Define 'de-tune'

[no edge]

Went to the shop at the mountain. I have used them plenty of times in the past. The guy I spoke to seemed to be experienced. But, I was careful to explain that no de-tune should be done... none at all.

When I picked the skis up I took a run. They had become the dullest edges I have ever skied. I went back to the shop and showed them the edges. He explained that the use a gummie (I think that's what he called it). Come to find out, the tech ran the gummie up and down the finished edge against the angle. I couldn't believe it! The new guy at the counter re-did the tune with me watching, no charge. I think they need a Montana.

They do their entire rental inventory using that method.

 

[Sibhusky]

That move with the gummi is only an issue if they are pressing. As long as it's a butterfly kiss it's fine.

 

[sparty]

Went to the shop at the mountain. I have used them plenty of times in the past. The guy I spoke to seemed to be experienced. But, I was careful to explain that no de-tune should be done... none at all.

When I picked the skis up I took a run. They had become the dullest edges I have ever skied. I went back to the shop and showed them the edges. He explained that the use a gummie (I think that's what he called it). Come to find out, the tech ran the gummie up and down the finished edge against the angle. I couldn't believe it! The new guy at the counter re-did the tune with me watching, no charge. I think they need a Montana.

They do their entire rental inventory using that method.

If the techs don't know what they're doing, a Montana will just result in a bad tune being done in a more labor-efficient manner.

I've never been in the habit of detuning anything (figuring that by not sharpening beyond the contact point I was avoiding a need to subsequently detune it), but more-recent ski shapes with a significant amount of rocker have forced me to reconsider that. If it's forward of the widest part of the tip, I don't want it sharp. IME, doing otherwise results in really inconsistent results in 3D snow, particularly irregular 3D snow (e.g. 2 p.m. on a powder day at a busy resort). Race skis get sharpened from contact point to contact point, and the only thing that gets dulled is the tail protector if I've dinged it up from putting skis down on an unfriendly surface.

I am curious about skis for little kids. I've got plenty of time to figure it out, but my wife is expecting in June and it's already occurred to me that a race-tuned ski is probably not friendly to a two-year-old (nor to a daycare attendant used to dull skis).

 

[Henry]

A guy I ski with had his edges sharpened, he skis fast, he hooked a tip, came partway 'round, hooked a tail, and thumped himself really hard. He blamed the shop for failing to detune his skis. I didn't say anything, but I thought, "you get what you inspect, not what you expect."

Figure out what you like for your skiing. I like them sharp all the way from front contact point to back contact point. If you like something different, that's why ski shops have concrete sidewalks outside their door.

I was with a friend skiing, she fell really fast & hard, and broke an arm. A friend skiing behind her said that he's seen her make the same kind of a fall 3 times this year. Is she hooking a tail? We need to check that. That's more technique than tune, although altering the tune can work somewhat as a bandaid.