My ski poles
I bought this ski poles (Leki Ventrix size 115 cm (46 in)) about 12 years ago (2003?) when I was in Boulder, CO. I really loved the grip and feeling of this poles while pole planting when skiing.
Accident happened
Last weekend, when my family went skiing, I accidentally stepped on one of my poles while holding my daughter. It snapped! My heart was broken since I knew this model is discontinued a long time ago.
Looking for replacement
I started looking for the replacement but since I did not pay attention the ski market for a long time, I did not know which one has better rating than Ventrix. I liked the Trigger system of Leki so I wanted to stay with Leki. There are Leki Carbon 11S which is out of stock in all markets out there. Alternatively there is Leki Carbon 14S which is a little bit thicker diameter. I wasn't sure if I would like it or nor. The price at the local store was $149.
Looking for ways to fix it
When I was googling, I found this youtube video showing how to fix Carbon fishing rod. http://youtu.be/gCY8tLHyeJQ I was almost sure there is a similar item in the US market.
Not surprisingly, amazon.com has everything. I found similar item but a little bit easier to apply. It comes with three different widths, 1, 2, 4-inch. I bought 2 inch width and it is delivered today.
Preparation
First thing first, I did was to secure aligning the snapped pole. In my toolbox, I found a wooden piece left from one of my furniture. I used epoxy (WaterWeld) to securely attached inbetween snapped area. It somewhat helps not to bent while drying.
FiberFix it!
The rubber gloves are coming with the FiberFix. It says it is non-toxic but the resin is extremely sticky. I only used it about 12 cm length.
After soaking it as indicated in the user's manual, I started to wrap it around the damaged area. Using the rubber gloves, I wrapped it as tight as I could. Then I used the rubber tape (non sticky) that came with the package. As I tightly wrap it around the FiberFix, I was able to see the bubble and excess water comes out of the edge of the tape. It helps securely fasten each other.
Wait time
I waited about 30 minutes to let it dry, then unwrapped the rubber tape. It looks and feels very hard now. Using the sand paper came with the package, I sanded a little bit to make the surface smoother.
Final touch and evaluation
I used to wrapped electric tape at the bottom of the carbon area so it won't scratch much from ski edges. I was worried about adding more weight due to this fixing material. After complete, The weight difference before and after was ~3 grams. I don't think I can feel 3 additional grams while skiing. Not too bad! But I still have to check if the elastic feelings are similar.
Tis picture shows the final appearance. The fixed one looks a little bit thicker near the snapped area but hopefully I don't feel much difference while skiing.
