• Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.

What you need to know about gear care and tuning

Status
Not open for further replies.

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Keeping you boards performing “like new”​

A discussion of waxing skis with a beginner or intermediate skier inevitably leads to “Waxed skis go faster and I don’t want to go faster”. While the basic premise of waxed ski = faster ski is correct, that’s only a very small part of the story. A waxed ski also turns more easily, glides more smoothly, and has a longer life span than a neglected ski. Ski care methods run the gamut from the most basic maintenance to having an on-site tuning bench for condition-specific race waxing. Fortunately for most of us, basic care of ski equipment is quick and simple.

BASIC CARE AND FEEDING
Boots: Always dry your boots after every use – either by air drying or using a boot heater/dryer (a hair dryer may be used, but only on the very lowest heat setting and with constant attendance to avoid melting or searing the liner and footbed). Once dry, keep them securely buckled to help the plastic retain its shape. Before storing for the summer, remove the liners and allow the shell and footboard to dry and air-out to avoid mildew, then reassemble to store. If you find that the shell below the liner seems to get wet on a regular basis, the culprit is probably a leaky toe dam (the little rubber part that sits at the end of the shell opening just above the toes). The best fix for this is to apply duct tape over the toe dam (you can even color coordinate the duct tape and the boots now). Try to avoid hanging or carrying your boots by the powerstrap – it puts added stress on the strap and the connectors on the shell (or liner if it is attached there). Avoid walking in your boots – it wears the soles unevenly and contaminates them with dirt, rocks, etc., possibly compromising their ability to release from the binding in the event of a fall.

Skis: Always dry your skis thoroughly after every use to avoid getting rusty edges. Never store them in a car-top box or anywhere else they may stay damp. Avoid storing them standing on a cement floor as well, since this also induces rusting (otherwise, they can be stored horizontally or standing up). Ski straps should be used to avoid having the skis rub together at the contact points, causing base damage and edge rust.

SKI TUNING
A complete ski tune consists of base work, edge work, waxing, and finish work. Each of these components directly affect the way a ski will handle (a ski without wax will be sticky and balky underfoot, a ski with a bad edge tune or non-flat base can be grabby and unpredictable or feel like it slides out every time it’s put on edge). Every skier should at least understand the basics of tuning so that they can talk to their chosen tuning professional about their own equipment preferences if they choose not to do their own tuning. Unless your skis have been without care for some time or have sustained visible damage, you should request a hand tune. A machine or stone grind removes a minute layer of both base and edge on each pass shortening the useable life of the ski, so this should only be done if the base is no longer flat or has lost its structure (a small pattern ground into the base of the ski to break suction).

The main benefit of doing your own tuning is cost, of course. Additional benefits include tuning to your own exact specifications, being able to wax for current conditions, and of course the joy of looking at your perfectly tuned ski knowing you did it! For those that shudder at the thought of doing their own work, try waxing to start….pick up a pair of junk skis from a resale shop or yard sale and practice on them before trying your hand on your personal boards.

General tuning equipment needed:
Below is a general list of tuning equipment that may be needed. All tuning work will require a work area, a vacuum cleaner, and brake retainers. If you will only be waxing add an iron, plastic scraper, block of wax, and a wax brush. For base work add the 2 files, a Scotch Brite pad, and a metal scraper. For edge work add an edger sharpener (or file and guide) and a gummi stone. A citrus based cleaner is also great to have on hand for cleaning yucky wax and late season goop off your bases.

A work bench or vise and a shop vac - as you can see, your work area doesn’t need to be fancy (or neat):

Workarea.jpg

A few simple tools (from left to right, front row – 2 big honkin’ rubber bands (the ones that come on fresh broccoli work perfectly) or actual brake retainers, a plastic and/or metal scraper (even an old credit card will work for wax), a gummi stone, a Scotch Brite pad, a file and file guide or base/side edge sharpener (pictured here), and a wax bush; back row – a block of wax (my fave is Hertel Hot Sauce because it’s cheap and works well in most conditions), a waxing iron (an old iron with aluminum foil on the bottom to cover the steam holes will work as well, but NOT a travel iron which doesn’t have even enough temperature regulation), a large bastard file (big teeth), and a large mill file (fine teeth):

Tuningtools.jpg

Brake retainers in use – the Broccoli Band - hook the band onto one brake arm, press down firmly on the brake boot pad to raise the brake arms, then CAREFULLY stretch the band over the rear binding housing and hook it around the other brake arm:

BroccoliBrakeBand.jpg

Brake retainers in use – the SKS brake retainer (see my review on this beauty here: https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=742)

SKSBrakeBand.jpg

For all edge and base work, use minimal pressure with light strokes and remove only what’s necessary

Base work: To perform at its best, a ski base must be perfectly flat or “true”. As the ski ages or cures and gets used, the base may warp or become worn so it’s no longer flat. A non-flat base may be:

“Edge high” (concave)

convex-base.jpg
Symptoms of a concave base include
  • “Railing”-feeling like the ski is on railroad tracks
  • Difficulty starting or finishing a turn
  • Skis that feel slow
or “Base high” (convex)

convex-base.jpg
Symptoms of a convex base include
  • “Swimming”-feeling like the ski is skidding across the snow
  • Difficulty carving a turn
  • A lack of edge grip
A dramatically concave or convex base should be stone ground but minor amounts of convexity or concavity can be corrected by flat filing with a bastard file followed by a mill file. With the tang (pointy end of the file) in your right hand and flat end in your left, thumbs gently pressing on the middle of the file, hold the file at a 45° angle to the ski and work from tip to tail in short, overlapping strokes always going the same direction (away from your chest). A file should never be used on the back stroke because it dulls or could even break the teeth. When the black filings come off the ski evenly all the way across the file, the base is sufficiently flat. Wipe all the metal and P-tex shavings completely off the ski.

Another piece of base work includes establishing the “structure” of the base. Structure is a minute pattern ground into the base to help break the suction created by snow melting as the ski moves across it. Structuring is a natural part of a stone grind, but is a separate step for hand tuning and requires a specialized tool. Structure can be fine or coarse and can run straight along the length of the ski, diagonally across the ski, or cross-hatch (diagonally from both directions). The desired structure pattern is determined by intended ski use and type and temperature of the snow. The tiny lines running horizontally in this picture is one style of structure:

Structure1.jpg
 

Attachments

  • convex-base.jpg
    convex-base.jpg
    6.5 KB · Views: 6

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Part II

Edge work: Sharp and smooth edges allow the ski to slice easily through snow and give increased grip on ice. While the base of a ski should be perfectly flat, the edge should not. Instead, it is “beveled” at varying degrees to increase or decrease edge grip and ease of turning/skidding. Here is a picture of edge bevel:
BEVEL.JPG
Bevel is usually expressed like a fraction with base edge bevel in degrees first, then side edge bevel in degrees; 1/3 would be a 1° base bevel and a 3° side bevel. The larger the base bevel, the easier the ski will skid, turn, or swivel, but the less grip it will have. The larger the side bevel, the more grip it will have, but the more frequently it will need to be tuned to maintain that bevel. Many manufacturers produce their skis with a 1/2 bevel which is an easily maintained and very versatile combination. Most racers or those that ski on hard snow like to use 1° or less base bevel and 3° or more side bevel. Some World Cup racers use up to 7° of side bevel! Once a base edge bevel has been set the base edge shouldn’t be touched with anything more than a gummi or diamond stone unless the bevel needs to be changed or the edge has been damaged. Repeated filing of a base edge gradually increases the bevel angle. The only way to decrease base bevel is to have the ski stone or machine ground back to flat. Adjusting side edge bevel, however, is both easy and fun. An experienced and sensitive skier will immediately notice a change in bevel angles.

Edge sharpening and beveling can be done with a small mill file or stone and a bevel guide or an edging tool which will come with directions specific to that tool. These tools should once again be used in only 1 direction (away from your chest, tip to tail) in short overlapping stokes. After filing, the edges need to be de-burred and polished using a gummi stone (it’s not really a stone – it’s actually a tiny sponge covered in abrasive material). A burr is a tiny lip on the very tip of the edge that develops naturally during the filing process. Burrs will cause a ski to be grabby or hooky and unpredictable so they should be removed before using the ski. A gummi stone held at a 45° angle to the tip of the edge and scrubbed very gently back and forth along the entire edge will remove any burrs.
gummi.jpg
The edge should then be polished by holding the gummi flat against the base edge and then the side edge while scrubbing. A pair of truly sharp and smooth edges should be able to be squeezed between the thumb and fingers while running the hand down the ski without cutting the skin. Any cuts received during this test means there’s still a burr somewhere.

At this point, beginning skiers may prefer to also de-tune or round off the edges near the contact points of the ski to allow for easier skidding.

Thoroughly clean any metal shavings or gummi residue off the base of the ski.

Waxing: A well-waxed ski is a happy ski! Waxing protects the ski base from abrasion caused by the snow (base burn), helps to break the suction effect of the melting snow against the moving ski base, and protects the edges from rust. Waxing requires only the most basic tools and can be done in minutes by anyone. There are 3 simple steps to waxing; 1) Prepare 2) Wax On 3) Wax Off ….. It’s that easy!

  1. Prepare: Make sure the ski is warm and dry. Use the Scotch Brite pad to scrub any old wax out of the base. If there are any white, hairy, rough areas (indicative of a lack of wax and/or base burn), scrub vigorously with the Scotch Brite pad using plenty of elbow grease. When these areas are smooth, wipe the base thoroughly with a paper towel.
  2. Wax On: Heat the wax iron to the appropriate temperature for your chosen wax (just to the point where the wax melts. If the wax smokes, the iron is too hot). Holding the wax against the iron about 6-10” above the ski, allow the melting wax to drip onto the base until the base is about 40% covered.
waxing.jpg

waxdrips.jpg
Keeping the iron moving constantly, melt the wax drippings into the base until the ski is completely and uniformly covered. Now set this ski aside to cool and do the other one.
  1. Wax Off: Go back to the cooled ski and use the plastic scraper held at a 45° to scrape ALL the wax off the ski. I know this sounds weird and counterproductive, but wax in the base not on the base is the goal here. Don’t forget to scrape any drippings off the side edge as well. Now use the wax brush vigorously to clean any remaining wax off the base and “open up” the structure. A quick wipe with a paper towel and set that ski aside. Do the same to the other one and YOU’RE DONE!
Your skis should now be silky smooth, shiny, and slightly soapy looking with smooth shiny edges. They’re ready to ski! By taking just a few minutes to do routine maintenance and waxing, you can keep your skis looking and skiing “like new” for a very long time!

General Tuning Schedule for recreational skis:
  • Wax – Wax every 1-3 days depending on snow conditions (more often for hard or man-made snow, less often for fluff). Wax for specific conditions as needed.
  • Base Work – Check for base burn daily, check for true and structure often. Repair gouges and flat file as needed.
  • Edge Work – Check for edge damage and burrs daily, use gummi stone as needed. File edges when grip is compromised or edge damage is noted.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
26,237
Messages
497,687
Members
8,503
Latest member
MermaidKelly
Top