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New member from the Netherlands

XSki

Putting on skis
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Joined
Jun 15, 2020
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99
Location
Gulberg
Hey there, long time reader here and in the good old days follower of Epicski. Really appreciate the reviews and other stuff given here by all the contributors.
For future reference: male, 58, 180lbs, 5’11 and a ski-instructor for 15 idd years. Austrian Landis certified. Member of Freestyle Holland, still trying to be a better

My quiver exist of a home-brewed powderski, a Nordica Enforcer 100 (192), a special edition FreestyleHolland mogulski (Blossom, 185), a Rossi Hero elite LT ti (183), a very old Nordica Dobermann sc (164) and the last new member of my quiver: a Blizzard Brahma 88 (180).
My boots: Nordica Dobermann 110 (old), Nordica Enforcer Blower 115 (bit less old) and brandnew Nordica Promachine 130.

I ski everything and like everything. I train and teach on a indoor rolling ‘carpet’, indoor snow slopes and 3 - 4 trips to the Alpes (20+days a season).

That’s it for now. Greetz.
 

Après Skier

Amateur Skier & Professional Curmudgeon
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Welkom! I love skiing in the Alps but i rarely get to go since I live so far away (13hr by plane from California). Could you please share your thoughts on some of your favorite ski areas? I’ve read guide books and online blogs but it’s always nice hearing people’s personal experience. I’m a confident upper intermediate who enjoys everything: piste, off-piste, powder, bumps, reds, and non-extreme blacks. While skiing in Europe I especially enjoy the long thigh-burning valley runs, cozy mountain huts, good food, parties, and huge interlinked resorts. Any thoughts you could share would be well appreciated. Dank U!
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
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West of CDA South of Canada
Welcome. 15 years indoor teaching, WOW! How much teaching do you get to do above beginner level indoors? That really doesn't matter, but just curious.
 

dbostedo

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Welcome to PugSki @XSki ! We have an indoor carpet place near here now, and I have not tried it. I'm tempted to do some summer training though (once it's open again).
 
Thread Starter
TS
XSki

XSki

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Jun 15, 2020
Posts
99
Location
Gulberg
Welkom! I love skiing in the Alps but i rarely get to go since I live so far away (13hr by plane from California). Could you please share your thoughts on some of your favorite ski areas? I’ve read guide books and online blogs but it’s always nice hearing people’s personal experience. I’m a confident upper intermediate who enjoys everything: piste, off-piste, powder, bumps, reds, and non-extreme blacks. While skiing in Europe I especially enjoy the long thigh-burning valley runs, cozy mountain huts, good food, parties, and huge interlinked resorts. Any thoughts you could share would be well appreciated. Dank U!
Always difficult to answer due to personal preference. For me, I go a couple of times a year just for a long weekend and that means I don't want to drive longer than about 8-9 hours after work. For me that means a lot of large French skiresorts are too far away. That said:
- Good partying and decent amount of piste kilometers and variety: St. Anton (A), Ischgl (A), Saalbach(A) Mayrhofen (A), 3 valleys (Val Thorens F) although all very crowded at times.
- Less partying but large and a lot of variety: 4 Valleys (Verbier CH) especially moguls and offpiste, Les Portes du Soleil (F/CH) less high, somewhat shorter pistes but alot of km. and a lot of choice in different villages (in CH and F), Tignes (F) good offpiste and long runs, Serfaus/Fiss/Ladis
- Smaller but good skiing: Obertauern (A), Lech/Zürs (A), Montafon valley (A).

Ofcourse there are a lot more. Skiing in the Italian Dolomites is exceptionally beautiful but less demanding, Most of the large French resorts offer long runs and variety, Most of the Austrian resorts offer more small mountain restaurants and more of a lively après-ski.

I tend to go small, often really small, resorts after a big dump. Who needs a lot of piste then? A lot of times a go places like Kappl (A). Nice small resort, enough for a few days on/off piste and with a large resort - Ischgl - 10 car/bus minutes away.

My favourites: early in the season Obertauern ('always' snow) or Stubaier gletscher. Nendaz/Verbier (4vallays CH), Kappl/Ischgl and at least once a year I have to go to Portes du Soleil (know the place like the back of my hand, favourite restaurants where to get the best pie, where to get the best Tartiflette etc.)
These places I return to on a regular basis. Beside those I go to where the snow brings me.
 

Après Skier

Amateur Skier & Professional Curmudgeon
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@XSki Thank you so much for your reply! I can only imagine how fast you must drive on the long journey southward through Germany. Your annual trip to les Porters du Soleil sounds amazing. If you ever feel compelled to write an Unofficial Resort Guide I would love to read it.
 
Thread Starter
TS
XSki

XSki

Putting on skis
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Posts
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Location
Gulberg
Welcome. 15 years indoor teaching, WOW! How much teaching do you get to do above beginner level indoors? That really doesn't matter, but just curious.
Actually I do have a lot of intermediate and advanced skiers. Often even (near) expert skiers. I have to say that is because of my long teaching history. People tend to come back every year and learn every year. Also, because I am one of the oldest teachers (as in experience and years) I know better how to teach advanced skiers. Every teacher learns a bit more each year they teach. More experience, more tricks, more different ways to explain and more - at least in my case - alternative ways to look at skiing techniques. We do have a learning program, but of all our teachers I tend to deviate the most from that program.
And quite important to me: personally I like everything, piste skiing, long turns, short turns, high speed/low speed, moguls, off piste in bad terrain and fresh powder. Because of that, I can better relate directly the way a skier needs to ski. For example: the standard learning program aims at carving - so you teach a wide(r) stance - but I am not going to tell someone who wants to learn to ski moguls, to ski wide. In this way I can offer even an expert skier something new or more difficult. And be assured: even (very) good can learn a lot on such a strange rolling carpet.
Also, there is a growing number of people who see skiing on a carpet as a good and fun way to get in shape. They come for 5 or 10 hours before they go to the mountains. By then their muscles are workong properly again and their technique is brushed up. Some of those come the whole season instead of pumping iron or the tedious threadmill in the gym. Way more fun and high intensity.

Disclaimer: But your assumption is quite right. There is also a lot of beginner lessons going on. That's inherent at teaching skiing, indoor and outdoor. I am just lucky to have more variety in skiers level.
 

Bad Bob

I golf worse than I ski.
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Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
5,843
Location
West of CDA South of Canada
Actually I do have a lot of intermediate and advanced skiers. Often even (near) expert skiers. I have to say that is because of my long teaching history. People tend to come back every year and learn every year. Also, because I am one of the oldest teachers (as in experience and years) I know better how to teach advanced skiers. Every teacher learns a bit more each year they teach. More experience, more tricks, more different ways to explain and more - at least in my case - alternative ways to look at skiing techniques. We do have a learning program, but of all our teachers I tend to deviate the most from that program.
And quite important to me: personally I like everything, piste skiing, long turns, short turns, high speed/low speed, moguls, off piste in bad terrain and fresh powder. Because of that, I can better relate directly the way a skier needs to ski. For example: the standard learning program aims at carving - so you teach a wide(r) stance - but I am not going to tell someone who wants to learn to ski moguls, to ski wide. In this way I can offer even an expert skier something new or more difficult. And be assured: even (very) good can learn a lot on such a strange rolling carpet.
Also, there is a growing number of people who see skiing on a carpet as a good and fun way to get in shape. They come for 5 or 10 hours before they go to the mountains. By then their muscles are workong properly again and their technique is brushed up. Some of those come the whole season instead of pumping iron or the tedious threadmill in the gym. Way more fun and high intensity.

Disclaimer: But your assumption is quite right. There is also a lot of beginner lessons going on. That's inherent at teaching skiing, indoor and outdoor. I am just lucky to have more variety in skiers level.
Interesting.

Luck is where opportunity meets preparedness.
 
Thread Starter
TS
XSki

XSki

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Jun 15, 2020
Posts
99
Location
Gulberg
:useless:

Please! more info on the home brew!


What do you want to know? I can write a awful lot about them. Let me begin with the general idea and brief history (and a teaser)
DSC00122.JPG DSC00120.JPG
Tiprocker and detail of ski with dimensions

Brief history
I had a friend who started to make his own skis in his workplace. After a lot of testing and making prototypes he had 1 productionversion whichh he called the original. It was loosely based, inspired, by the first edition Armada JJ. His ski had also a five dimension design and tip and tail rocker profile with a hint of camber. It had a bamboo core, measured 196cm tall and 112mm wide.
I tested that one and had a blast.

My thoughts and tweaks
Over to my own home-made pair of skis. As said, I liked his skis very much but had my own thoughts. For me it was a bit much. Especially for my use. I would like to think I'm a real powderhound but in reality I ski more on piste with my wife and friends than off piste. So, I wanted to make mine more piste-orientated without giving up to much off piste qualities. So I came up with the following tweaks:
- Since I am 5"11 (180cm) I found 196 quite tall for me. On the other hand, I wanted to keep floating capacity so I went down to a respectable 192cm
- 112mm of width is for on piste quite wide with slow tipping and relatively low pressure: I downsized to 105mm under foot.
- To make it more even more piste orientated I added lot more camber and a lot more sidecut: 138-105-128 with a tapered tip and tail.
I still had the bamboo core, race base p4000, and extra broad iron on the sides.
RIMG0070.JPG
race base

Topsheet design
So with this in mind I began making a topsheet design. By the way: keep in mind that I'm talking 2009-2010. Rocker-camber-rocker profile with camber and relatively short radius wasn't very common if not fairly non-existent.
After hours playing with Photoshop I had a design I liked. A Pop-art ski design. This was printed on (well actually sublimated) topsheet material.
Artiekopie.jpg
Photoshop design ready to print

Actuel building of the ski
We picked a weekend and in 2-3 days we build the skis. Made a mold, cut out the base, bent the iron around the base, shaped the core and finally we put everything together in layers in a press. Besides the core I used 2 layers of glass, anti-vibration (dampening) rubber and under foot through tail carbon stringers.
RIMG0075.JPG RIMG0072.JPG
Skipress and layering in the mold before going in the press.

The home-brew POP-art ski
vers van de pers.JPG
DSC00288.JPG DSC00294.JPG DSC00290.JPG uitsnede copy.jpg bindingen passen.jpg DSC00295.JPG
DSC00124.JPG


As for the finishing touch I obviously pulled them through different base prepping machinery and the last thing before mounting Pivots on them, I painted the side red with a mixture of epoxy and red pigment gel.

Hope you had enough pics so the thread isn't worthless anymore ;)
 

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dave-o

Booting up
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Joined
Feb 1, 2017
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29
Dank u wel!
Cool top sheet design!
What's the radius on those custom badboys?
 
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XSki

XSki

Putting on skis
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Joined
Jun 15, 2020
Posts
99
Location
Gulberg
Thx.
Haven’t calculated the radius, so I really don’t know. With a bit of effort it is possible to make short carved turns. And that’s a lot of fun with a 192 ski and 105 underfood.
 

AlpedHuez

Chasing that Odermatt form
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Oakland/Tahoe expat in London
I can think of @Cheizz from NED who would be keen to know you have joined the forum. Not sure of any other Dutch / in NED on here.
 
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XSki

XSki

Putting on skis
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Joined
Jun 15, 2020
Posts
99
Location
Gulberg
G’day, Slim. So Duluth is not your place of birth. And Cheizz: I don’t know the man but I know of the man. I’ve visited his website several times. Good advice and good skitalk.
 

Slim

Making fresh tracks
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G’day, Slim. So Duluth is not your place of birth. And Cheizz: I don’t know the man but I know of the man. I’ve visited his website several times. Good advice and good SkiTalk.
no, born in Delft, Z. Holland
 
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XSki

XSki

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Jun 15, 2020
Posts
99
Location
Gulberg
Welcome to PugSki @XSki ! We have an indoor carpet place near here now, and I have not tried it. I'm tempted to do some summer training though (once it's open again).

So, I’m curieus: did you find the oppurtunity to go? And if so, did you like it?
 

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