Tuning ?

[freeski]

I enjoy tuning my own skis. Especially early in the season. It's rewarding when you carry them to the lift and they have a nice coat of wax. I get the 3 pack from Swix: Blue, white and yellow. Never brush or shave extra wax off. I have a sharpening tool, but will have a shop, usually at a mountain, run them through the wood chipper occasionally because I can never get them as sharp as they can. Plus they can fix any of my errors. I have one pair of all mountain and one pair of racing skis and can never remember what angle I need to sharpen them at so I probably screw them up.

[brownman]

Happy to see some old-schoolers still using the file card and the gummy
As you helped us confirm yet again, tradition keeps the senses alive.
Quixotic dilemma for many a race room veteran.

and yes ... Black Dog delivers absolutely most consistent job around

[Killington_Lover]

The common tuning of choice for rail oriented park rat:

Get centermount twin tip ski
forget about bevel edges or sharpening anything
take bastard file to entire length of edge with extra focus underfoot
make sure you really dull the contact points toward tip/tail
be prepared to have cracked/missing edges within 1 season
wax/ptex/ducttape as needed until ski is in 100 pieces --we dont call these rock skis, we call these "urban" skis due to the constant amount of asphalt, concrete, and metal these endure.
forget what having an edge is like (while most folks 'fast and firm' really means 'treat the entire area as a box/rail'...also smile and take pride when Joey Sr. complains about his most recent "core shot" when you are missing 4" of edge and wood from your core)

Insert beer/liquor/doobies inbetween steps as seen fit

[twilkas]

my poor file card is a twisted disaster, need a new one. I've been shocked that some shops don't carry simple ski tuning equipment, I've gotten the hairy eyeball a few times for asking. Cork finish for the win! Or a good ole palm rub. Either way, care about your bases.

[madhatter]

about like Killingtonlover....boilerplate days I don;t often bother going out for...if ever...wax??? sometimes on my XC ski's... maybe a quick coat of speedwax on a spring day if necessary...

[kram]

agree, I've been working on my skis for years, knowing that i did the job gives me the advantage on the hill. its a spiritual ritual that i preform weekly.

[Atomic1]

Dave at Black Dog Sports hand tunes em to perfection !

[RENO]

Dave at Black Dog Sports hand tunes em to perfection !

If I need anything done on my board I bring it to Dave at Black dog. Much easier than doing it myself.

[brownman]

K Lover must stomp that serpentine granite half wall in Stash (aka Sparky) for a quick base grind
(Old Jake had a solid revenue strategy there...can hear it now ... kid arrives home ... "Dad, we need new boards")

Twilkas ... keep asking around ... Middlebury SnoBowl shop gave me a couple 6" razor files last season.

[Killington_Lover]

Oh that feature loves to give a nice inconsistent base grind..so do the parking lots!

[Dr. NO]

K Lover must stomp that serpentine granite half wall in Stash (aka Sparky) for a quick base grind
(Old Jake had a solid revenue strategy there...can hear it now ... kid arrives home ... "Dad, we need new boards")

Twilkas ... keep asking around ... Middlebury SnoBowl shop gave me a couple 6" razor files last season.

Expensive, but Peak Performance seems to have a good supply of tuning and waxing equipment including diamond files.

[Dickc]

I tune my skis every 3-4 days of skiing and do it myself. Using "all temperature" wax means I don't do a race tune, but sharp edges and wax make for a better day skiing. It is faster for me to tune my own skis than to drop them off, but I do get my skis base ground at least once a season.

My experience with Western skiing is more base damage from sharp rocks, but good edges aren't a big deal. Good wax means less work on the cat tracks and traverses.

This

Well said. An inexpensive edge tuner/file guide will pay for itself in less than a season.

Do not forget the diamond stones. Lots of times all I have to do is extra coarse, coarse and medium to have razor sharps again. The newer edge steel stays sharp really well now a days. It gets better each year too.

[KnuckleDragger]

I tune my own.

Sharp edges are a must for me so I probably hit them just about every weekend depending on conditions and carry a gummy stone in my jacket just in case.

Wax usually gets done every weekend too.

I usually get a base grind once a season though after 20 days or so the board really could use a run over the belt. Black Dog or Surf the Earth/Aspen East do all of my base grinds.

[Ski_the_Moguls]

Has anyone actually tried and compared a full tune (including base grind) at both Black Dog and Peak Performance? They seem to be the 2 places most often recommended.

[SnoBrdr]

Has anyone actually tried and compared a full tune (including base grind) at both Black Dog and Peak Performance? They seem to be the 2 places most often recommended.

How would you do that?

I like First Stop myself.