Nordic Structure Menu
The 11 grinds we present here are the distilled essence of our experience.
A serious racer will be able to cover a wide range of snow conditions from the choices in this menu.
Do you have questions about our stone grinding service?
e-mail us: stonegrind@wildrosesports.com
You MUST include the word "Grind" in the subject line of your message or it will be rejected by our spam filter!
Some factors to consider when choosing a structure:
How many skis do you have?
What is the relative stiffness of each of your skis?
Does a particular ski work best in hard or soft snow?
Do you wish to compliment existing structures on other skis?
What snow condition is common at the venue where you would like the skis to work best?
Quiver and Core Patterns
Patterns labeled Core are recommended when a skier owns one or two pairs of skis.
Quiver patterns are suggested when the skier owns multiple pairs, or needs a ski to function in a specific condition.
Hand Modifications (Rilling)
Hand modifications to the structures in the chart can expand their functional range.
Some simple rules:
Apply rills to raise the effective temperature range.
Burnish or peel the base to drop range.
Excellent results are often achieved by applying a hand rill type (cross or linear) that contrasts with the stone ground structure type.
Be aware that some hand modifications are permanent.
UNI and 3/4 Series
Our most popular grinds. UNI(-) is viable in a huge range of snow conditions, and many racers carry it on several pairs of skis to have wax and flex options on race day. New on the published menu is UNI(hm), a slightly warmer version of UNI(-). UNI(xm) and (xlm) are great choices for moist new snow. 3/4 patterns are for transformed snow.
GRIND |
DESCRIPTION |
RANGE |
HAND MODIFICATION |
USE |
| UNI(-) |
Shallow fishnet Universal pattern with wide range | Blue to Red waxes; Low teens to mid 20's | Add medium linear rill | Core |
| UNI(hm) | Medium fishnet pattern with wide range | Red wax; Effective in semi transformed moist snow | Add linear rill | Core |
| UNI(xm) | Medium coarse fishnet pattern for moist snow | Red to yellow; Very effective in moist new snow | Add linear rill | Quiver |
| UNI(xlm) | Stretched teardrop rendering of UNI(xm) | Fresh wet snow. Perfect for Atomic Multi or Fischer Zero | Add linear rill | Quiver |
| 3/4(-) | Versatile cross pattern for transformed snow | Blue/Red to Red/Yellow mix; high teens to mid upper 20's | Burnish or peel to drop range | Core |
| 3/4(+) | Cross pattern for transformed and corn snow | Spring Grind. Red to Yellow; Mid 20's up | No | Quiver |
Linear Series
Linear patterns are generally best in dry or colder snow conditions where there is limited free moisture at the snow/ski interface. Wet snow performance range can be extended by adding crosshatch hand rills. X-cold and L-4 grinds are half depth and have limited moisture management capability, but superior performance in dry and cold snow. VL-45 has variable line width with finer structure at edges to reduce friction at low speeds and high angulation.
GRIND |
DESCRIPTION |
RANGE |
HAND MODIFICATION |
USE |
| X-Cold |
Super fine shallow linear; Very dry or cold snow | Blue and Green waxes; Below mid teens | No | Quiver |
| L-4 | Medium Fine shallow linear; Cold and dry snow | Blue to Blue/Red mix; Single digits to mid low 20's | Add Crosshatch Rill if wet | Core |
| L-5 | Medium Linear; Good all around range | Blue/Red mix to Red; Mid teens to mid upper 20's | Add Crosshatch Rill if wet | Core |
Variable Structure Geometry Series
What's this about? In two words, skating uphill. In three words, steep hardpacked uphill. At low speed, a finer structure is more free, (i.e. slippery). Two things happen on a steep uphill, one, you are going slow, and two, your ski is angulated and tends to have more contact at the edges and less at the center. (Do you see where this is going??) With this in mind, we developed a series of skate specific grinds with finer base structure at the edge for better uphill glide. These are not core patterns and should only be considered by skiers with the luxury of owning many pairs of skis as they are only of benefit on (3 words again) steep hardpacked uphill!
GRIND |
DESCRIPTION |
RANGE |
HAND MODIFICATION |
USE |
| UNI(vx) |
UNI pattern built with variable geometry | Hardpack with steep climbs and some free moisture | No | Quiver!! |
| VL-45 | Variable Linear for dry, steep hard snow | Cold and Dry hardpack | No | Quiver!! |