All Things Olin

[da-cat]

Awesome! Looks like you found the Hot Tub Time Machine and its at Crystal Mountain !

 

[Vintageski808]

Olin VCEs and their infamous edges

 

[da-cat]

Nice! They look brand new!

I have the same pair - also in 205cm as those appear to be (guessing). Mine have black and silver Geze bear trap step - ins.

So about those VCE’s, I got my MARK ll’s new from my brother who found them in old stock around 1982. I only skied them a couple of times after I dropped them off for sharpening- and the shop ran them across a belt sander.

The edges were shaper but I noticed my skis were now making a “hissing” sound - you could hear it clearly at slow speeds! I discovered the aggressive sharpening may have created small gaps in parts of the cracked edges exposing a p-tex bridge between them.
They ski fine - and make that cool, evil “hiss” sound!

btw: These skis can double as rear leaf springs for a Ford F-250 truck! Just saying..

 

[Uncle-A]

Nice! They look brand new!

I have the same pair - also in 205cm as those appear to be (guessing). Mine have black and silver Geze bear trap step - ins.

So about those VCE’s, I got my MARK ll’s new from my brother who found them in old stock around 1982. I only skied them a couple of times after I dropped them off for sharpening- and the shop ran them across a belt sander.

The edges were shaper but I noticed my skis were now making a “hissing” sound - you could hear it clearly at slow speeds! I discovered the aggressive sharpening may have created small gaps in parts of the cracked edges exposing a p-tex bridge between them.
They ski fine - and make that cool, evil “hiss” sound!

btw: These skis can double as rear leaf springs for a Ford F-250 truck! Just saying..

I would like to see some close up photos of those edges. Never heard of edges making a hissing sound, I wonder if it has another reason.

 

[da-cat]

I will post a close up of the edges on my MARK II V.C.E.s sometime soon.

The hissing sound is only when I begin a descent or at the moment I glide to a stop.

 

[Noodler]

Cracked edges. Now there was a good idea. Not!

 

[Uncle-A]

Cracked edges. Now there was a good idea. Not!

Olin was not the only company using them, they did use variable width cracked edges. That was the VCE on the ski, other companies used same width cracked edge the Volkl Zebra had a cracked edge of I remember correctly.

 

[crgildart]

They weren't all they were cracked up to be. My The Ski TRS's have VCE too.

 

[Noodler]

I owned a few pairs of Olins back in High School; they had the cracked edges. At the time we all thought how advanced that idea was, but the reality of what happens when a ski flexes deeply and other issues with tuning kind of threw the practicality of the idea into the trash.

 

[Uncle-A]

I owned a few pairs of Olins back in High School; they had the cracked edges. At the time we all thought how advanced that idea was, but the reality of what happens when a ski flexes deeply and other issues with tuning kind of threw the practicality of the idea into the trash.

From what I remember the Mark VI was one that had some issues with the cracked edge. The tip was soft and would flex maybe more than it should have and that was when the smaller segments of edge would fail. I don't believe other had the same issue.

 

[Noodler]

From what I remember the Mark VI was one that had some issues with the cracked edge. The tip was soft and would flex maybe more than it should have and that was when the smaller segments of edge would fail. I don't believe other had the same issue.

And that was my best ski (although I raced on Dynastar). Loved that ski, I saved up for so long as a high school student to buy those.

 

[Bad Bob]

Loved my VI's. They were my first pair of tip rockers after hitting a real firm bump a little too hard. Sure did love them though.

 

[Uncle-A]

And that was my best ski (although I raced on Dynastar). Loved that ski, I saved up for so long as a high school student to buy those.

Because it was a soft tip ski some people liked to ski it in the bumps and to do that they purchased it too short. That was an additional reason why some of the edges failed.

 

[da-cat]

@Uncle-A,
My VCE MARK ll’s are buried at the back of a lot of stuff.
To describe the gaps mine have after the aggressive run on a belt-
When new, and the edge segments are viewed looking at the bases, they hardly have gaps or separations- just lines.
Mine have about .75 mm obvious gaps in some places; black PTex showing in between segments.

 

[dan ross]

Here is a DTS promotional shop poster from 1975
featuring ( the late ) Robert Young taken at the Stowe Winter Carnival/pro freestyle event.
The boots were available the next season.

 

[da-cat]

I have @crgildart to thank for setting me up with my square tip MARK lV COMPS and a shout out to @Joal for the heads up I was looking for a pair, thank you guys!

Like I have said before;
Recognizing you have a problem is the first step to stopping an addiction!

But the problem I see here is my 200cm Black early MARK l’s and my 200cm Grey MARK Vll’s are not in the picture!
Plus I am leaving a place holder for a pair of early MARK lll S in Dark Blue with Yellow letters if I find them!

 

[da-cat]

@Uncle-A was asking about a photo of my “hiss sound” making Variable Cracked Edges on my OLIN MARK ll V.C.E. skis, see below.

So my MARK ll’s were run across a belt sander a bit too much! Zoom in and P-Tex gaps are visible between segments- this is the noise maker (at slow speeds you can hear a hiss).

Originally the edge components met evenly but the tune I paid for came back like this and now I had spaces in between edge pieces!

 

[crgildart]

@Uncle-A was asking about a photo of my “hiss sound” making Variable Cracked Edges on my OLIN MARK ll V.C.E. skis, see below.

So my MARK ll’s were run across a belt sander a bit too much! Zoom in and P-Tex gaps are visible between segments- this is the noise maker (at slow speeds you can hear a hiss).

Originally the edge components met evenly but the tune I paid for came back like this and now I had spaces in between edge pieces!

Back in those days shops were just starting to use the belt sanders for base grinds. Betting the heat expanded the metal sections and left gaps when they cooled back down. Hand filing VCEs was probably a lot safer.

 

[Doug Briggs]

@da-cat Are these your skis?




They could be for the price of shipping. I'll even figure out how to take the Burts off, if you don't want them.

Edit: no extra charge for the cool Aspen stickers. ;-)

 

[da-cat]

@Doug Briggs
Those are in fact the color and ski I seek!
I could go with replacing the Burts with a set of S555s I have on hand. Or S555 Equipe (gold)?

175cm is pretty cool too because we’re talking first of the mogul hot shots, am I right?
Thanks for the thought-
Talk more soon?