Maintenance Questions

[BCBSNOBBSkier]

this is my first season with my own non rented skis. how often should i be waxing and tuning.and if i get a rust on my edges how do i get it off, and is it a big problem?

Edited March 3, 2008 by BCBSNOBBSkier

[Ski]

this is my first season with my own non rented skis. how often should i be waxing and tuning.and if i get a rust on my edges how do i get it off, and is it a big problem?

For waxing, it's kind of like asking how often you should take a shower. Really. If you ski a long hard seven hour day, then your bases will be mostly depleted of wax after one outing. If you want to keep your bases in optimal shape, then they should be waxed every couple of times out. Check your bases for any white material. This is your base drying out and, well, falling off. Your bases are like a sponge and need to soak in the wax, then slowly release it as you ski. It's always best if you pick up a cheap iron for $15-$20 and some basic hydrocarbon wax (from racewax.com, of course). It takes five minutes to hot wax a pair of skis and a lot cheaper than a shop.

 

2nd best thing to do is use a paste/rub on. It doesn't last more than a few runs, but will keep your bases more healthy than if you used nothing.

 

How often you tune is also dependent on how hard you ski, as well as the conditions. Skiers in Utah can tune once or twice a season (soft snow), while I tune once a day. The more you ski your new skis, the more you'll recognize when you need a tune. Try once every seven ski days. If by the seventh day you're edges don't grab, then make it six days.

 

You shouldn't be getting rusty edges. Dry your skis. If you leave them in a place where they are getting rusty, then other bad stuff will happen. Rust will come off with a tune and it will also ski off. But that means your edge material is oxidizing...eh, disappearing. That's bad, since you only have just so much edge material. If you can't change where you keep your skis, wax will seal the moisture out. Keep a bit of wax where you store them and just coat your metal edges real quick. Even a candle will do. The wax will ski right off, btw. Waxing your edges is also a great way to summer store them.

 

Bottom line: hot wax every three ski days (at least); tune every 7 to 10 days (at least).

 

If you want to get into tuning your own skis, there are several people on here who are more than happy to run you through the basics.

Edited March 3, 2008 by ski