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Now check the edges. Slowly and lightly slide a finger down the metal edges. Do you feel any burrs or rough spots? A rough edge will make your equipment difficult to use and hard to control.
Is your base flat and edges beveled? You can hold a true bar from edge to edge to see if they have become concave. If you see light under the bar in the middle, this means you are only on your edges making your equipment hooky and hard to control. You should be on the base.
How often does your equipment need tuning?
What is Your Ability Level?
Sharp edges for control and the bottoms to be waxed for speed and ease of turning.
For control too but not as demanding as advanced skiers and snowboarders.
Smooth bottoms that turn easier.
Slope conditions play a BIG part how much wear is on your gears edges and base. Fresh fluffy snow will not wear down your edges or bases as fast. So your tune could last longer. But when you're on hard pack, old snow and ice, your edges dull quicker and the wax will scrape faster from the bottoms. This means you'll have to have them tuned more often.
When is the best time to tune your equipment?
The end of season is the best time to have your equipment tuned. Here's why. Your equipment has just been through a season. The edges are most likely to be burred, the bottoms have some gouges and the bases have lost the wax. This isn't the best way to store your gear. A tune in the spring is best because after your equipment is tuned, a coating of wax is applied to your base. During the summer, this wax will protect your edges from rust and the excess wax will be absorbed into your base over the summer giving it a more durable and longer lasting base.
How much does it cost to have a shop tune my gear?
Most shops won’t tell you to tune your equipment in the spring. First, they are winding down from the busy season and starting to get ready for their summer business. The back room might even be closed for the season. But think of this, they also want your equipment to wear out faster! Why? So you can buy new gear. Either way, if you can't tune your equipment yourself at the end of season, at least get them tuned at a shop. So it will cost you more in the long run if you DO NOT have your gear tuned.
Want to learn how to tune your own gear?
Why not? Just about anyone can do it. For the price of one tune, you could purchase a basic tuning kit. About the only thing you can't do is stone ground the bases. A shop with a stone grinder must do that. This should be done once every 20-30 days on the slopes. Alpine Accessories has all the tuning supplies you need to do it yourself.
Tuning your own skis or snowboard is easy to do. It will take about an hour to set up, clean your gear, sharpen, wax, cool and then buff. Use these easy step by step instructions.
Get Easy DIY Instructions Here
Basic supplies to DIY tuning is a file, file cleaner, scraper, base repair candle, base cleaner, ski base wax, wax iron and deburring stone.
Ski and Snowboarding Basic Tuning Guidelines!
Ski Care and Maintenance
Like a car, if you don't keep up on the maintenance, your skis or snowboard won't perform properly.
Bring equipment inside and allow it to warm to room temperature. (about 30 minutes)
Then towel dry, especially pay attention to your bases to remove dirt or grease and edges to remove moisture to stop rust.
Store your skis and snowboards in a dry area.
Allow boot liners to dry after use. Avoid using high heat to dry your boot liners. High heat can breakdown the adhesives in your liners and affect your fit.
Clean boot soles and dry. Once dry, store your boots with buckles buckled and laces laced.
Maintaining your equipment properly will assure your continued pleasure with your equipment. Sharp edges give you control. Clean waxed bases make it easier to turn. Proper tuning ensures easy turning and control for the beginner to intermediate and more control and performance for the expert. Your tuning efforts will assure you of all the performance and enjoyment your equipment has to offer.
Ski Waxing Step by Step Instructions!
Select the iron temperature (usually between 115 - 120 degrees) that enables the wax to drip off the iron but does not cause the wax to smoke. If the wax is smoking, turn down the temp! Hold the wax against the bottom of the iron and drip the wax onto your base. Use less wax at first as you'll have less to scrape off later. You can always add more wax until you get the feel of it.
After you drip the wax on your bases, start melting the wax drips with the iron and smooth the wax into the bases. (You do not have to wait for the wax to cool.) Make sure you keep the iron constantly moving. Moving the iron too fast will not allow the wax to melt. Take care that no area gets too warm as you can damage your base. When done correctly, the melted wax will look like a thick layer of clear water on your base. Make sure the entire base is covered.
After a complete cooling, (about 20 minutes) use a plastic scraper to remove the excess wax from the base. Keep your scraper at a slight angle. Also, don't forget to scrape the excess wax from the sides.
TIP! Keep your scraper sharp!
A sharp scraper will remove excess wax much easier.
Many skis and snowboards are tuned with a stone grinder and have a structured base. (These are the fine lines in your bases.) This structure allows the base to glide over the snow easier. When you wax your bases, these lines are still filled in by the wax after you scrape. By using a buff pad or brush, it will remove the excess wax the scraper failed to get and will give you the final finish.
More About Do It Yourself Ski Tuning
Maintaining your skis or snowboards is simple. But before you start, you'll need some basic tuning equipment.
Basic tuning equipment should contain:
A ski/snowboard Mill bastard 8" or 10" file (Do not use a file from a hardware store. Your edges are made of much harder steel than these files.)
Plastic scraper (heavy duty)
A deburring stone or pad
If you get more involved, invest in a vice, brake bands, true bar, beveler, hot wax iron and temperature wax. Once you have your basic tuning equipment, here are some steps on how to go about it.
Make sure your equipment is at room temperature and clean before work begins. Remove old wax and dirt from the bottoms with a good base cleaner. DO NOT use gasoline or household cleaners as they can damage your bases. If you are doing filing, make sure your equipment is secure with a vice.
Remove any loose material by scraping it away with a metal scraper. Clean the gouges then fill by dripping a base repair stick in the gouges. Start by lighting the base repair stick with a match or lighter. Once lit, keep the flame low by holding the base repair stick close to the metal scraper. Make sure to rotate the repair stick while it's lit on the metal scraper until the flame is blue and carbon (black soot) free. Then drip the base repair stick into the damaged area. It's best to fill a little at a time and in layers until the gouge is full. Allow the repair to cool completely and then level excess with the metal scraper. Large damaged areas are best left to a shop that have the proper tools and experience.
Damage caused by rock impact can be removed from the edge by using a file or deburring stone. Use the file and stone alternately until the edge is smooth before you move to normal filing procedures. If the edge has pulled away, it's best have a specialty ski shop do the repair.
To enhance control and performance of your equipment, use the file to make the bases flat and the edges sharp. Place the file between both hands and pull the file in one direction only with overlapping strokes. Keep the file flat by placing your thumbs on the file where the file touches the edges. Always try to file from tip to tail. If you can not, your last strokes with the file should be from tip to tail. Keep the file clean with the brush to maximize cutting and prevent the filings from being forced into the base.
Continue until the base is flat with the edges. Use a true bar to determine the ski base flatness. Make checks in several spots along the ski. When the whole length of the ski is flat, use the file on the side edge. With both hands, hold the file 90° to the base, file each side edge tail to tip. Round off the edge of the tip and tail beyond the snow contact point. This will prevent the skis from hooking and grabbing. With very light strokes and at a 45° angle, use the stone to remove burrs left by the filing process. The edge should now be sharp enough to shave your fingernail!
More advanced tuners will bevel their edges at this point to increase control and performance. This is done by using bevel sleeves or bevel tool.
NOTE! The file cuts in one direction only. Drawing it backwards quickly dulls the file. To cut, move the file away from the tang (pointed end). When tuning your equipment, work in an area such as the garage or basement where excess wax and metal shavings can be cleaned easily off the floor. Also, tuning vices are recommended to secure your equipment while you work on them.
There is no substitute for a good hot wax. This allows you to turn easier, glide faster and adds to base durability. Rub on waxes or liquid waxes last for a few runs to a day but don't offer the protection a hot wax can offer. You require very few tools and for the cost, it's the best thing you can do for your skis or snowboard.
Before starting, make sure your skis or snowboard are up to room temperature. It's best to wax on a bench over a concrete floor as you'll probably get some wax drippings which are next to impossible to get out of a carpet. Then secure your gear in a vice. Next, clean your base with a base cleaner or wax remover. DO NOT use gasoline as this can damage your base. Select a proper wax according to the temperature or use a good universal wax.