Decades ago, Mr. Young warned us that rust never snoozes. I’m pretty sure Neil was referring to ski edges. Snag-tears in your gloves and pants, and rust stains all over your matching kit: all nasty side effects of poorly maintained ski edges. Not to mention more pushing on cat tracks, less-fluid turns, and an overall shortening of your ski’s life. Face it—you aren’t going to carve like Bode or afterbang like Tom Wallisch unless your blades are sharp and tuned, so check out our videos and learn yourself about keeping the chrome crisp.
Tools
- Edge sharpener (get one with a guide so you don’t ruin your edges)
- Gummy stone
- Vices or tuning stand (optional)
Steps:
- Ascertain the correct direction of the edge sharpener.
- Sharpen edges from tip to tail (not the other way around or you’ll be skiing against the grain of your tune).
- Draw the sharpener along the base-side edge of your ski. Be firm with the sharpener—the more consistent your strokes, the better you edges will carve.
- Repeat step 3 on the sidewall-edge side of your ski.
- Polish your edges with the gummy stone.
Tips:
- Don’t forget to sharpen both sides of your edges. Sharpen the base-edge side, then turn over you ski, and sharpen the edge from the sidewall-edge side as well.
- Pay attention to the directional arrows of your edge tool, and be firm while you work on your edges. Don’t draw the sharpener back and forth—maintain a smooth, uni-directional swipe as you draw the sharpener along your edge.
- Feel your edge with your finger as you sharpen your edges. It’s the best way to measure your progress.
- Use a marker to mark up your edges before you begin—this is a really easy way to measure your progress because the marker ink will scrape off as you sharpen your edges.
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Tags: DIY, do-it-yourself, edge tuning, gear repair, ski tuning, video