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How many base grinds can you do on a set of skis?

givethepigeye

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I had a tune done and a light base grind to remove some scratches (thank you Cirque traverse). I thought I told them to do some structure on the base but came back without. I didn’t write it out, so it’s my own fault. Anyhow will need some structure pattern for Spring.
 

GregK

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They might have just belt ground the bases to flatten them and then didn’t use a stone to put on structure after that. Belt will do more work and take off more so it is often used if the damage is deeper which it sounds like it was. “Base grind” doesn’t nessarily mean using a stone as some places don’t even have a stone grinder and just use belts with sandpaper to flatten the ski. Stone Grind” which usually just uses a stone to flatten and then add the structure.

Go to a place that will stone grind your bases and put a structure on after. Usually most places do passes on a “pre grind” stage to flatten the base without structure and then a few passes on the stone with the requested structure. So most places are doing 4-10 passes total on a typical “stone grind”. Heavily damaged ones might get more of course.

With a competent tech who just does as many passes as needed on the stone and not more, you could get quite a few stone grinds done before you’d ever run into issues.
 

James

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Just leave the scratches till you need a base grind. Either because the edges can't be sharpened from only the side or the base is no longer flat enough. Pristine bases are not needed on non competition skis.
 
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givethepigeye

givethepigeye

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^ thanks - they needed a tune badly, I wanted some structure for the Spring + the scratches would come as a by product. Got tuned, most scratches but no structure. I probably wasn’t clear on my wants at shop.
 

DanoT

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I have talked to a ski tech with 10 or 12 years experience who said he has never seen a ski worn down to the core due to stone grinds. I have but it was on a ski that was formerly used on the WC which means when new it starts out with thinner edges and then possibly other characteristics that sacrifice durability (longevity) for speed.

I recently had some skis stone grind and the tech said that first he was going to run the ski thru the sharpener to insure the ski was not base edge high which if it was, it would damage the stone. So I got him to sharpen the side edge as well.
 

GregK

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A tech should always check the edges for burrs or damage and fix those before running through a stone as it will wear the stone.

The skis should be fairly flat now but if it is the case where it was just a belt grind and not finished on a stone the skis will be VERY slow. Bases will be very rough if you saw them up close I’m sure. Good sign they didn’t take off much if there are still visible marks. I usually get about 6-10 total stone passes and in most cases it gets rid or reduces most cuts and that’s good enough as mentioned.

Similar to polishing a car before paint or sanding wood before stain, the skis need a few passes on a stone to finish properly and then a few passes on the stone with a universal structure. Even then, there will be microscopic “hairs” that need a few passes with a brass brush and then with a fiberex pad.
Hot scrape and then hot wax and you’re golden after of course the-checking the edges with basterd file first for high spots, then set your desired edge levels.

Big issue is NEVER use the term “base grind”, only “stone grind” which will filter out those that don’t have a stone. Lol
I’ve never had a belt on my skis and never will. Only should be used for heavy damaged skis as a first step before stone grinding.
 
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givethepigeye

givethepigeye

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@GregK - thanks - these are my “fondue” skis (Stockli’s - SR95) so had some structure on them to begin with, looks like that pattern is gone. No worries and will ge tthem redone when I’m in the mountains next.

Appreciate the primer on nomenclature.

I don’t really care a bit on the scratches- it was the tune + structure for Spring that were the primary objective #toolsnotjewels
 

GregK

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@GregK - thanks - these are my “fondue” skis (Stockli’s - SR95) so had some structure on them to begin with, looks like that pattern is gone. No worries and will ge tthem redone when I’m in the mountains next.

Appreciate the primer on nomenclature.

I don’t really care a bit on the scratches- it was the tune + structure for Spring that were the primary objective #toolsnotjewels

I usually only care about the overall flatness of the ski and once that’s fixed, a nice structure on them. A few light passes and you should be golden again.

My new Enforcer 93 took 2 rounds of grinding to be flat. First one I didn’t get to talk to the tech and they just did a few passes without actually checking the areas I mentioned were edge high and didn’t see till I was back at home they still weren’t flat. Skied then and still were “stuck in a turn” and then had another trusted shop make them flat. Should have just gone to my trusted shop at the hill in the the first place. Second place said it took 10 passes to get them flat which is more than the 4-6 it usually takes.
 

Jacques

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Just leave the scratches till you need a base grind. Either because the edges can't be sharpened from only the side or the base is no longer flat enough. Pristine bases are not needed on non competition skis.

Not even needed for competition!
 

AmyPJ

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I have talked to a ski tech with 10 or 12 years experience who said he has never seen a ski worn down to the core due to stone grinds. I have but it was on a ski that was formerly used on the WC which means when new it starts out with thinner edges and then possibly other characteristics that sacrifice durability (longevity) for speed.

I recently had some skis stone grind and the tech said that first he was going to run the ski thru the sharpener to insure the ski was not base edge high which if it was, it would damage the stone. So I got him to sharpen the side edge as well.
My personal tech ;) with 20 years experience agrees.
I suppose if someone ground the crap out of them repeatedly, then it could become an issue. Maybe.
 

crgildart

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Depends on how well you treat the folks working on your gear..
 

James

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I've seen skis with season tunes ruined in a season and a half. Excessive grinding. Not enough base left- the edge keys make little bumps making the ski terrible on hard snow. Almost no one is going to grind till you see core, that's absurd. But heavy paper thin, sure.
In fact last ski someone wanted me to try and maybe buy for $100, was so thin the base fell off in spots waxing. Another excessively ground ski.
 

trailtrimmer

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All depends on who is performing the work, the machine and the goal.

My old race boards have three grinds and can do a couple more at the hands of a good operator.

At the hands of a poor operator, three could be the max, especially if the ski had super high edges or defects they were trying to grind out.
 

GregK

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Video showing belt grind on a snowboard to see how passes you can do till it reaches the core. Lighter grit sandpaper used which should be similar to a pass on a stone grinder. He grinds for 2.5 hours non stop with 250 passes and still not close to hitting core. Actually a really funny video!
 

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