Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Have been wanting a no-wax ski and just purchased a set of OTX 78s in 196.
On closer inspection at home, I see that the camber is not the same on both skis, with the difference in the picture below being about 1/16”, or 1.5mm.
A camber pressure test (press on ski until a piece of paper under binding area locks up) seems to indicate the ski with more camber is stiffer / takes slightly more pressure than the other one.

If these were track skis, I would say definite no-go situation.
But would it matter for a BC ski? Maybe a little, but not enough to be a problem (except mentally!)
But, I’m slightly inclined to not stick with something I have doubts about…

What do you think — should I keep them, or return?
They are the only pair of last year’s I’ve seen local (with the easy skin attachment and made in the Czech Republic, not China), so an exchange is not an option.

Maybe I sometimes get overly concerned about details, so interested in what others think?
I have 24 hours to decide, before I leave the area.

Thanks
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I don't think 1.5 mm camber height makes a difference in itself. but if you flatten the bases together, is one ski bending backwards? Meaning do they have the same stiffness?
I'm not a perfectionist by any means but I think my mind would blame any an all skiing difficulties on that probably irrelevant difference in camber height.
I'd probably return. Not completely rational though.

Crappy man.
I don't think I could accept this- especially with a brand new ski.
Personaly, I would definitely want to return them.

However-
I am sure that there all kinds of backcountry skiiing conditions where one wouldn't even notice-
unless there is very significant difference in flex-stiffness-stablity between the two skis.
Height of intial camber can be misleading-
our Fischer 78/88 have significantly higher intial camber than a ski like the Asnes Amundsen/Gamme- but the Amundsen/Gamme is much stiffer- longitudinally.

My Traverse 78's are mismatched as well. I put a water bottle on the higher ski and added water to see how much weight it would take to make the camber compress to the other ski, around 450 ml. My Traverse 78's were purchased in the fall of 2022 and were manufactured in the Czech Republic. Julie's Excursion 88's were purchased in the Fall of 2018, manufactured in Austria and the camber is same on both skis. They have a lot more miles and seasons than my semi-new Traverse 78's The 88's and 78's are different generations, with different wood cores. I don't know how the camber compared when they were new, but based on your new skis and my semi-new skis, Fischer needs to do a better job when matching skis at the factory. I've owned many generations of this ski, which has had many different names and topsheets over the years. I think it is a great ski. Given the choice, it would be better to have a matched set of skis. My new Traverse 78's ski very well and they are lighter than my previous generation (which I no longer have) so I will continue to ski them. I'll have to see if I can tell any difference between the two, but I'm betting I won't be able to tell, as most of the time the snow conditions vary so much off trail that each step feels different. Does anyone have the newest version of the Traverse 78 that was purchased this season? What is the country of manufacture and how closely does the camber match?

Thanks all for the replies.
I think this is one of those times when there’s no objectively logical choice.

The obvious difference is the difference in camber between the skis — either camber, as a set, would probably be fine.
The real concern: Is there a difference in stiffness between the skis that would be noticeable when skiing?
Would one ski be better at climbing (lower camber) and the other better at glide (the higher camber)?
Would kick-grip and glide be different between the skis on the flats in firm snow?

I could feel a difference in how hard I had to push on the ski to get the under foot part of the base to contact a flat surface.
Also, I clamped the skis together and ran a piece of red sewing thread from the contact point at the tips to the tails and then looked at if the tread was centered on the skis in the under foot mid-section of the ski — it was slightly offset.

Given all that, I ended up deciding to return them and will see if I can find another set.
The guy who sold them to me and took the return was kinda stoked because he might end up with a free set of skis if Fisher warranty replaces them to the shop and doesn’t require return of the mis-matched skis — this is exactly how he got his Traverse 68s!

I know, it’s microscopic, but this is a picture of how, with the bases clamped together (so, with equal pressure on each ski), the lower camber ski, on the bottom, is flexing more than the stiffer ski on top.
If the skis were equally stiff, the red thread would be right on the mating surface between the two skis.
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Hello Stephen, just my opinion, I didn’t buy these skis. I would mount the higher camber, mark the ski, and ski it on my right foot. I’m right handed.
Good luck

I thought that Fischer flex matches their skis before they leave the factory? Or maybe that's just for track skis?

fisheater wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 02, 2023 11:05 pm

Hello Stephen, just my opinion, I didn’t buy these skis. I would mount the higher camber, mark the ski, and ski it on my right foot. I’m right handed.
Good luck

Bob, great minds think alike!

JB TELE wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 02, 2023 11:22 pm

I thought that Fischer flex matches their skis before they leave the factory? Or maybe that's just for track skis?

It seems like that sort of thing would make a lot more difference with a track ski, especially on the competitive end.
With both @Tom M and me having the same problem with the same ski, it doesn’t look like there is much effort to match these skis.
TBH, it may not make that much difference in the BC. I bet most people don’t bother to check, so ignorance is bliss.
I need more ignorance, I guess!