Page 19 - Dec_13

that’s because the sharpness in the tip like bases, this is another area of ski
and the tail works to continue your skis maintenance and tuning that’s easy to get

in the direction of travel. after dulling the bogged down in the minutiae. Back when
edges using a file, de-burr the dulled edges all ski bases were made of wood, waxing
with a diamondstone or ceramic stone.
was only necessary to make the ski slide
down the hill.

While the polyethylene bases of
today are more durable and produce
less friction, repeated waxing is still im-
portant throughout the season. Waxes
come in a variety of types for alpine

and Nordic skiing and suit a variety of
temperatures.
Wax works to overcome different
kinds of friction with the snow by acting

as a lubricant under your ski and protect- base repair, grinding,
ing the bases from forces that contribute
to oxidization. a properly waxed base is stone grinding
easier to turn, more durable, and faster
the bottoms or bases of the skis
than going waxless.
see an occasional rock, stump, or patch
rowles says any skier should of dirt. to keep the ski gliding smoothly,
know how to wax their skis and should
do so along with checking their edges the nicks or scrapes on the bottom need to
every week.
be filled in using a material called Ptex,
a malleable synthetic material that melts
drip the wax on with an iron, then when heated. your ski shop feeds it into
scrape off with a plastic scraper while the a hot glue-gun type of device that costs
wax is still molten or warm. repeat until
you don’t see any dirt or discoloration in around $100, but it melts easily at home
with a lighter. drip into the scratch or
the wax scrapings—this means the base is gouge and let it dry, then scrape to smooth
now clean. then clean off the bases with it off.
a brush.

If the damage to the bases is seri-
ous enough, you’ll have to have the bases
grinded. In years past, rowles said, a few
NeW SkIS, NeW tuNINg
people used to flatten the bases of their

tuning is hardly a one-size-fits-all opera- skis using belt grinders, but that’s risky
tion. as skis develop and change every business on an expensive ski or board.
most ski shops will have a machine for
season, so do the techniques of tuning the task, and it’s worth the money. the
them. Newer and wider skis designed for stone grind will restore the base to a
powder have a more rockered shape than
traditional models, meaning a difference smooth finish to reduce drag.
depending on snow conditions and
in where the tuner detunes the edges. your style of skiing, stone grinding belts
While with traditional models, it is nor- can apply a number of finishes to the bas-
mal to de tune one to two inches from the
tip to the tails, with fatter skis, you can es of skies, but leave the obsessing about
the merits of arrow versus linear patterns
expect to detune four to six inches from
to the world-class skiers. a good base
both ends.
grinding at the beginning of the season
bINDINg teSt
will make your skis move faster through
a final, crucial step in preparing skis for the snow, you’ll ski or ride better, and
you’ll have a lot more fun.
the season is to test the bindings, a task
best left to the professionals, who use a
binding torque release testing machine.
the machine exerts enough torque on the

boot to cause it to eject from the bindings,
simulating a crash or any event when the
boot becomes forcefully ejected.
Because bindings are mechanical

devices that deteriorate with wear and FLEX TRK
use, the test will ensure that the reading Featuring the intuitive QuickPull binding,
on the dIN release scale is in fact the val- cinches easily and unlocks with one
ue at which the bindings will release.
WaXINg
buckle push.

For home tuning, rowles says, there are WWW.TUBBSSNOWSHOES.COM
basically two kinds of wax: red and blue.

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