Ever had a question and thought to yourself, ‘Where can I find the strongest opinions from all over the world about this thing from the comfort of my own home?’ Then, it hits you -there’s a magical corner of the internet you can do just that and so much more.
*Yoda voice* A beautiful and terrifying place, Reddit is.
Reddit’s dedicated skiing page, r/skiing, is a mishmash of ski industry news, conditions reports from all over the world, gear questions, technique questions, anything you could think of, and my personal favorite… photos of people’s blown up gear usually with questions about whether or not it’s fixable.
Maybe it’s just that a lot of mountains still don’t have a ton of snow coverage yet, or maybe I just need to try to hit more rocks skiing, but it seems like lately there’s been some magnificent gear blowout posts on r/skiing.
I’m all for trying to save a buck and tuning skis yourself, but some things require a professional. So, for your doom scrolling pleasure, here’s a few of my favorite ‘cooked’ skis with some classic, weird Reddit responses.
Photo: Reddit User Beastlybros19
‘Rip my skis’ says Beastlybros19 about these absolutely clapped Benchetlers. Doesn’t seem like these are super fixable, or really worth even trying to fix with an edge blowout that big.
Best comment: “That oughta buff out just fine. Put a little elbow into it and get a sharpie going on the light colored spots.”
Reddit Fixability Rating: 1/10, mostly cause of the above comment.
Photo: Reddit User Antique_Bell_7725
“8th day of ever skiing and this happened. How bad is the damage?” Luckily, you could probably fix this with some epoxy, but after only 8 days on them, I’d hope you could warranty these skis instead!
Best comment: “Nothing some scotch tape can’t fix.”
Reddit Fixability Rating: 6/10.
Photo: Reddit User steinna615
No questions here, just statements: “Mantra M5 metal de-lamination.” Yup, I’d agree.
Best comment: “J-B Weld that ish.”
Reddit Fixability Rating: 2/10.
Photo: Reddit User FancyPants 1439
“Is this fixable? or am I cooked?” asks Reddit user FancyPants1439.
Well, FancyPants, I’m no expert, but I’d say you’re erring on the side of a well done steak. A crack like this is bound to compromise the structural stability of the ski so unfortunately, you’re better off just replacing them.
Best comment: “He’s dead, Jim.”
Reddit Fixability Rating: 1/10.
Photo: Reddit User L1ketheJeans
“Got new bindings. Are these bumps normal?” asks L1ketheJeans.
L1ketheJeans, my little lamb, no, they’re not normal. Luckily the kind folks of r/skiing have advised you well. The shop that mounted these done goofed and probably owes you some new skis.
Best comment: “The reason people are saying to get them to give you new skis is because every layer of the ski is compromised. They squid game cooked your skis.”
Reddit Fixability Rating: 0/10.
Photo: Reddit User Mac30123456
“Are my skis repairable? Or done for good? It’s a pow day tomorrow, can I still take them out?” asks Mac30123456. Apparently these Line Visions had only been skied six times and the whole ski was bent with the top and bottom delaminating. Ouch.
Best comment: “It’s hard to tell, can you take another picture with just the back of the credit card? Also what’s your zip code…”
Reddit Fixability Rating: 2/10.
Photo: Reddit User senya-listen
“How do you guys recommend I go about repairing this ski edge?” Well, Reddit user ‘senya-listen’, I applaud your optimism about these skis! After all, you’d think they’d hold up better after only two weeks of hitting rails on them?
Best comment: “Your grits are cooked. Just continue beating on them until they can be beat no more.”
Reddit Fixability Rating: 2/10.
My deepest condolences to all the skis featured on this page, especially those who got cooked too soon. Just remember, even though all skis are rock skis, that doesn’t mean you should actively try to hit rocks on them…
Related: 10 Ski Stereotypes You’ll Encounter at Every Resort
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