Ski issues when resting in a straight line?

[Guest]

Hi Guys, not sure ideally which section this would fall in. I ski on a HO Omni 67, been just freeskiing for a while but do not have a lot of confidence and it reflects. I find that when I'm going out over the wake the ski bites in a feels quite good but when resting in a straight line it feels quite unstable and almost 'skatey'. If the water has a slight wind ripple on it then it's fine but a glass like finish (that everyone seems to want) results in me feeling like I'm all over the place and fall-prone for no apparent reason. I'm guessing it's because I'm tense, weight too far back etc but not overly sure and it's a bit confidence denting. I have the ski bindings set up in the factory positions (mid settings). Thank you for any help you can offer.

[skihacker]

Most skis do that in flat water, kind of hunting for one edge or the other, try resting in the center of the trough on either side of the wake.

[Horton]

@Larsson10 next time it happenes you might try putting a little bit more weight on your front foot and then maybe on your back foot to find a different balance. Shifting your weight back and forth will change the amount of ski in the water and you may make things more stable.

[MDB1056]

Yes- it’s hunting for an edge . Comp skis want to be on edge . They feel loose if just skiing straight, and it’s much more noticeable on glass water. Keep it moving and it’s ?

[harrison_343]

hunting for an edge - its a pain in the ass

[Larsson10]

Thanks very much guys.

[aupatking]

As Horton said, try putting more weight forward or back on the ski to see what it likes. Typically you’d find too much of the tip of the ski in the water makes it want to bite when maybe it shouldn’t. Here is the settings chart for 2020 HO skis, as I just made a guess to your year Omni, but they haven’t really changed anything.

If you measure from the base of the front boot heel, let’s say 1/2 an inch to 1 inch above the plate (really depends on your boot) to the tail of the ski, that should let you know where your boot is. The “middle holes” don’t always put you where the ski is designed to be ridden.

[swbca]

Some manufacturers recommend you clean your new ski with something like 409 household cleaner (non-abrasive) to remove any remnant of form release agents. Can't hurt and probably won't make a noticeable difference.

[VONMAN]

That's a good sign you have a high performance ski under your feet. It wants to be on edge not flat. When teaching beginners I use flat bottom wooden skis to start with, two or one ski.

Makes it easy on the get ups and edge control.

[Horton]

@swbca

I guess some people still use dish soap with a new ski but there's really no need. That is a remnant of the days when there was a significant mold release on a brand new ski. That is no longer the case. Personally I never clean my ski unless a bird poops on it.

[Jmoski]

How fast are you skiing and where are you on the weight range recommended by HO for a 67”?

[Dysco]

Back in our teens, lots of our gal friends could get up on slalom and swerve a bit. They would often ask to use one of our skis, as we talked about how nice they turned. It was always a bit of fun to watch the ski hunting for an edge when they rode it flat.

[6balls]

Just keep it on slight edge--doesn't take much. Even in my gate glide would keep just slight outbound before rolling in for gates and 1 ball.