Tuning
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"Do you sharpen skis?" 

How many times have the tech's at Frosties hard that over the past 50 years?    Whether it is the old dry belt grinder (we actually still have one that we use for boot work), the original "Green Machine" from Ski Tuner, the Valley's first stone grinder - we called her "Blue Thunder" to today's more high tech equipment, the answer has been "we TUNE skis."

What's the difference?  In a nutshell, its the "tech" behind the machine.  Every ski shop has equipment to tune skis, but it's the ability of the tech to put the finishing touches on our skis that will leave you saying WOW.  Today's shape skis are easier and way more fun than yesterday's straight skis - that is until they loose their factory tune.  Every manufacturer has factory specs, especially for side and base edge bevel.  When your ski falls out of these specs your ski will not ski like you remember - even if it's sharp enough to shave with. 

A skier who either sharpens their won skis or has a shop do it can also find their skis losing that "edge" if they don't keep their bases flat.  Once the ski develops a crown from over sharpening it will not feel as secure on the snow because it cannot get on edge and stay there.  Today's sintered bases are very durable and unless you are very capable with a very sharp metal scraper, the only way to keep the base flat is with a belt/stone grinding machine.  So, how often do you need a base grind/stone grind? Here's the kicker!  The more you stone grind the less you have to base grind.  A base grind is necessary when you "trash" your bases and/or need to flatten the bases.  Base grinding is done with an abrasive belt.  It rips base material off the ski, which obviously takes some of the life out of your ski.  The stone side of this machine restructures and polishes the base to look like new (more on structuring later).  Stone grinding takes virtually nothing off the ski, yet helps keep it flat, giving the tech a "clean" base from which he/she can then put the appropriate bevels back on the edges.  If you have your skis stoned on a regular basis you will have a more consistent skiing ski as well as a longer life.  The ski that shows up every 2 years for the "works" usually leaves with more life ground out of it than the one that we see on a regular basis.  

So now that we know the the importance of a flat, structured ski what's a bevel?  Ever had a ski that seemed to have a mind of it's own?  Ever felt like your skis were too sharp?  Most likely the bevels were off.  If the tech did not get the base edges beveled to 1 degree +/- instead of flat, as it came out of the store, and at least 1 degree  on the side edges then your skis will have a "hooky" feeling.  Most technicians use hand tools to accomplish this finishing touch, or in conjunction with a tuning machine called a mini edge which runs a 1 inch belt, allowing the tech to just work on the edges.  Polishing the edges takes the burrs off and gives your skis a very smooth feel, like a sharp knife.  We often refer to this feeling as if the ski is "drawn" into the turn instead of that jerky-jerky feeling that a ski can have when no hand or finish work is done.

OK, what's the perfect bevel for you?  The manufacturer has recommended certain bevels for your particular skis.  In general you can't out guess them.  More important is to try and keep your skis within their specs.  When your skis have a 1 degree base and 1 degree side they are maintaining a 90 degree angle.  This is a very easy combination for the recreational skier.  Easy into the turn, holds well for the intermediate skier and stays sharp for a relatively long time in normal snow conditions.  However most skis today use a 1 degree base and 2 degree side.  This effectively creates an 89 degree edge, or a little more point to the actual edge - thus a little more precise in hard snow, stays sharp if you "buff" it out with a diamond stone every time you use your skis.  Once in a while someone will want 3 degree side, an effective 88 degree edge, if they have a race camp coming up.  The downside of creating a razor blade edge is that it's hard to keep this edge sharp with out continual touch-up.  Talk with your tech about what's best for you.  Your input is invaluable, plus it gives the tech a better chance of giving you the tune-up you'll love. 

Let's not forget about structuring...  Look closely at your bases - see a pattern?  Little lines or diamonds?  This is the structure.  Structure is the cutting edge technology on the World Cup circuit to the point of it being treated as top secret stuff.  Base structure in conjunction with wax selection can be the difference between 1st place and 10th place.  Not to get too technical here, but the snow under your ski actually turns to water as you pass over or thru it.  Those tiny lines in the structure actually channel off that water allowing the ski to glide easier.  When the snow is hard and cold we "dress" the stone with a shallow structure since there's not much water content in the snow.  Spring time the stone is dressed with a more aggressive pattern that can channel more water off when it's soft and warm.  Quite honestly, we don't change the pattern that much.  Stones are very expensive and if we redressed for every skier the price of a tune-up would be $100 or more.  What's important to you is that you have a structure appropriate for the current snow conditions. 

Last, but certainly not least, is the wax.  Races are won and lost depending on the wax choice, but how important is this to the recreational skier?  Certainly it's not as important to you and me as it is to Bode.  First and foremost what it does for us is to help protect the base by impregnating the pores of the base with wax.  A soft wax melts easier and is readily absorbed by the base.  The more costs of prep wax you can get into your skis prior to actually skiing the better.  Waxing more specifically to achieve speed is dependent on snow conditions - new, old, powder and temperature, how much below or above the freezing pint.  For most tune-ups we use a universal wax that covers the broad spectrum of temperatures we encounter.  When we tune your skis on Tuesday for a Saturday pick up we don't' have a crystal ball.  However if we are in a cold snap that's predicted to last several days we will adjust our wax to accommodate the situation.   One of the special services that we have always provided is pre-race day tuning with was specific to your best guess!  In general, a good all purpose was will slide and glide to most skiers liking.  Wrapping up, other than a good fitting ski boot the most important thing you can do to enjoy this sport is to keep your skis tuned.

Ski & Snowboard Tuning Prices