Do old skis need to be replaced?

Question
I have a pair of K2s from 1994 that my parents got me when I was 13. I used them heavily for a year, but haven't had the opportunity to ski much since then. I am hoping to do some more skiing in the coming season, and was wondering if I can just have these ones serviced, or if their integrity degrades over time and they would need to be replaced. If it makes a difference, I'm probably about 3 inches taller and 15 lbs. heavier than I was at 13.

Thank you,
Lily

Answer
Hey Lily,

The integrity of the skis should be fine. They probably need a good tune up and hot wax before you use them. The only drawback is the bindings. They are probably okay but need to be inspected and maybe serviced. The problem is that with bindings that old, you probably won't find a shop that will touch them. Bindings carry sort of a warranty from the manufacturer that holds the manufacturer liable for any problems with the bindings. When a binding outlives this warranty, the shops will not work on them because the liability now falls on who ever works on them. Here is a link to the current 'indemnification' list. If you bindings are not on the list, then they are no longer covered by the manufacturer.

http://www.nssra.com/2001/nssra/index.asp

Apparently they are updating the website. You can look at the 06-07 list to see if your bindings are on that list. If they are not on that list, then they won't be on any updated list.

With your height/weight being different, your bindings probably need some adjustment. If you can't find a shop to adjust them, then maybe you can find a friend that is knowledgeable about binding adjustment and help you get them adjusted correctly.

Hope this helps.
Keep on skiing,
Windlover