WHY you need to tune your brand new skis!

[Bill Talbot]

I've put this here instead of in the tuning section because it is more of a WHY, than a how.

So you've read the reviews, visited Pugski.com for info, maybe flexed a few pair in your local shop.
You've made a pro/con lists and excuses to your SO as to why you desperately need another pair of skis.
Then you pull the trigger and get the skis! . Oh, you have to go through all that again for bindings... well
that's for another thread :0

Question, WHY do you need to tune your brand new skis? .
Answer, because you want them to perform at the highest possible level . Now this isn't the thread to ask WHY a brand new pair of $700+ skis need a tune, that's for another thread
Skis are pressed and then shaped and rough ground at the manufacturer level. This is production. Then they age and cure and get shipped to your favorite retailer. Think of this as a starting point. They need handwork to bring out their very best which will help you bring out yours . Where will the skis be used, what type of conditions, experience level and aggressiveness of the skier? If you don't know what you want/need for an appropriate tune for the new ski/skier combination, a good shop will help you find a good baseline tune. You will not be sorry. This of course is much better than going out on that first magical day with you new gear and thinking 'is this it?'. Why did I spend all that money and they ski no different than the last couple pairs I've bought.

I do all my own mounting/tune work in my shop. I am truly amazed at jut how bad some skis are when taken out of the wrapper.
I just did my new Nordica Enforcers and set them up with a .75/2 tune and hot wax. Now they just need a place to go ski... but that too is for another thread

 

[markojp]

I mounted two pairs of new skis last season. Both NEEDED work before they were skied. This season, I've carefully checked one new pair and will ski this one a few days first. It's pretty spot on other than doing a quick side edge bevel to my liking. So how were you Enforcers out of the wrapper? My Nrgy 100s were base high last year.

 

[fatbob]

Surely you shouldn't be needing to tune a new pair of skis - If the retailer can't sell you a pair that have had the manufacturer gremlins ironed out and a fresh wax on them why aren't we all buying direct?

 

[crgildart]

Skis used to always be shipped base high out of the factory because they were packed in stacks and the bottoms would damage the tops of the skis under them otherwise. I don't know that is as much of an issue with each ski individually shrink wrapped these days.. But, agree that a good ski shop should tune a new pair at least to a standard 1/3 or .5/3 when putting them out for sale if not offer custom to the preference of the person paying the $700 mentioned above for them.

 

[Bill Talbot]

I mounted two pairs of new skis last season. Both NEEDED work before they were skied. This season, I've carefully checked one new pair and will ski this one a few days first. It's pretty spot on other than doing a quick side edge bevel to my liking. So how were you Enforcers out of the wrapper? My Nrgy 100s were base high last year.

Mine were railed and the edges ground poorly @ the transitions to rise both front and rear.

 

[SlideWright]

Inspect them first, from our Tuning Tips:

• Check bases for flatness with a true bar and backlighting
• Look for consistent base structure and for any gouges
• Eyeball torsional squareness and general structure evenness
• Measure the side and base bevels and record info
• Check general consistent sharpness of the edges and for burrs or nicks. Also, check for rust
• Detune the tips and tails around the shovel until they are no longer sharp and catch objects
• Make any necessary (hopefully none or minor) fixes and tweaks
• Clean, wax, scrape and brush a few cycle
• Ski or ride ’em, repeat above and make any edge bevel tweaks deemed appropriate and test again

Personally, I'd a least want to control the wax history on new skis and test drive the edge tuning. I'll brush off whatever wax is on them, followed by a topical cleaner and hot scrape. Follow this with bench top 'hot boxing'* with base prep wax and then the wax of the day (WOTD).

*bench top 'hot boxing', for lack of a better term is to apply a base prep wax, cool, reheat, cool, several times before scraping and brushing. The idea is to re-liquify and saturate the bases with the same wax application multiple times to sort of 'assimilate a hot boxing' which keeps the wax liquefied for a longer time frame.

 

[Tricia]

Surely you shouldn't be needing to tune a new pair of skis - If the retailer can't sell you a pair that have had the manufacturer gremlins ironed out and a fresh wax on them why aren't we all buying direct?

A good retailer will likely recommend a tune on a new pair of skis. Most often the skis will be okay fresh out of the wrapper, but quite often the tips from @Bill Talbot are spot on. Just because a pair of skis needs a tune when they're brand new doesn't mean they're bad skis. I'd still like to bring them to MY specs

For instance, the Head Super Joy comes with a 1/2 on it but I had them base ground and tuned them to .5/3
My Santa Ana's were amazing out of the package and didn't get a tune right away because I was too excited to wait.

 

[Philpug]

Surely you shouldn't be needing to tune a new pair of skis - If the retailer can't sell you a pair that have had the manufacturer gremlins ironed out and a fresh wax on them why aren't we all buying direct?

How does buying direct solve the problem?

 

[Core2]

I'm not a gear/tune snob like most of the folks here so I've never felt the need to mess with edges on new skis. In fact those first few runs I get feel better than any tune I ever get afterwards. I do believe in a good wax session on new skis, get those bases soaked in.

 

[Bill Talbot]

I'm not a gear/tune snob like most of the folks here so I've never felt the need to mess with edges on new skis. In fact those first few runs I get feel better than any tune I ever get afterwards. I do believe in a good wax session on new skis, get those bases soaked in.

If that's true in your case, you should find a new shop to tune your skis, 'cause you're current shop is doing something wrong!

 

[Core2]

If that's true in your case, you should find a new shop to tune your skis, 'cause you're current shop is doing something wrong!

Our shops in Phoenix do suck to the point I want to buy my own tuning equipment.

 

[Ron]

I mounted two pairs of new skis last season. Both NEEDED work before they were skied. This season, I've carefully checked one new pair and will ski this one a few days first. It's pretty spot on other than doing a quick side edge bevel to my liking. So how were you Enforcers out of the wrapper? My Nrgy 100s were base high last year.

Ya' know, I didn't even check. I took them to my LSS and had a full tune on them. I just do that with every new ski automatically. Then I add a Maplus Purple layer (@Alpinord )

 

[Ron]

I'm not a gear/tune snob like most of the folks here so I've never felt the need to mess with edges on new skis. In fact those first few runs I get feel better than any tune I ever get afterwards. I do believe in a good wax session on new skis, get those bases soaked in.

I'm not a total tune and wax snob but.... "coated"; bases can't technically absorb wax.

 

[Core2]

I'm not a total tune and wax snob but.... "coated"; bases can't absorb wax.

They absorb enough to make them last longer than the 2 runs you get with the factory wax. I wax over that stuff and the crappy brush waxes from the tuning machines with no issues. Again, I'm not a tuning snob so I am sure I am doing it all wrong and my personal experience counts for nothing.

 

[mdf]

Wait. Are you supposed to take the shrink wrap off?

 

[Core2]

Wait. Are you supposed to take the shrink wrap off?

I just melt that into the bases for some added ptex protection then wax over it.

 

[SlideWright]

Just received Toko's Newsletter with good tips and Willi Witz videos which I added to our Tuning Tips: Base Prep, Brushing and Edge Bevels

 

[Erik Timmerman]

On the other hand, my tuner recommends skiing them a bit before tuning them.

 

[mdf]

On the other hand, my tuner recommends skiing them a bit before tuning them.

Interesting. Why?

 

[SlideWright]

"If they're not broke, don't fix 'em" approach for one and to see how they ski as is, then tweak. At least put a true bar to them and an eyeball.