So I have a pair of old straight skis, too clumsy for me so I cut them down.
This is supposed to be very different than using snowblades, straight skis are ... well... straight... so you can hold your edge while kiting. I cut them down to 57 inches or so. Will likely cut another foot off after I try them.

Here is the result so far:

This is a very interesting idea to have short skis without the excessive sidecut of the blades.
Looking forward to results!
I'm not sure how much better they will edge as I think it is the length that contributes to edging ability. But they definitely will have less speed wobble

Thanks! Ohio Saul gave me the idea. Below are a couple of videos he made with a similar setup. He seems to be the fastest snowkiter so far this year according to Hardwaterkiter's logs. Another friend of his cut them down to almost nothing and was doing pretty good (last video).

3rd person view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMYx1yKRBT8

Line mount view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2lBc_vyupo

And even shorter cut skis of one of Saul's friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjrTMm-lv9U

Hope to get a chance to test mine out this weekend!

What did you cut them with and what did you do to seal up or smooth off the cut edge?

Just to be clear, I don't use the short, cut-down skis for speed. For that, I have some super-long, 210 Atomic race skis.

I like the short ones when I am going for air on ice. They are also better for beginners, more maneuverable.

That video of my friend is Lee Sedgwick of Erie, PA. He practically invented the sport on ice, taking big stacks of stunt kites out on the ice with skis.

Well....hello Saul, welcome!..where u been all our lives?

Did you have to move the bindings forward? I don't know much about skis but the used ones I was looking at had the bindings close to the rear of the ski.

Hi Saul. Thanks for clarifying!

ssayre - yes I did.

CUTTING:
It took a long time to cut through the base of the ski with a regular saw, but still saved time and money vs going to the hardware store. The aluminum top and wood core were like butter compared to the base.



SANDING:
Sanded the cut down with sandpaper as much as I could (because thats what I had), especially the metal corners. When I swing by a friends house with a dremmel or grinder I'll grind down the back metal corners so they don't cut me up. You should also grind down the lip on the old screw holes with a dremmel.

SEALING:
Saul suggested using Ptex wax, but I had epoxy handy so that's what I used to seal the cut. I filled the old binding screw holes with epoxy as well.

I didn't add epoxy to the new binding holes, I just drilled holes slightly smaller than the screws and screwed them in. I didn't want the screws to get stuck in case I want to move the bindings again. It might cause the board to absorb water slowly and delaminate, I'm not sure, but for the number of times I snowkite (2 this year so far), it will likely take years to happen even if I go overboard and snowkite 10 times a year. Winters like this one don't come around often in Cincinnati and these kinds of skis are cheap.

Thanks for the info. As a tip, add elmers glue or a water proof glue like elmers to the screw holes before you screw the bindings back on. Then flip the ski upside down while the glue dries. This causes the glue to seep up to the screw head while drying and keeps water out in the future.

Good advice from B-Roc on the screw gluing. It also dampens the vibration, keeps the screws from vibrating loose.


If you have a grinder or a file I suggest rounding off the edges at the tail end so they don't snag if you move backwards at all. You no longer have a tail cap to protect them.
:D

Ssayre, bindings are mounted a couple ways, mostly on a mid mark of the ski but sometimes a "toe Mount" (early K2, Elan etc...) These skis had a scale to mount off or just a line. Sometimes you measure mid chorde, divide by half add 15cm.

The bindings will look further back. Unless it's a park ski then sometimes you mount dead center for equal front and back length.

Thanks guys. I'll elmers glue the screws soon and grind down the back end as soon as I get access to a grinder. To position the bindings, I measured the flat part of the ski (in contact with the ground / excluding the tip), found the ratio of front and back space to the binding, and moved the binding up accordingly. Not sure if this was correct. Just eyeballing Saul's skis it seems like the back part on his are shorter in relation to the front compared to mine.

If you're not banging out slalom turns or powder 8's you'll likely be fine wherever you settle on with the binding.

Worked out much better for me now that they are shorter. No ski crossing and easier to manage turns, but of course that's just my poor ski technique. If you are learning to snowkite on ski's, cutting some old straight skis down is a good option.

Conditions: somewhat packed snow, maybe 6-10 inches on the ground.

I'll keep these like that for now and use them on semi-packed snow to bare ice. Maybe get a snowboard when one pops up on craigslist for the powdery stuff.