The Ski Center Tuning Advantage

The service department at Ski Center has been revolutionized and revamped to include state of the art tuning machines with the wide stone of the Wintersteiger Micro 91, and the cup grinding capabilities of the Wintersteiger Trim Disc 71.

The wide stone allows us to custom stone grind any width ski, and now expands our snowboard tuning to include the precise stone grind structures that todays high-tech boards demand. The ceramic disc technology involved in the tuning of edges has pushed edge tuning dramatically forward, and we have invested in that technology to bring you precise, and ski specific, edge geometry. The Trim Disc's ceramic disc actually cuts and polishes your ski, and board edge, to any bevel desired, and creates a sharper,and longer lasting edge than any machine previously available.

Our investments in the forefront of tuning technology ensure the best possible time on the hill and ultimately the satisfaction we feel by providing our customers with the best tune possible is what drives us to make these investments. Local racers and coaches know the advantages of this new technology and their demanding use of their equipment drives many of them to us to race prep their equipment.

What Is Important About Tuning?

At some point, every skier knows that they will want to have a service shop tune their skis. Some questions that arise when customers come to the shop for tuning skis are, "How do they tune the ski?", "How do they know what to do to the skis?". The real question is always, "What good does the tune really do for my skis?"

In the simplest terms, skis need to be flat for the bases and edges to work in harmony. Skis also need to have sharp, burr-free, and in most cases, beveled edges. A flat, or "true" ski is easy to turn, carving both into and out of the turn, holds its edge through the turn, and feels both predictable and smooth.

There are two primary things that happen as a ski is used. The ski base and bottom of the edge wear down, and the beveled side of the edge becomes dull.

A Concave Base: known as an edge high ski.

As the base and edge wear down, two different states may appear on the bottom of the skis. These states are referred to as edge high and base high.

The edge high ski will have more edge in contact with the snow than the base. This gives the skier the feeling of "being locked on a train track". The the edge high ski makes it difficult to start or "initiate" a turn and even more difficult to complete the turn. Feedback from the ski is erratic at best. An edge high ski will also be slower due to this state.

A Convex Base: known as an base high ski.

The base high ski will have more base in contact with the snow. This condition is less prevalent than the edge high condition. The base high will give the skier a "swimmy" feeling, without discernible edge grip, or will feel like it is "skidding across water". The lack of a solid edge feel usually results in a skidded, rather than carved, ski turn.

These conditions can be corrected by a proper ski tune. Whether doing a home tune or relying on a professional shop, the techniques and procedures would be similar in your attempt to bring the ski back to its "true" and tuned state.

Skis at Ski Center are tuned by hand, using a spinning belt and a spinning stone (this is commonly referred to as a stone grind). All three of these elements help us flatten the ski base and edge. They also allow us to customize the base's structure, allowing for different turn characteristics within the plastic of the flat base. The edges are generally beveled and sharpened to provide glide, control, and of course enhanced edge grip. Custom hand tuning involves the use of various files, brushes, and techniques that are designed to make even the most minute changes possible.

The final step in any tune is waxing. Wax protects the base from oxidation (drying out), and to a degree from scratches and dings that could be worse without a waxed base. Ultimately the wax provides the swing a ski needs to carve a turn, and the glide the ski needs by breaking up the suction between the ski and the snow.