How to get skis ready for the season?

topic:ryan.steckley said:
Which ones are important for park skis? Should I only get wax?

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depends on how bad of condition your skis are in. if your bases are good, all you really need is a coat of wax and maybe some edge attention (de-bur). both of which you can do at home. if you plan on doing more then park in these skis though you might want to do a little more. I'm no expert on this matter though, Im just a senior in highschool speaking on personal experience.
 
What you really need is WEST SYSTEMS G/flex epoxy resin. WEST SYSTEMS G/flex 650 is a toughened, versatile, liquid epoxy for permanent waterproof bonding of fiberglass, ceramics, metals, plastics, damp and difficult-to-bond woods. With a modulus of elasticity of 150,000 PSI, it is a bit more flexible than standard epoxies and polyester, but much stiffer than adhesive sealants. This gives it the ability to make structural bonds that can absorb the stress of expansion, contraction, shock, and vibration. It is ideal for bonding dissimilar materials. It can be modified with WEST SYSTEM fillers and additives and used to wet-out fiberglass tapes and fabrics. Mixed at a 1:1 ratio, this 2-part epoxy gives you 46 minutes of pot life at 72°F and an open (working) time of 60-75 minutes. It reaches an initial cure in 3 to 4 hrs and a workable cure in 7-10 hours.
 
wax for sure

if you slide rails you probably want them to leave the edges alone unless you can have them ONLY de-burr them (you can do that yourself easily too, though)

if you actually want sharp edges (e.g. you like cranking turns on hard snow more than you care about rails) let em do the other edge stuff but most park skiers want their edges dull
 
14627935:ryan.steckley said:
ur right thanks

lol happy to help but yeah like people said if you learn to do stuff yourself it’s such a nice skill to have. the essentials that i have are a file for dulling edges/cracks, any old iron and some wax + scraper, and epoxy for any repairs. none of it is very hard to learn, and will prolong the life of your skis a ton
 
14627938:Dlonetti said:
lol happy to help but yeah like people said if you learn to do stuff yourself it’s such a nice skill to have. the essentials that i have are a file for dulling edges/cracks, any old iron and some wax + scraper, and epoxy for any repairs. none of it is very hard to learn, and will prolong the life of your skis a ton

Is there any way you could send a pic or link of the file you have
 
Buy some wax, and grab a clothes iron from the thrift store. Maybe a fine file to clean up the burrs on your edges if you hit lots of rails, or an edge file if you actually want sharp edges.
 
14627930:Dlonetti said:
ur gonna want those edges razor sharp

Woke, for some reason people think sharp edges will make you catch on rails but lowkey a myth and having that added edge control in the park makes it way more fun
 
14627925:ski_salmon69 said:
What you really need is WEST SYSTEMS G/flex epoxy resin. WEST SYSTEMS G/flex 650 is a toughened, versatile, liquid epoxy for permanent waterproof bonding of fiberglass, ceramics, metals, plastics, damp and difficult-to-bond woods. With a modulus of elasticity of 150,000 PSI, it is a bit more flexible than standard epoxies and polyester, but much stiffer than adhesive sealants. This gives it the ability to make structural bonds that can absorb the stress of expansion, contraction, shock, and vibration. It is ideal for bonding dissimilar materials. It can be modified with WEST SYSTEM fillers and additives and used to wet-out fiberglass tapes and fabrics. Mixed at a 1:1 ratio, this 2-part epoxy gives you 46 minutes of pot life at 72°F and an open (working) time of 60-75 minutes. It reaches an initial cure in 3 to 4 hrs and a workable cure in 7-10 hours.

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If you actually want to take care of your skis its more important to prep them for summer rather than for winter. After the last day you should release your dins to a very low setting to relieve the tension in the spring, spray them down with water and get all the dirt and shit off of them, and then add a layer of wax (preferably a summer wax) and leave it on all summer. Then before winter you just rewax em, put your dins back and you’re good to go

Last year I experimented with deburring my skis every week or 2 just to get rid of the burrs, not take material off/detune and I’ve found luck in not getting as many edge cracks that way. Highly recommend. Burrs create a weak spot on the edge.
 
14627965:Farmville420 said:
Woke, for some reason people think sharp edges will make you catch on rails but lowkey a myth and having that added edge control in the park makes it way more fun

as a midwesterner nah i file the fuck out of mine i like em dull
 
You’re actually gonna want to go to your nearest Home Depot, buy an angle grinder & wheels, and basically shred the edge off under foot. Makes rails feel nice no catchy catchy
 
14627993:BLandz said:
If you actually want to take care of your skis its more important to prep them for summer rather than for winter. After the last day you should release your dins to a very low setting to relieve the tension in the spring, spray them down with water and get all the dirt and shit off of them, and then add a layer of wax (preferably a summer wax) and leave it on all summer. Then before winter you just rewax em, put your dins back and you’re good to go

Last year I experimented with deburring my skis every week or 2 just to get rid of the burrs, not take material off/detune and I’ve found luck in not getting as many edge cracks that way. Highly recommend. Burrs create a weak spot on the edge.

Hasn't reducing DIN on modern bindings for summer storage been debunked? Not that turning it down will damage them, but it seems unnecessary and risky if you forget to reset them come winter.
 
14628046:SeaUrchin123 said:
Hasn't reducing DIN on modern bindings for summer storage been debunked? Not that turning it down will damage them, but it seems unnecessary and risky if you forget to reset them come winter.

Damn I never heard that before. Can you/someone confirm this, now im curious.
 
OP take a look at videos from [tag=189437]@DominatorJacques[/tag]

Dude is the tuning wizard.

You can buy a kit with most of the stuff you need for $100.
 
You should really just learn to wax your own skis.

Unless you have core shots that you can't repair yourself, there's little point in getting a service. Every grind by robot reduces the thickness of your base. Every edge sharpening reduces your edge strength. And why would you want sharp edges in the park anyway?
 
14628046:SeaUrchin123 said:
Hasn't reducing DIN on modern bindings for summer storage been debunked? Not that turning it down will damage them, but it seems unnecessary and risky if you forget to reset them come winter.

Correct.

You would only need to do such thing if you store your skis with your boots clicked in which is ridiculous.
 
14628089:Non_State_Actor said:
https://www.amazon.ca/Demon-Complete-Tune-Kit-Wax/dp/B00MAKO69O/ref=asc_df_B00MAKO69O/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706746419959&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9440961051234071594&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001542&hvtargid=pla-568070282342&psc=1&mcid=72f660b696cf3417b9fd181084da44ae&gad_source=1

Something like that plus a brush. You can make a stand out of wood and some foam rubber.

I’ve got this exact one + a brush kit and base edge angle. Don’t really need much more unless you’re a sweaty race club kid.
 
get your bases and edges beveled at a shop that won't rip you off should cost like $20. I do a 2º base and 2º edge bevel. Detune the rest yourself with a mill bastard file. You can use a nice Swix file or one at home depot as long as it's a mill bastard. Shouldn't have cross hatching marks, straight lines running diagonally along the file.

Files are directional, learn to use it, watch a youtube video. Run it along the edge at a 45º angle and dull it at least binding to binding, if not more. The more dull you keep your edges, the less likely you will be to get edge cracks.

Hot wax your skis yourself. Shops charging anything to use rub on all temp wax on a waxing wheel is highway robbery. Irons are like $30 and a 180g brick of swix purple wax is like $20 and will last you a couple seasons.
 
14629480:jompcock said:
Hot wax your skis yourself. Shops charging anything to use rub on all temp wax on a waxing wheel is highway robbery. Irons are like $30 and a 180g brick of swix purple wax is like $20 and will last you a couple seasons.

Purl original wax is better value imo, you can get 1lb for like $30 usd. The quality might not be as good as swix though.
 
14629480:jompcock said:
Hot wax your skis yourself. Shops charging anything to use rub on all temp wax on a waxing wheel is highway robbery. Irons are like $30 and a 180g brick of swix purple wax is like $20 and will last you a couple seasons.

Purl original wax is better value imo, you can get 1lb for like $30 usd. The quality might not be as good as swix though.
 
i melted candle wax on a sock and put it on my bases it worked pretty well i've done it for 2 seasons and never paid for a wax
 
i melted candle wax on a sock and put it on my bases it worked pretty well i've done it for 2 seasons and never paid for a wax
 
14627993:BLandz said:
If you actually want to take care of your skis its more important to prep them for summer rather than for winter. After the last day you should release your dins to a very low setting to relieve the tension in the spring, spray them down with water and get all the dirt and shit off of them, and then add a layer of wax (preferably a summer wax) and leave it on all summer. Then before winter you just rewax em, put your dins back and you’re good to go

Last year I experimented with deburring my skis every week or 2 just to get rid of the burrs, not take material off/detune and I’ve found luck in not getting as many edge cracks that way. Highly recommend. Burrs create a weak spot on the edge.

These are good tips I wish I was this dedicated
 
check bindings, and maybe get some wax, nothing more is needed for a park ski

you can tune your skis as much as you want, but there will always be a dude riding 3 year old factory wax riding harder than you
 
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