounds now. I hear smart people get beat up on playgrounds...

[Mateo_Vargas]

I think he already has to stay more than 300 yards from playgrounds.

[AdamCord]

Agree with @ShaneH and others...

 

Does weight make a difference? Sure. Is it super important? Not really. Let's put it this way, on my list of important design criteria...weight is probably somewhere around number 30. That being said, all high end skis should be pretty light. With the materials and build techniques available, it's just not that hard to make a light ski anymore. The Denalis weigh about 2.6-2.7lbs, but that's not because we think light is super important, it's because we know how to build a tight tolerance ski.

 

For perspective the ski Cale is riding is one of the early ones that was built with a PU core and not a PVC core, so his ski weighs about 4.5lbs. We offered to send him one of the new lighter ones and he declined because he's skiing so well on the heavy one and didn't see the point.

[bigtex2011]

Thx guys