I understand that skis lose their flex characteristics after a certain amount of use. How can I tell when that point is reached and when the ski is 'dead'? Or does this not tend to happen these days anymore (I seem to recall Harald suggesting something like this recently)?
Great question.
I've been skiing a pair of 2001-02 Atomic 9.18's for 3 seasons and have logged about 60 or so days on them...and I bought them used!
I'm pretty sure they're "dead" now but I'll keep them for East Coast rock/ice skis now that I bought some new ones.
It really depends on skis and how you use em!!. We use to have a rule of thumb of 100 days in a pair of skis. When I was ski patrolling I would consistently log 45-50 days per year and got new skis every 2 seasons.
Really depends on how hard you are on the equipment and the skis themselves.
My research (well, Internet research, not real, on-the-ground research) is beginning to suggest that you get more life out of wood core skis than foam core ones. Does this tally with your experience?