Ski & Snowboard Tuning & Repair

Dry your equipment after every use to avoid rust  and corrosion. “THIS IS EXPONENTIALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU USE A ROOF RACK  AND YOUR GEAR GETS COVERED IN ROAD MUCK!” shouts Sunde via email of this  essential upkeep.

Wax your skis/board every 4-6 days. Another barometer: you should be ironing in about four bars, or a kilo of wax,  per ski season.

“Edges can and should be maintained each day of  riding with a diamond file, think of it like honing a kitchen knife,”  advises Sunde, who adds that beyond that, actual sharpening, either with  a file at home or through the shop, should be about the same cadence as  waxing.

A full base grind is recommended after the first  5-8 days on a newly purchased pair of skis to give it time for the epoxy  to settle. This process actually planes a small layer of base off the  ski and can therefore only be done up to six times over the life of the  ski. The timing for this service is “truly just based on the  professional assessment of the equipment,” Sunde says. “How flat is the  base, is there significant damage or beyond normal wear and tear? This  is definitely on an ‘as needed’ basis, not so much on a specified  cadence or cycle.” However infrequent, the process of flattening out the  base of your skis is absolutely critical for proper edge engagement.  “If the base is concave, the edges will behave too sharp, and you’ll  catch your edges all the time. Conversely, if the base is convex, the  edge will behave as though it is too dull, and you will struggle to ever  really engage your edge,” according to Sunde.

Storage wax at the end of the ski season will help keep the bases protected from oxidation.