Ski Tuning Instructions

Tuning your own skis can give you great look into how your skis work on the snow and even save you a little money. In time, you can develop the skill to tune your skis better than even most shops where you might take them for a repair or touch up. This requires a few specific tools and a bit of careful, step by step work to done correctly. Ski shops sell kits that have all the tools and devices you'll need to get started.

  1. Edges

    • Take one of your skis and mount it in a tuning vise with the base level and facing up. This will allow you to inspect the metal edges of each ski for any dings or bites that need your attention. Run a whetstone or diamond stone flat against each edge to smooth out any burrs or gouges in the metal. Make sure you run the stone against both surfaces on both edges. Once the edges are smoothed out, use your edge bevel along each edge to sharpen the edge. If you ski in hard, icy Eastern conditions, you'll need a sharper edge than if you ski mainly in Western powder.

    Bases

    • Once the edge is sharpened to your satisfaction, inspect the base for any dings, depressions or cuts that may have been caused by stones, trees, lift lines or anything unusual on the snow surface. If you have any deep depressions, you can use a P-tex candle to fill them in. Simply use a match or lighter to melt some of the candle into the deep depressions. Ignore any slight cuts or depressions, your wax treatment will take care of these.

      If you have a cut that damages the metal edge, you may have to take your ski to a professional shop to have it repaired. Unfortunately, if the edge is damaged too severely, it may not be able to be repaired.

    Waxing

    • There are a wide variety of different waxes on the market designed for an even wider variety of snow conditions. You'll learn more about this as you tune your skis more often. Choose a good, basic wax to work with to start. Use your electric iron to melt dripping wax all along the bases of each ski. This will appear as just drips to start. Once you've applied enough dripped wax along the base, run your iron along the base to melt that wax application smooth and flat. The wax should cover the bottom surface of each edge when you are done.

      If you are putting your skis away for a time, you can just leave the wax the way it is to protect your skis in storage. If you are going to use your skis, take your plastic scraper and start scraping away any excess wax on the base of each ski. Make sure you do this over a drop cloth or newspapers to make it easier to clean up. Once your wax base layer is smooth and slick, use the edge of your scraper to remove the wax from the bottom surfaces of the ski edge. With experience, it should only take you 20 or 30 minutes to tune up your skis.