December 2011

It’s early in the season and your favorite lines await your attention. You start your descent and to your horror the pristine snow that covered your run parts with each turn revealing a rock garden. The crunch under your feet makes your stomach churn - you don’t even want to look at your bases. Summoning some courage, you roll over your boards. You apologize to your babies as you unveil the hideous smile of a gouge that has wounded the working side of your skis. 

Before you rush them in for some tuning TLC – assess the situation to see if you can handle it. For deep gouges (core-shots or base tears to the edges) – see a ski shop. For other scrapes and minor blemishes – get familiar with the P-Tex candle, (available at all ski shops). The P-Tex candle is a rod of plastic base material most commonly supplied in a clear or black stick according to your base color. If you are going repair the damage the following items will be required: Citrus Base Cleaner, Stainless Steel Scraper, P-Tex Candle (clear or black), base sanding paper (220-320 grit) and a Plexi-glass scraper.

November 2011

Since last issue, Halloween has come and gone and the hills are getting whiter. We are just weeks away from getting our first turns in. Last issue I outlined the importance of having a flat base and how to do a pre-season gear assessment. This issue I assume you are getting your bases flat by a professional service and that you will keep your skis or snowboard edges sharp and tuned.

Icy conditions can challenge the best rider and you are bound to come up against hard conditions at anytime of the year. Holding your line, carving a turn and even stopping are all enhanced with the correct edge profile and edges that are sharpened to the conditions of the day.

The following outlines the procedures you will need to take to keep your side edges tune for the season. 

Pre-Tune Inspection: With a Scotch-brite pad in hand, run it along the edges of your skis or snowboard. The pad will grab any damaged sections. Using the pad is preferable to nicking your fingers and staining your edges red. Those areas that the pad caught on are areas that will need some extra attention when tuning the edges.

October 2011

Just getting the family organized and getting out the door on time can throw your snow day sideways long before you arrive at the hill. So having equipment that isn’t up for task is just going to compromise your day further. The following series of columns are going to give the recreational rider the tools to do interim ski and snowboard tunes between visiting a professional tuning shop.

Since we are a month or more away from making our first turns, now is the time to get the skis and boards out of garage and take them into the light. What you will probably find if you didn’t summer prep them, are oxidized, rusty, burred edges; and bases that are dry and pitted, plus dusty top-sheets and sidewalls. 

Before you can assess your gear for tuning, clean your skis with a micro-cloth and some citrus cleaner. Use an organic cleanser as the chemicals in many commercial cleaners are harsh and could deteriorate the top-sheet and base.