New skis and bindings...what do I need to tell the shop guys to do when I get them tuned?

[Chris V.]

Also, basic advice on maintenance between trips to the shop:

o Get yourself a little diamond stone, and use it daily to remove burrs from your edges from any minor encounters with rocks. You don't need to resharpen the whole edge, and can leave sharpening to periodic visits to the shop until you get more ambitious.

o Get a wax iron and some wax. Reapply, and importantly, SCRAPE every few days. I'm going to disagree with whomever said it wasn't important to have wax on your skis. It's an easy task.

 

[T-Square]

Wax is important, even using a soft wax that you put on with a pad will help and is so easy even I can do it.

 

[mister moose]

Show of hands:
How many non-professionals hone and hot wax their own skis?

No, I'm not talking to you if you have 300+ posts in this forum. I'm talking to the 5-20 day a year recreational skier.

I just don't think that advice is realistic. Worthwhile, yes, if you are an avid skier. Just not realistic. If you aren't an avid skier, or you don't have a basement floor that you don't mind dripping multi colored splotches on, take your skis to your favorite shop once in a while and get a tune. If you ski a lot in the same place, get a season tune. Once you get to know that fresh tune feeling and want to get it a lot more often, then think about investing in the tools, the skills, and the bench.

 

[Chris V.]

A diamond stone is about 1" x 2" and fits in your pocket. It doesn't hone the whole edge, but just deburring is a good thing to do between visits to the shop for sharpening, which doesn't need to be done very often.

If you don't want to drip molten wax on your Persian rug, then just rubbing wax on cold and then buffing with a cork is pretty effective at freshening up that wax job. You can use a stick of hard wax or you can get soft wax made specifically for that purpose. Try it, you might like it. A quick on-the-slope wax has saved many a student's heinie, on those days when there's sticky new-fallen snow that's right at 32 degrees, and the shop got a little behind maintaining that rental gear.

 

[AltaFan]

@Philpug does you advice still stand on California Ski Co in Berkeley as the only shop you trust in the Bay Area? I’m on the Peninsula and need to buy and mount bindings on new skis.

(Sorry to dredge up an old thread)

 

[Philpug]

@Philpug does you advice still stand on California Ski Co in Berkeley as the only shop you trust in the Bay Area? I’m on the Peninsula and need to buy and mount bindings on new skis.

(Sorry to dredge up an old thread)

It is the only shop I know down there and I know they do a good job.

 

[mdf]

They did an amazing job on my son's skis. But then he lives in Berkeley so getting there is not a problem .

 

[raytseng]

@Philpug does you advice still stand on California Ski Co in Berkeley as the only shop you trust in the Bay Area? I’m on the Peninsula and need to buy and mount bindings on new skis.

(Sorry to dredge up an old thread)

I've gotten boots at CalskiCo and spend over a grand there; but they seem more boot focused.
Every shop in the peninsula is more seasonal than tahoe and less steady, so the issue is you are never sure if they'll turn the job over to a new hire in the back versus an experience you had a season ago; as the employees turn over as they can't make it work. If you thought living on a a skibum shop wages in Tahoe was tough, multiply by 3x to live on the Peninsula.

Another option is Helm in San Mateo, is also a ski shop with long ownership and veteran staff and all the equipment and jigs that have been doing it for awhile; but again unsure of current employees and who ends up doing your specific skis.
Another good option is you can just wait until you get into Tahoe or ski town where you are skiing; and have a shop do a mount there. (Taking out a rental if you need a day). Again if you've prebought your bindings, call ahead to see if they have the jig and willing to do it.

I would suggest doing that, over making an unnecessary out of the way trip, especially if something goes wrong, you'll have to make a 2nd unnecessary trip.

All this being said, if you buy the bindings from the shop where you're mounting them, that helps with pricing and some more backing of their work.

 

[Pete in Idaho]

2 cents worth. Generally speaking of course:

Helm of Sun Valley in Sacramento was always a good shop, that was yrs ago, however.

Most skis are 1degree base and 2 degrees side. Skis you only ski on groomers and sometimes hard snow then go 1 degree base and 3 degrees side. Detune tips and tails of skis otherwise they will be "grabby" something you may not want.

Do it yourself wax that actually will last one day all day. Jet Fuel follow the directions on the jar. I use on trips or when I just don't want to hot wax the night before.

The worst "tune" I ever got was at Granite Chief at Squaw Valley, it took me days to get them back to what I wanted. If you find a good shop etc. you're lucky.

Mr little tuning area. Keep it simple.