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SL edges tuned 89 front 87 rear, why?

maxwerks

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I recently got an old but almost unused pair of Volkl SL from the pool of a WCer (Soleveig). They are marked as having a soft flex (79) and edge angle 89 front and 87 rear. Before I set the edges fully to 87, does anyone know the purpose of this tuning pattern?
 

Jacques

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Probably so, the edge will release from the turn easier.
 

Zirbl

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Guessing: easier to drift the tip before carving the second half of the turn. Another guess: if you mean Solevag, could it be something to do with how aft he gets?
 

Tony S

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Guessing: easier to drift the tip before carving the second half of the turn. Another guess: if you mean Solevag, could it be something to do with how aft he gets?
I was wondering that too. And imagining the coach doing a face palm. Easy to speculate from the ignorance couch.
 

ScottB

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I have never used that approach as a race coach, but I would expect it makes the tip less grippy so the tip doesn't bite into the snow as much and doesn't react to every little imperfection in the snow. I think @Zirbl is pretty spot on. It must be a personal tuning thing and I recommend your do your 87 deg tip to tail. Or try it out first and see what you think?
 

James

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Doesn’t mean he used it all the time. Different setups, different conditions. It would be interesting to know the where and why.
Even Rancho used 86 on the Face Bellevarde, Val d’Isere, in gs.
 

Zirbl

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If it's not been skied much, was it maybe an experiment that didn't work out and that's why you've got it? Or as @James says, a one-off for very specific conditions? I recall that in his Olympic couch commentary Miller said that given the snow there was proving so reactive, he told Shiffrin to detune the ski as far as the bindings. Could it be it was a set-up they tried for that, or Zagreb, or spring or something? Or even just something for training through heavy snowfall? Can you ask the source and enlighten us all?
 

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