It is a rare thing to find a pair of wood
skis these days. I don't think they make them anymore. What
with all the polymers and plastics, Kevlars and fibreglasses,
foam filling and carbon materials, cross-country skis have gone
very high-tech. Skis hardly weigh anything anymore. And if you
are a competitive racer, these fancy skis can make a huge
difference in your results.
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MATHER |
In reality though, most of us who love skiing
don't need to have our skis made from space-aged
materials.
Although I must admit that when I borrow
Vesta's racing skis for a tour around the trails, they feel
great. They are light and fast. I can hardly wait until
she needs new skis, and I can get the
hand-me-downs.
Wood skis might be said to be the opposite of
racing skis. But if you are not a racer, a good pair of wood
skis could become your very favourites. I love wood skis. I
love them so much that I seem to be gathering a collection of
them.
The first pair of skis I bought some 30 years
ago now hangs decoratively on the wall. They were just about to
crack from long use and old age, so I put them into retirement.
Since then, I always check out the used skis at second-hand
stores. Whenever I find a pair that is the right length, and
fairly narrow, I'll pay $5 to $15 and bring them home for
future use.
In the right conditions, skinny wood skis can
be very fast. Take a temperature of -11 C, fresh snow and a
good track, and my best wood skis will feel better underfoot
than any other.
With Rode Special Green for the wax, I can
climb straight up almost every hill. They also give me perfect
glide down the other side, as well as long, wonderful glides on
the flats. They look nice too. And they smell good.
Wood skis smell of pine tar; a wonderful,
warm, aroma of pine.
Once a year I scrape all the wax off, and
spread a thick black layer of pine tar on the bottom of the
skis. Using a propane torch, I melt the tar into the skis, and
wipe the excess away with a rag. The pine tar seals the wood,
fills in any little scratches, and prepares the base for
holding the wax.
A couple of years ago, I waxed nostalgically
about wood skis, and my hope to find a pair of very narrow
Birke Beiner skis about 195 centimetres long. I never did find
those, but many people phoned to tell me of old skis they have
had in storage for decades. Most of these skis are no longer
usable, but they are still beautiful to view.
I collected some of these skis at that time,
with thoughts of having an auction to benefit the ski club at
the Laurentian Conservation Area.
With a little more planning, we might get
this sale organized for sometime this spring. If you have some
old wood skis hanging around that you would like to donate to
this effort, leave a message for me at 853-4742, or drop an
e-mail to [email protected] . Thanks! And happy
skiing!
Viki Mather lives by a lake near Sudbury.
