Q: You said something about tuning and waxing everyday. You are kidding, right?! I have a LIFE you know- including a wife and 3 kids!

A: Yeah- sorry: Gadget IS a Tuning Nut- hence the blog (and fictitious conversations with my vaporous followers). It is possible to maintain skis once a week (if say skiing 3 days/week), and still have pretty good performance. Does this help?

Q: I suppose that is better than every day. What do recommend that I do once a week?

A: I thought you would NEVER ask! First of all, try to wipe-down your skis after every ski day. High carbon steel edge can begin to rust in just a few hours if left wet. It is easier to prevent rust than to remove it. AT LEAST once/week, carefully stone the base and side edges to remove burrs, then stone the side edge to improve sharpness. Finally, brush and scrape the bases and apply a universal temperature, low fluro wax by ironing. When slightly cool, remove the wax from the edges, but leave the excess on the base. This is NOT an ideal prep, but the ski will perform fairly consistently, turn smoothly, hold well, and glide easily. Leaving the excess wax on the base speeds the prep time and extends the protection of the bases for a longer period.

 

But you will still find my skis (and my son's) are tuned to a near-race level on a daily basis. If you can find (or make) the time, there is a benefit to sweating the details.