WHY you need to tune your brand new skis!

[Pat AKA mustski]

The only way to tell is to buy a new ski, ski it for a few days, then get a tune from a reputable shop (not one that rails your skis). If you notice them being easier to engage and release, with no loss in stability, as if you just bought new tires for your high performance car, then you benefited from the tune. If no difference, then yeah, either you had good skis to start with or your skills may not be at a point where a tune matters all that much..

Actually, I always use the same shop. One time, it was terrible and my skis came back railed. They fixed it, but that was the only time I experienced a railed ski. Now, I always use a flat edge to check if the ski bases are good after a tune. I just never felt the need to do it upon a new purchase.

Yeah, my skills are pretty average. I'm definitely not a racer or even an expert skier. I'm a recreational skier who manages about 40 days a season - weekends mostly. I was just wondering if this is something that most people notice with new skis or just the (I don't even know an appropriate term) ... extreme experts?

 

[Doug Briggs]

I can't imagine how a shop can rail skis. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but how? One pass on the stone grinder lets you see what is high and what is low. Railed edges on a stone will spark, which is bad for the stone. Not to mention a simple look with a true bar will show high and low spots too. Of course you have to care to take the time to look at your work, something I just assume any shop tech would do.

 

[FairToMiddlin]

Again, this post mentions the need to tune your brand new "$700 skis". If I'm paying $700 for a pair of skis I fully expect any reputable brick and mortar shop to ensure/guarantee that they are not railed or base high when I leave the store with them. If I want to go DIY with a top of the line, brand new product that I would need to tune myself I'll buy them online from the cheapest vendor available.

Folks paying brick and mortar prices at brick and mortar service centers ought to get the pre tune done for free or practically free when paying full price for the skis, and not entry level skis either..

The worst 'new ski factory tune' I have encountered to date was a pair of new-in-wrapper Stockli Spirit OTWO ($1500 retail price: no, that's not what I paid, thank Ullr). I had the bindings mounted and figured I was good, I mean there's NO WAY Stockli would push such a pricey ski out the door in poor shape. They were horrid, in desperate need of a decent base grind to make them flat and skiable. Like Ron said, I don't even look now, new skis automatically get a grind.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I can't imagine how a shop can rail skis. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but how? One pass on the stone grinder lets you see what is high and what is low. Railed edges on a stone will spark, which is bad for the stone. Not to mention a simple look with a true bar will show high and low spots too. Of course you have to care to take the time to look at your work, something I just assume any shop tech would do.

It happens when they get the ski too hot during the grind. The base expands, the proud part gets ground off and then when it cools, you have a ski that is railed.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

I can't imagine how a shop can rail skis. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but how? One pass on the stone grinder lets you see what is high and what is low. Railed edges on a stone will spark, which is bad for the stone. Not to mention a simple look with a true bar will show high and low spots too. Of course you have to care to take the time to look at your work, something I just assume any shop tech would do.

Actually, that's exactly what the shop manager told me when I took the skis back. He tried to convince me that they came that way from the manufacturer and that I had been skiing them like that for over a year and hadn't noticed. Luckily, my husband was with me and had a true bar and a flashlight with him. The shop manager did apologize once we showed him. I continue to use the shop because I won't hold one issue against anyone.

 

[crgildart]

It happens when they get the ski too hot during the grind. The base expands, the proud part gets ground off and then when it cools, you have a ski that is railed.

I would have thought that the metal edges would expand way more than the bases under extreme heat, but I honestly don't know which one is more heat influenced. This theory makes sense if the bases do expand more than the edges under heat.

 

[fatbob]

Of course you have to care to take the time to look at your work, something I just assume any shop tech would do.

I think you have rather too high an opinion of some of your fellow professionals - I've just seen some photos of a first basic grind and wax on a snowboard with less than 20 days use. The tech had ground through to the glass in one patch, waxed it on top (I assume belt wax) and handed back to the customer with no comment. When the store was called on it they seemed to make up some BS about a manufacturing defect and warranty replacement of the board to save face.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I think you have rather too high an opinion of some of your fellow professionals - I've just seen some photos of a first basic grind and wax on a snowboard with less than 20 days use. The tech had ground through to the glass in one patch, waxed it on top (I assume belt wax) and handed back to the customer with no comment. When the store was called on it they seemed to make up some BS about a manufacturing defect and warranty replacement of the board to save face.

I guess so. I have heard so many horror stories in forums but still can't imagine the incompetence required. I will spend far more time than is profitable, with my boss's approval, to fix skis we receive in horrible condition either through neglect or poor prior service.

 

[dawgcatching]

I think you have rather too high an opinion of some of your fellow professionals - I've just seen some photos of a first basic grind and wax on a snowboard with less than 20 days use. The tech had ground through to the glass in one patch, waxed it on top (I assume belt wax) and handed back to the customer with no comment. When the store was called on it they seemed to make up some BS about a manufacturing defect and warranty replacement of the board to save face.

having owned a shop for several years, I could see how that would happen! For example; we hire new people, they are hired as customer service guys, but obviously like gear. Well, rather quickly, they wander into the backshop, despite having no business being there; helping customers with rental gear isn't glamorous, they want to be tuning stuff. Our shop has a very specific policy of "don't touch tools unless you have been trained and authorized by both myself and the backshop manager" but not every shop will have those protections in place. Or, a board/skis come in while the owner/manager is away, and the overzealous employee takes it upon themselves and says "I can figure this out, I know skis, I work at a ski shop". It doesn't happen at our shop, as we have very strict "one strike and your out" policies with regards to being in the backshop while not belonging there. I have had a couple of employees quit because we didn't allow them back there. I can't say all shops are as thorough though. Another factor can be that it is tough to keep good people at $15/hour!

Still, letting an unskilled worker into the backshop to tune anything other than his own skis is absurd.

 

[snofun3]

I have some well over $700 skis (Ski Logik Rock Stars), that were completely out of tune when I got them. I mean, not even close.

Grabbed, hooked, just incredibly bad - spoiled half a Snowbird powder day, but thankfully I had some Patron's in the car.

Went back to the dealer who alleges that he tunes every ski after purchase and demanded he actually do this, and now, well, they fell like a decent pair of S7's.

 

[Scruffy]

I mount and tune my own skis, unless they need a stone ground. I do have a base flattener, but it's too much work and not precise, since it's a hand tool, so now I just take them to a very reputable place (Inside Edge @ Stowe) that tunes race skis if they need grinding.

I've gotten pretty lucky the last few pairs of skis I bought. Right out of the wrapper, I've put a true bar on them and they were dead flat. 2 pairs of Kastle and 1 pair of Blizzard Bones. Of course, I plane the sidewall, and set my own base and edge bevels, if they needed it, but the bases were dead on.

 

[RikkiBobbi]

How's Volkls rep for factory tune on cheater GS? Assuming pretty good out of the practice.

 

[Dakine]

My Blossom White Outs (2 pair) are the straightest, flattest skis I have ever taken out of a wrapper.
I have Kastle, Rossi and Fischer skis and the Blossoms beat all as far as trueness.
Skiable out of the box and a nice grind too.
Those guys sure know how to make skis but they sure don't seem to want to sell them.

 

[Ecimmortal]

I know my ski's are good out of the wrapper. I know a human inspected every ski out of the factory, a human with a real stake in the company. I know the factories process was developed with the help of one of the better tech's in the state. The only thing I need to do actually is detune to my desired level.

 

[Doug Briggs]

You broke my sarcasm meter.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I know my ski's are good out of the wrapper. I know a human inspected every ski out of the factory, a human with a real stake in the company. I know the factories process was developed with the help of one of the better tech's in the state. The only thing I need to do actually is detune to my desired level.

You must ski Icelantics!



If I had to name one brand that just fails all the time out of the wrapper, I just did.

 

[ski otter 2]

(After working with Chuck at Racer's Edge in Breck on boots, that's where I would take my skis to get base-flattened, especially if I skied at Breck.)


I do my own waxing and tuning, usually including base flattening, which takes me a while with hand tools. So now and then it's tempting to get a base flattening done,
(especially if I've been injured).

But I've had so many bad experiences with ski shops around here over the years on base-flattening - often rail high results; and such denials. (Man, you couldn't make this stuff up.)

Doug, seems like you've known only the best!

 

[Ecimmortal]

You must ski Icelantics!



If I had to name one brand that just fails all the time out of the wrapper, I just did.

I would never even consider ski's built in a snowboard factory. I would imagine just from the construction quality I have seen that the tune would be no better.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I would never even consider ski's built in a snowboard factory. I would imagine just from the construction quality I have seen that the tune would be no better.

The construction of the skis appears ok. But the base finish is horrid.