Here’s How to Tune Skis for a Smooth Ride Every Time

CLEANING THE BASE

Keeping things clean is essential when learning how to tune skis.

First, scrape the base to remove any excess base material. If there’s a stubborn piece, use a knife. Then, brush the base to remove any dust and debris. Go over the whole ski.

Next, we need to remove some wax around the damaged area. So, put some base cleaner on it and let it sit for a few minutes. Lastly, put some rubbing alcohol on a towel and use it to remove the base cleaner residue.

REPAIRING WITH P-TEX

Once the base is clean, we can start the repairs. Light one end of your P-tex stick with a lighter or a match. It starts dripping quickly, so make sure to hold it over something you don’t mind dripping on. The metal scraper is a good idea.

Since you’re dealing with molten plastic, you must be careful not to burn yourself. This is the only hazardous step of how to tune skis.

Next, drip your P-tex into the gouges and scratches of the base. Keep the dripping tip close to the surface to prevent splashing. Also, don’t hold the P-tex stick directly against the base, or it may burn it.

FINISHING UP

First, let the repaired base cool a bit. Then, scrape off the excess P-tex with your metal scraper.

That’s it for base repairs. Now for the main part of how to tune skis.

TUNING THE SIDEWALLS

Tuning the sidewalls is an essential part of how to tune skis. Also, it’s very simple.

First, wet your diamond stone and make a few passes from tip to tail. Keep it flat against the sidewall and use long, smooth motions.

Next, repeat the same process with your gummi stone. Now, all that’s left to do on the edges is to clean up. However, you may want to detune the contact points first.

ADDING NEW WAX

First, heat up your iron. Touch the wax against it from time to time to see if it’s hot enough. Once it’s able to melt the wax, it’s ready. If there’s any smoke, your iron is too hot.

Next, hold your wax and iron over the tip of the ski. Then, bring them together to start dripping wax onto the base. Continue down the ski in a zig-zag pattern.

Now, bring your iron to the tip and start ironing the wax. You don’t need to press it hard. Keep moving down the length of the ski at an even pace.

If you move it too slowly, you may damage the base material. However, moving too fast won’t let the wax penetrate the ski properly.

At the ideal pace, the trail of molten wax behind the iron should be a few inches long, but no more than five. Also, make sure that the ironed wax covers the whole width of the ski. If not, you’ll have to add more wax and start over.

SCRAPING AND BRUSHING

Before you continue, the ski must cool for about an hour after waxing.

First, use your plastic scraper. Hold it at a 45-degree angle and scrape in long strokes with firm pressure. Start from the tip and use overlapping strokes until there are no more wax shavings.

Next, it’s time to clean the sides. For this, use the short ends of your scraper to avoid damaging the main scraping edges.

Then, use your nylon brush to clean out the tiny ridges in the base. Keep brushing until there are no wax flakes. Polish off the result with the horsehair brush. Take your time, because it gets better the more you brush.