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CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Maintaining your skis or snowboards is simple. Proper tuning ensures easy turning and control for the beginner to intermediate and more control and performance for the expert. Your tuning efforts will assure you of all the performance and enjoyment your equipment has to offer.

TUNE YOURSELF!
It’s one of the easiest things you can do to keep your equipment performing like new.
Before you start, you'll need some basic tuning equipment.

Basic tuning equipment should contain:
A ski/snowboard Mill bastard 8" or 10" file   (Do not use a file from a hardware store. Your edges are made of much harder steel than these files.)
File cleaner
Steel scraper
Plastic scraper (heavy duty)
Base repair candle
Base wax
Base cleaner
A deburring stone or pad

If you get more involved, invest in a vice, brake bands, true bar, beveler, hot wax iron and temperature wax.
Once you have your basic tuning equipment, here are some steps on how to go about it.

PREPARATION
Make sure your equipment is at room temperature and clean before work begins. Remove old wax and dirt from the bottoms with a good base cleaner. DO NOT use gasoline or household cleaners as they can damage your bases. If you are doing filing, make sure your equipment is secure with a vice.

BASE REPAIR
Remove any loose material by scraping it away with a metal scraper. Clean the gouges then fill by dripping a base repair stick in the gouges. Start by lighting the base repair stick with a match or lighter. Once lit, keep the flame low by holding the base repair stick close to the metal scraper. Make sure to rotate the repair stick while it's lit on the metal scraper until the flame is blue and carbon (black soot) free. Then drip the base repair stick into the damaged area. It's best to fill a little at a time and in layers until the gouge is full. Allow the repair to cool completely and then level excess with the metal scraper.  Large damaged areas are best left to a shop that have the proper tools and experience.

EDGE REPAIR
Damage caused by rock impact can be removed from the edge by using a file or deburring stone. Use the file and stone alternately until the edge is smooth before you move to normal filing procedures. If the edge has pulled away, it's best have a specialty ski shop do the repair.

BASIC SHARPENING
To enhance control and performance of your equipment, use the file to make the bases flat and the edges sharp. Place the file between both hands and pull the file in one direction only with overlapping strokes. Keep the file flat by placing your thumbs on the file where the file touches the edges. Always try to file from tip to tail. If you can not, your last strokes with the file should be from tip to tail. Keep the file clean with the brush to maximize cutting and prevent the filings from being forced into the base.

Continue until the base is flat with the edges.  Use a true bar to determine the ski base flatness. Make checks in several spots along the ski. When the whole length of the ski is flat, use the file on the side edge. With both hands, hold the file 90° to the base, file each side edge tail to tip. Round off the edge of the tip and tail beyond the snow contact point. This will prevent the skis from hooking and grabbing. With very light strokes and at a 45° angle, use the stone to remove burrs left by the filing process. The edge should now be sharp enough to shave your fingernail!

More advanced tuners will bevel their edges at this point to increase control and performance. This is done by using bevel sleeves or bevel tool.

NOTE! The file cuts in one direction only. Drawing it backwards quickly dulls the file. To cut, move the file away from the tang (pointed end). When tuning your equipment, work in an area such as the garage or basement where excess wax and metal shavings can be cleaned easily off the floor. Also, tuning vices are recommended to secure your equipment while you work on them.

HOT WAXING:
There is no substitute for a good hot wax. This allows you to turn easier, glide faster and adds to base durability. Rub on waxes or liquid waxes last for a few runs to a day but don't offer the protection a hot wax can offer. You require very few tools and for the cost, it's the best thing you can do for your skis or snowboard. 

Before starting, make sure your skis or snowboard are up to room temperature. It's best to wax on a bench over a concrete floor as you'll probably get some wax drippings which are next to impossible to get out of a carpet. Then secure your gear in a vice. Next, clean your base with a base cleaner or wax remover. DO NOT use gasoline as this can damage your base. Select a proper wax according to the temperature or use a good universal wax.

#1- Select the iron temperature (usually between 115 - 120 degrees) that enables the wax to drip off the iron but does not cause the wax to smoke. If the wax is smoking, turn down the temp! Hold the wax against the bottom of the iron and drip the wax onto your base. Use less wax at first as you'll have less to scrape off later. You can always add more wax until you get the feel of it.
After you drip the wax from the iron, it should form little spots on your base.
#2- After you drip the wax on your bases, start melting the wax drips with the iron and smooth the wax into the bases. (You do not have to wait for the wax to cool.) Make sure you keep the iron constantly moving. Moving the iron too fast will not allow the wax to melt. Take care that no area gets too warm as you can damage your base. When done correctly, the melted wax will look like a thick layer of clear water on your base. Make sure the entire base is covered.
#3- After a complete cooling, (about 20 minutes) use a plastic scraper to remove the excess wax from the base. Keep your scraper at a slight angle. Also, don't forget to scrape the excess wax from the sides.  TIP! Keep your scraper sharp! A sharp scraper will remove excess wax much easier.
#4- Many skis and snowboards are tuned with a stone grinder and have a structured base. (These are the fine lines in your bases.) This structure allows the base to glide over the snow easier.  When you wax your bases, these lines are still filled in by the wax after you scrape. By using a buff pad or brush, it will remove the excess wax the scraper failed to get and will give you the final finish.

How often should you wax? If the slopes conditions are old, coarse and icy, every 3 days MAX! If slope conditions are soft and fresh, you can probably go 5 days before applying a wax. You really can't wax your equipment too much, so its best to do it more than less.

Recap! Hot waxing adds needed material to your bases that are lost from friction, environment, exposure and use. A hot wax allows your skis or snowboard to glide easier allowing you to turn easier. A hot wax will protect your bases from damage. 

AFTER USE 
After your done skiing or snowboarding for the day and before you store your gear, you should wait until your equipment warms for about ten minutes then wipe dry with a cloth to remove dirt, salt and moisture. This will help keep rust from forming on your edges. You should inspect your equipment carefully and look for any damage that might have occurred during use.  Sometimes a few quick strokes of the stone or file is all that is required to restore the tune. Store your equipment in a cool, dry place, away from heat sources and concrete. Keep your bottoms separated when storing your skis with a strap or other means. The care that you give will increase both your enjoyment and life of your equipment. 

TRAVELING WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT
To protect your equipment while traveling, we recommend the use of a padded bag to protect your investment in both equipment and labor. Proper protection will prevent road grime and baggage handlers damage. Always keep your bottoms separated while traveling with a strap or other means.

We stock a variety of tuning equipment. Visit our tuning equipment section for a selection of tuning aids.

Also find a great selection of bags to protect your skis in our ski bags section!