Ski Tuning Info

Step 1: Inspect

• Check the condition of the ski Top, edges, and bottom

• Determine is you will need to file or what stone to start with ( file if heavy damage or rust, 100 light rust or scrapes, 200 if just dull)

• Smooth out any new damage to the top sheet with a utility knife and sandpaper or file

• Check base to determine if you need to wax, try to wax before white dry areas form on the plastic

Step 2: File if needed

• Wet edge With sponge rag or paper towel and prep 87 deg file guide with the fine file (pointy end or end with no teeth is the head of the file- red end in the picture below)

  • Tool: Simple Guide www.racewax.com/racewax-87-3-degree-steel-plate-aluminum-ski-side-bevel-file-guide/

  • Tool: Beast Guide www.racewax.com/87-degree-side-beast-edge-bevel-file-guide/

  • Tool: Swix Fine Chrome File www.racewax.com/swix-professional-chrome-ski-edge-file/

• Start file just after the shovel (end of tip bend) of the ski to the start of the tail bed

• File until you get to a smooth flat unblemished surface

  • Always work tip to tail in small or long strokes the final cut should be a long stroke

  • Clean file and the sidewall often to make sure filings do not get into the base

• Clean Side edge and base before moving on

Step 3: Diamond Stone Edges and base

• You will have determined what stone to start with 100 or 200 in Step 1 above - if you used a file start with 100 stone

• Load the first stone onto the guide and wet side and stone

  • Tool: Swix 100mm 200, 400, 600 pack www.racewax.com/all-3-grits-swix-diamond-stones-100mm-ta200e-400e-600e/ Amazon link

  • Tool: Also a good set of stones - 200, 400, 800 Amazon link Stone set

  • Tool: Moon flex 100 grit www.racewax.com/diaface-moonflex-diamond-stones-100-mm/ Amazon link ( use this if you are going to use a single stone kit)

• Start at the tip and use short back and forth strokes with a wet stone and edge for the first few passes more strokes where you feel drag. You will get to a point where the edge matches the smoothness of the current stone and you no longer feel drag when you use longer strokes.

• Clean the edge and your stone as you go

• Move on to the rest of your progression (100,200,400,600) and repeat the step above. The 100 and 200 tend to be the most worked stones with the 400 and 600+ stones taking only a couple passes.

• Clean off edge and stone.

• Run the 200 stone down the base edge with a light touch. Only repeat if you find a drag spot.

Step 4: Wax

• Note any issues areas from Step 1

• Use the Brass brush to deep clean old wax and dead plastic away

  • Race wax set of three brushes www.racewax.com/racewax-ski-wax-brush-kit-snowboard-set-of-three-nylon-horsehair-brass/

• Choose wax - Pink warm, Blue cold, Base Prep 88 for new skis

• Heat Irion to appropriate temp. ( should not smoke when melting) As you buy wax each will have an Iron temp recommendation

  • Tool: Chose an iron that has a thick bottom plate - here is a good example of an inexpensive one that would be great

    • www.racewax.com/ski-snowboard-wax-waxing-iron-by-wintersteiger/

• There are two options for wax application

  • Drip - use when using inexpensive wax and trying to get a lot of wax in the ski ( rehab because base got to the white stage)

    • Hold iron and wax together over ski and move at a pace leaving a drip every couple inches

  • Crayon - use this when you wax more often or are using a more expensive topical race wax

    • Cover the entire ski base area well with wax by rubbing the non-heated bar onto the ski base.

  • Once the wax has been applied now iron the wax into the ski. The key is "into"

    • The first pas is to spread your drops or crayoned wax out and make sure you have full coverage.

    • The second and subsequent passes are to make the wax get absorbed by the plastic base.

    • You can tell the base is getting warmer by the length of the trail of molten wax as you pass over the ski

    • My personal opinion is that you keep doing passes until you get the full ski length as molten wax and then I do 2-3 more passes.

      • The theory here is you need the pores to open and let the wax soak in.

      • You do not want to go too slow to cause the heating you keep moving at a moderate pace. As you go more passes the base will heat up and the tail will lengthen with each pass if you move at a decent pace. If you go too slow you could burn the base ( not good - no wax goes into a burnt base)

    • Now you let the ski cool - down to outside temp is best

    • Once cool - you start scraping

      • Tool: I like these they are cheap and work well buy a few www.racewax.com/racewax-ski-wax-scraper-3-mm-orange/

        • A sharp scraper makes the work easier and cold waxes take more effort than the warm waxes

      • Scrape the side edges with the end of the scraper

      • Scrape the base edge with the side of the scraper

      • Now use thumps in the middle grip and pull scraper along until you get all the wax you can off the ski

        • Note how dirty the wax is - if it is dirty you may want to do another wax and scrape when done

    • Now brush off the remaining excess wax with the white plastic bristle brush

      • The brushing goes tip to tail and will require more effort than most other steps

      • If you have large spots that will not brush off you may need to do more scraping

    • Now use the horsehair brush to polish the ski base.

A few more tools:

Break retainer - Silicone bracelets (any will work) like these Amazon link

Roto brush: www.racewax.com/tuning-tools/roto-brushes/