OUT WITH THE OLD

I am not exactly sure where this entry is going. The flury of holiday activity, being busy at the shop, skiing with family, racing in the rain have all kept my attention. I have today off. Dani is at work and Erin, Adam and Corbin are at the supermarket getting the necessary fixings for New Years Eve. It is snowing in Bend. The house is quiet. My thoughts, like dust from a passing whirlwind, have a moment to settle.

Those of you who know me know that I am new to the world of retail. I have been a teacher pretty much since I was 12 when I was teaching the beginner swim lessons in Manchester, VT in 1960. I am enjoying learning something new and incorporating my skill set to my contact with many of you reading this. From my point of view there is a lot of teaching involved in retail. People have to have accurate information in order to make the right choice when buying skis, boots or wax. That is what I try to do.

At the end of the year with 2009 about to become history, I am looking back and examining the lessons I have learned. I could also use some help and perspective from any of you folks who read this and have had dealings with us here at WebSkis. Since I often hear the voice of my father telling me that any job worth doing is worth doing well, and since I am a relative rookie at business, I know that to do my job well I need to continue to learn so that I can do the job better.

I do know that even with a slow economy our ski business has been gradually improving. Looking at last year’s numbers, we have sold a few more pairs of skis, a few more boots, and our numbers of local customers for service are increasing. I have to believe that we are doing some things right. Not all sports equipment retailers are improving business statistics. So I have a pretty good read on what we have done. That is history. Now I am pondering the future. Sure, this is an undisguised commercial message. And we all know that when we are making money in our professional endeavors we pay the rent, the heat, the electric bill and shop at the supermarket. It all works to spread the wealth.

Now we have a pretty good inventory of top of the line skate skis and a few classic skis. I would enjoy being able to move the skis from the racks here at WebSkis to the feet of the right skier. Check the website for more information.

Thanks to all of you who have called with questions, come to wax clinics, looked at skis or shopped on-line. Think about what worked well for you. Consider suggesting what might work better. You could respond to this post or drop me an e-mail note at bert@webskis.com.

Oh, the family is back. Time for Corbin and me to play in the snow. Next year we can ski together.

New Years Relay at Mt Bachelor.

The weather seems to enjoy throwing rain at the race days at Mt Bachelor this season. The current (1:00 PM 12/31/09) forecast for New Years Day is

Tonight: Rain and snow. Low around 28. Breezy, with a west southwest wind between 24 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

New Year's Day: Rain and snow showers, becoming all snow after 10am. High near 35. Southwest wind around 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

The race is a relay of 3 skiers. The first leg is classic and the last two are skate. See the MBSEF website for more details.


Glide wax: Start with a fairly soft pair of plus base skis. Brush them well with a medium bronze or steel brush and apply a layer of Solda UF7, scrape and brush. Follow with a layer of Solda F31 Pink or F40 Red, scrape and brush. Finish with Solda Fluor 100. The spray would work well, or Powerjet 1. After corking these fluoro additives remember to let the skis cool before brushing. Use a soft horse hair or very fine/soft nylon to finish the job.

The economy wax would be a layer of Solda UF7 on a nice clean base.

After waxing you could apply a medium structure with the Toko Structurerite tool. Always brush again after applying structure.

Kick Wax: YUCK... I would start with a sticky wax under foot, maybe two thin layers one just a bit longer than the other and then cover with a slightly harder wax. If using Swix, start with a layer of VR 60 or 65 and cover with VR 55.You could also try straight VR 70. If using Rode, start with the Rode Red Extra 0 to +2C and cover with Rode Blue Super -1 to -3C. Good Luck. Remember there is also the Klister cushion. If using this idea probably best to start with a Silver klister and cover with a hard wax for around 0C temps. Klister must be cold when covering with a hard wax.

Good Luck

Par for the Course 09 Wax

I skied 4 mornings this week. The snow has been very cold. Yesterday it was -20C (-4F). Today -18C (0F). Slow, transformed snow. Like sand paper.

Snow is forecast for Friday night prior to the race. Snow is forecast for race day. Overnight low of 23F is forecast and race time temp is forecast to be 26F. The weather forecast has changed every hour all day. Some models show mixed rain, sleet and snow for Saturday. Other models show just snow.

Here is my current view. Pick a pair of skis, if you have a choice, that are not too stiff and with a medium grind. If you need to add a structure, use a fairly fine interupted rill. Apply the rill after waxing and just before the application of the fluoro. I am going to condition the base with a layer of SOLDA Performance Green. I will follow this with F40 Red and finish with HP04. The Green is to harden the base a bit and the F40 red for good glide in the new snow.

Low wax budget? Go with layer of UF7 and follow with F15 Pink or F31 Pink. UF7 alone could be a good choice.

Should there be a significant change in forecast I will repost here Friday night.

Have a good race.

Bert