In 2022 the Skirack partnered with the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, and sent a Wintersteiger Race NC that had been in our shop from Burlington, VT to Estonia. The U.S. Ski Team had a plan to move that grinding machine into a mobile ski work truck. This would allow the service team to massively expand their capabilities in preparing athletes skis for World Cup competition.

Well, this multi-year project is finally taking off for the 2024-25 World Cup season!!! We recently had a chance to catch-up with Paul Choudoir, from the U.S. Ski Team, who is leading the project. For those unfamiliar, ski stone grinding is a process where a specialized machine uses a grinding stone to remove a very thin layer of the ski base. This refreshes the surface by flattening it, removes scratches and damage, and exposes fresh pores to better absorb wax - all of which improves ski glide and performance. The micro pattern of the stone, which gets transferred onto the ski base, is cut by a small diamond. This allows the skis to be optimized for different snow conditions. The Ski Team will look at everything from temperature, humidity, snow pack, and snow crystal shape to decide on this grind pattern.

At the Skirack we use a Wintersteiger Omega machine and are grinding all Nordic skis with a new Race-Service stone and diamond we have that only gets used for Nordic skis, and produces fantastic grinds. For those who like technical details, it's the Wintersteiger V06 Grey-Brown stone and 8 x 0.4 rhomboid diamond.

We've been working with Wintersteiger and have a great simple-but-effective 3 grind offering:

• 9/6 cold grind for 0 - 22f
• 10/7 medium grind for 18 - 32f
• 11/6 warm grind for 28F +

Check the interview between Jake Hollenbach and Paul below and look out for a video interview later this winter. Let us know if there is anything you especially want to hear discussed!

1. Who are you and what's your history from a ski tech standpoint?

My name is Paul Choudoir. This will be my second year as a Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team service technician. Before I joined, I was with the U.S. Snowboard Cross Team for five seasons, doing what I am doing now. We tested wax on skis and applied it to the snowboard. Before that, I spent six years with a ski shop in Minneapolis, called Boulder Nordic Sport. Maine's own David Chamberlain taught me everything from waxing to stone grinding. I work part-time at Gear West with David and learn more every day.

2. How long has the US Ski new mobile grinding truck and project been in the works for?

I believe about three years. I remember discussing with the team how it could work and what must be done. A position was posted at one point, but the funding fell through. The truck itself was built over last season. As last season progressed, we were receiving fun updates with photos and 3D images of the future truck. This summer, Oleg, our Head of Service, sent photos of the mostly finished truck. It's now in the final stages of getting tricked out.

3. Your stonegrinding experience has mostly been with the Tazzari machines I believe - what are your brief initial impressions of using the Race NC thus far?

It's very different. The versatility of the grinder and the products Wintersteiger produces is incredible. There are more stones and diamonds (what cuts the pattern into the stone) than I am used to. The other thing that really impresses me is the computer software. I'm a visual learner, so having a screen showing me an estimate of what the pattern will look like based on some tweaked settings is great. It's borderline overwhelming, but luckily, my excitement to get started takes over pretty quickly.

4. Describe what is contained within the new Grinding truck?

There will be quite a few things. Obviously, the grinder, the reservoir tank and a chiller that cools down the water moving through the grinder. There is also another problem we are facing. The team is getting bigger. More and more young athletes are making criteria for World Cup starts, so we need more room for technicians. The timing worked out well. There will be two work tables with four total stations. Shelving and drawer systems for wax and equipment. Oh, and a few 50 lbs grinding stones that I'm not super excited about moving around.

5. I believe you were able to visit with Wintersteiger HQ in Reid, Austria, what was that experience like? What was involved in that visit?

I was, and it was amazing. Unfortunately, we were only there for a day and a half, so I didn't get to explore nearly as much as I wanted to. Reid, Austria, is a funny little town. It's not huge or very close to great skiing, but three major winter sports manufacturers are there. Fischer was the first. As they expanded, they needed things built for the factory and the company itself, so Wintersteiger and L├╢ffler were founded. We got a tour of the factory, which produces primarily stone grinders and other ski-tuning equipment. They cut their own parts and construct everything. It was an impressive presentation, especially when we saw the fully automatic Jupiter grinders being built. Also, we found out that they are heavily involved in agriculture R&D for some big seed companies. They specialize in manufacturing machines to create small plots that can be studied. I also included a photo of a rice harvester that I thought was pretty cool.

6. You guys also visited some ski manufactures (Fischer, Atomic, Salomon) in Austria - is there help/support from those companies in regards to grinding their skis?

The unfortunate part about being at Wintersteiger was that I couldn't visit Fischer or Atomic/Salomon in Altenmarkt. The four technicians, including myself, were split up so we could cover more ground before settling into Ramsau am Dachstein for the next four days. As far as help goes, kind of? Manufacturers are pretty secretive about how they operate. I got some pointers as Atomic and Fischer use Wintersteiger products, but the most common pointer I got was, You just have to figure it out by doing it."

7. What is the matched fleet of test skis that you'll be using?

We will be using an eight-pair-matched fleet of Fischer skis. I won't be grinding them all at once. We will progress to establish grinds that we find effective.

8. To start with how many different stones and diamonds will you guys be working with to create different grinds for the team?

My wishlist includes four stones and five diamonds. However, I don't know how quickly I will switch between them. I have a few basic procedures to establish, and I need to figure out what stone and diamond I will use just for the first steps of the stone-grinding process.

9. Historically how have skis been getting ground for athletes? Through manufactures race service? US based grinders? European based grinders?

Most of our World Cup racers use manufacturer grinds, many of which are developed specifically for the World Cup only. We do see the occasional grind from a US-based outfit, but that's usually on athletes coming over for a few starts, not necessarily on the A team. Many teams do the same, and we try to separate ourselves from the pack.

10. How often are race skis reground in season?

Many skis get ground once during their time on the World Cup. It's either a maintenance issue, or they are trying to make the ski faster by putting on something else. Skis get turned around pretty quickly. For some athletes, companies drop off two to three new pairs on a race weekend. As you can imagine, skis start to pile up. The solution is to weed out the skis that can't cut it. They either get sent back to the manufacturer to get ground or given to someone else to see if they will work for them.

11. This is both a really exciting project but also a big undertaking - what is the anticipation like from the staff? From the athletes?

The staff is very excited to get this project started. We don't expect this to be a rocket launch and to be grinding skis before race day in Ruka. This will be a well-thought-out process, and we will only want the best put on our athletes' skis. We will be having a few more testing camps than usual this next year in preparation for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. I think athletes are happy when they see investment in the team. This was a massive project that came through thanks to some incredible donors. For them, I can't help but think they are excited to feel that people back home are behind them.

12. Often times grinds are described as narrow range or broad range - meaning they work in a small temperature/conditions range or that they work in a broader range of conditions. Is the idea for the team to get started along the KISS principle and have a few broad range grinds that work really well - and then try to move into narrower range grinds that might optimize those last percentage points for something like a championship?

In a general sense, yes. We want to overall have broad grinds to tackle multiple World Cup venues. We also want to be prepared for very specific competitions. So having a mix of both is going to be key. This is why we will have more testing opportunities in specific locations.

- Interviewer: Jake Hollenbach,
Skirack Nordic & Bike Specialist