New Ski Prep

[Shawn C.]

Ok, I want to take care of the new Fischer Ranger 98’s. I’ve never done anything to brand new skis other than mount ‘me and ski ‘em. I’ll wax them after a few days of use. I want to ensure these skis get off to a good start, so is there anything I should do to prep the bases (clean, wax, etc.) prior to the first day using them? I’m not really worried about the edges from the factory (live in UT and ski at a place with no snow making). Thanks for any suggestions, folks!

 

[Jacques]

Ok, I want to take care of the new Fischer Ranger 98’s. I’ve never done anything to brand new skis other than mount ‘me and ski ‘em. I’ll wax them after a few days of use. I want to ensure these skis get off to a good start, so is there anything I should do to prep the bases (clean, wax, etc.) prior to the first day using them? I’m not really worried about the edges from the factory (live in UT and ski at a place with no snow making). Thanks for any suggestions, folks!

Here you go. New ski prep video series. Start at part 7 about 2:30 to see waxing prep talk.

 

[Dwight]

Always clean and wax. Skis don't come waxed from the factory. I would wax and scrap at least 4 times.

 

[Jacques]

Always clean and wax. Skis don't come waxed from the factory. I would wax and scrap at least 4 times.

Wax, scrape & BRUSH! Never skip the brushing! I concur with the above with the addition.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'll be the contrarian, sort of. Clean them and wax them. Unless you are going to race them, you don't need multiple waxings and brushings before you use them. Just keep them waxed. If you like the tune, just maintain it. If you don't like the tune, have a pro set them. If you don't maintain the edges to keep them sharp, just remove the burrs as they occur.

And don't do this:

The 9.5 days and the damage are true. I repaired them and still use them, today actually. You'll love them.

 

[Shawn C.]

Thanks, guys!
How did you bring that ski back to life, Doug? Looks toasted to me. Makes me want to hold onto my Line Supernaturals as rock skis.

 

[Shawn C.]

Quick follow-up:

What is a cheap(er) wax to use for hot scraping? I have Hertl Hot Sauce and I'm assuming that will be ok. I sure don't want to use my cold snow Swix wax, right? I have some old spring skiing warm temp wax laying around too. The softer the better, correct?

 

[Jacques]

Quick follow-up:

What is a cheap(er) wax to use for hot scraping? I have Hertl Hot Sauce and I'm assuming that will be ok. I sure don't want to use my cold snow Swix wax, right? I have some old spring skiing warm temp wax laying around too. The softer the better, correct?

Hot scraping is a waste of time and money, plus a big mess!
This is the 21st century.
I been using this stuff to clean bases for years now and kissed hot scraping good-bye.
See this old video. Sure he is working on Nordic, but a base is a base!

 

[Noodler]

Not every ski out of the wrapper has a flat base and proper edge bevels. So every ski really needs to be checked that it's actually in good shape and ready for waxing and then skiing. I've been out of the game for some time, but my experience has been that very few skis are actually ready to rock right out of the shrink wrap. Of course this all depends on your personal tolerance for a ski tune. Higher performance skiing demands higher performance tuning.

 

[Jacques]

Not every ski out of the wrapper has a flat base and proper edge bevels. So every ski really needs to be checked that it's actually in good shape and ready for waxing and then skiing. I've been out of the game for some time, but my experience has been that very few skis are actually ready to rock right out of the shrink wrap. Of course this all depends on your personal tolerance for a ski tune. Higher performance skiing demands higher performance tuning.

^ Words of wisdom

 

[AmyPJ]

Not every ski out of the wrapper has a flat base and proper edge bevels. So every ski really needs to be checked that it's actually in good shape and ready for waxing and then skiing. I've been out of the game for some time, but my experience has been that very few skis are actually ready to rock right out of the shrink wrap. Of course this all depends on your personal tolerance for a ski tune. Higher performance skiing demands higher performance tuning.

This has been my experience, too. Mine get a light base grind and edge tune before I ski them. I skied my Sheevas right out of the wrapper last season (after waxing) and the tails were catching. Had the above done, and they were fine.

 

[Uncle-A]

I thought this thread name sounded familiar so I did a site search using the same name "New Ski Prep" a few threads came up, lots of good info to read.

 

[Ron]

there's really no mystery here. Just have your shop put a bar on the bases and see what needs to be done, run the edges and get a decent wax on them. Its my standard new ski protocol.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Thanks, guys!
How did you bring that ski back to life, Doug? Looks toasted to me. Makes me want to hold onto my Line Supernaturals as rock skis.

Lots of epoxy (it flows into the 'aircore' holes), a screw, some pressure and a bit of p-tex.

I was just enjoying my day skiing under E chair at Breck in one of the alleys and boom! This was the little toe edge of the uphill ski in transition. As the snow gave out unexpectedly from under the downhill ski the uphill ski was forced to take my full weight. What had appeared to be a tree stump and no cause for alarm turned out to be a rock instead. My stopping was pretty instantaneous and the damage done quite exasperating. It was too far to hike back up in bottomless so I cut off the missing piece of sidewall so I could ski down without it hooking on stuff.

So after a suitable drying out period...

The pressure application. The wax paper is to keep tools clean and contain excess epoxy. I now use the plastic sleeves skis are shipped in to contain the epoxy. It is easier and more effective. A plastic bag would work as well.

While applying some p-tex. The p-tex, in the end, hasn't held to the repair, but the ski is skiable

I cut off the piece of green sidewall at the time I wrecked the ski. It was hanging on and going to catch. I pocketed it in antici...

...pation of the repair.

The finished repair.

How it looks now.

The skis have integrity and beyond the initial loss of some p-tex have held up nicely. They get used in the resort and in the BC for conditions that aren't going to be rock free or don't need full Carbon MegaWatt flotation.