All Things Elan

[Dave Petersen]

Stenmark

Shared by the Elan Alpine Ski Museum

 

[slowrider]

Bought a used pair last year to teach on 156cm. One of my favorite skis.

 

[Dave Petersen]

Shared by the Elan Alpine Ski Museum

 

[justplanesteve]

Who/what were the focus of these "Unilne" 630 skis?
There are a few references online about them being a breakthrough in terms of side cut????
200 cm
(Less sidecut than my chronologically earlier VR 17's)

It feels like i ought to try them out?
Unless????
Another pair picked up $5 barrel for potential binding re-use.
I'm aware of the recall.

smt

 

[Uncle-A]

Who/what were the focus of these "Unilne" 630 skis?
There are a few references online about them being a breakthrough in terms of side cut????
200 cm
(Less sidecut than my chronologically earlier VR 17's) View attachment 155502 View attachment 155503 View attachment 155504

It feels like i ought to try them out?
Unless????
Another pair picked up $5 barrel for potential binding re-use.
I'm aware of the recall.

smt

I only see two things that get me thinking:
1. The interlocking E's on the top of the base, not sure if it is reference to Elan or some construction method.
2. The Tyrolia 280D Binding that was geared for the intermediate skier, that hints the ski is not a high performance ski.
BTW the recall might have been before the 280D binding, but the timing is a long time ago. You may find more about that in the All Things Tyrolia thread.

 

[justplanesteve]

Just to clarify the poor photo- Bindings are 290D.
(I realize that is not much different).

I have some 280's on very light/short dynastars that we discussed - will eventually drop them in another barrel, or, as my wife suggests, build a theme compost pile fence with the undesirable parts of the burgeoning, ahem, "collection"

On the subject, i snubbed a pair of tyrolia 480's in another barrel as being too plastic - any comments on those?

My actual quest bindings are Marker M4, LN N17, & Salomon 727.
But at $5/pr, sometimes it's hard to resist the unloved strays.

smt

 

[Uncle-A]

Just to clarify the poor photo- Bindings are 290D.
(I realize that is not much different).

I have some 280's on very light/short dynastars that we discussed - will eventually drop them in another barrel, or, as my wife suggests, build a theme compost pile fence with the undesirable parts of the burgeoning, ahem, "collection"

On the subject, i snubbed a pair of tyrolia 480's in another barrel as being too plastic - any comments on those?

My actual quest bindings are Marker M4, LN N17, & Salomon 727.
But at $5/pr, sometimes it's hard to resist the unloved strays.

smt

With the Tyrolia bindings sometimes the plastic is only cosmetic and the metal underneath is what makes the bindings work.If you look at how the 480's are made you should be able to tell the ones that have the metal underneath and the ones that don't. Maybe some close up pictures of the toe and heel would help.
As far as the S727 don't get the black model unless they are all metal because the plastic in the S727 heel will explode, the orange S727 is all metal and they are better. The earlier S727's are not DIN settings, the adjustment will be 1 - 4 the later modules will be DIN settings 5 - 12 or higher. Good luck with your search.

 

[justplanesteve]

Wow, these 290's are dismal!
I'm starting to see the problems with modern bindings & all the plastic.
Was setting up the Elan's to my Rossi boots, idea to take them along tomorrow and give them a whirl.

When i started to use my binding test rig to check, the top of the toe pcs wobble all over the place. With simple angulation, the boot moves a lot, before it transfers angulation motion to the ski. I could not tighten it down in any way that was effective. It spread the wings too wide at max depth, which was still not enough. There's just too much play and give in the screw and plastic parts. Considered going down in the shop and making metal parts to replace the plastic.

Then tried the 280's and actually they are better, since the toe top piece is metal.
Will probably move the 280 toes over to use with the 290 heels which have a swivel funtion, and are full step in.
Ran out of time, though, tuning other skis.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Today's plastics are totally different. I've seen steel break before plastic on modern bindings.

I don't know if I'd ride a current binding in 40 years, though. Nevadas, N17s and M-4 15s are all I would push hard.

 

[Uncle-A]

Wow, these 290's are dismal!
I'm starting to see the problems with modern bindings & all the plastic.
Was setting up the Elan's to my Rossi boots, idea to take them along tomorrow and give them a whirl.

When i started to use my binding test rig to check, the top of the toe pcs wobble all over the place. With simple angulation, the boot moves a lot, before it transfers angulation motion to the ski. I could not tighten it down in any way that was effective. It spread the wings too wide at max depth, which was still not enough. There's just too much play and give in the screw and plastic parts. Considered going down in the shop and making metal parts to replace the plastic.

Then tried the 280's and actually they are better, since the toe top piece is metal.
Will probably move the 280 toes over to use with the 290 heels which have a swivel funtion, and are full step in.
Ran out of time, though, tuning other skis.

The toe has an adjustable toe height adjustment screw, it lifts or lowers the part over the toe. If you place the boot in the toe and slide a credit card between the AFD and the bottom the boot, you should be able to turn down the toe height adjustment screw so the toe doesn't wobble, than when you remove the credit card you should have just about the right hight adjustment for the toe. The swivel function in the heel is what makes it have the "D" or Diagonal name in the 280D or 290D.

 

[justplanesteve]

The toe has an adjustable toe height adjustment screw, it lifts or lowers the part over the toe. If you place the boot in the toe and slide a credit card between the AFD and the bottom the boot, you should be able to turn down the toe height adjustment screw so the toe doesn't wobble

Yeah, i'm aware of that - problem is it runs out of travel before fully gripping the toe; which is still only part of the problem: the plastic top piece still rocks on the screw, and the screw rocks in the other parts. There's a good part of 3 - 5 deg angulation *both* directions before anything happens at the ski. That's a lot of lost motion.

Another thing - the further down the top piece is screwed, the wider the wings spread???
(Like they are interconnected)

than when you remove the credit card you should have just about the right hight adjustment for the toe. The swivel function in the heel is what makes it have the "D" or Diagonal name in the 280D or 290D.

Thanks much for gage setting instruction.
Also clarification what the D stands for.
I did not know either.



smt

PS, why i'm sitting at the keyboard instead of skiing as planned on such a glorious day
Water pipe into the house froze somewhere outside/up the hill last night ( -12 here by 8 AM)
Nothing to do but wait, but did not want to leave wife alone with whatever happens.

Oh well at least i can watch the sno-cams, and maybe tune another pair of skis.

 

[CHTAHOE]

We used the Cliff Taylor GLM method at Aspen Highlands Ski School when I was an instructor there from 1974-1980. Awesome to see the printed material again!

 

[Uncle-A]

We used the Cliff Taylor GLM method at Aspen Highlands Ski School when I was an instructor there from 1974-1980. Awesome to see the printed material again!

We used the Cliff Taylor GLM ski and Spademan bindings as our rental ski in the shop I worked from 1972 to about 1980. After that we switched to a Rossi for our rentals. It was a fun little ski and I used them to teach my wife to ski. I thought it was a good teaching method, never knew why they abandoned it.

 

[cantunamunch]

I only see two things that get me thinking:
1. The interlocking E's on the top of the base, not sure if it is reference to Elan or some construction method.

Old Elan graphic, sort of like the Volkl interlocked Vs. That used to be on the topsheet in the 70s

2. The Tyrolia 280D Binding that was geared for the intermediate skier, that hints the ski is not a high performance ski.

It wasn't. Soft-flex rec model. The Uniline is supposed to be a hybrid, neither SL nor GS but partaking of both.

 

[Uncle-A]

Old Elan graphic, sort of like the Volkl interlocked Vs. That used to be on the topsheet in the 70s




It wasn't. Soft-flex rec model. The Uniline is supposed to be a hybrid, neither SL nor GS but partaking of both.

So I would say my reasoning was a good SWAG.

 

[Philpug]

From our recent visit to Elan's Headquarters in New Hampshire

 

[charlier]

My work skis.