 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Masopa I usually find that it doesn't take long for the wax to cool, you want it still slightly soft when you scrape it off so it comes off smoothly rather than flakes, the edges are the easiest thing to do of all of it.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Well, the wax is all off now - just can't find that nylon brush I'd bought a few weeks ago to open up the base.
Oh well - skis look like new now!
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masopa I'd leave them like that till just before you ski again otherwise they'll only get smoothed out again or catch dust, by the way if putting away the skis for the summer put them somewher dry and don't wrap them up, often water gets into the bindings and when the skis get unwrapped next year you find a lot of rust where the edges used to be
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Still haven't found time to do my 1080's since January trip - can I send them up to you masopa?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Well done Masopa... whens the first outing?
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No Masopa don't leave them in the bag, the place my swiss friends came up with for theirs and mine is in their boarded and heated loft space, what they have is a simple rack between two rafters where they slide the skis at the end of the season this lets air circulate arround them and means the bases are not straped together which can damage the spring of the ski, if you havn't got a heated loft try sticking them on top of the kitchen cabinets or some other dry out of the way place but don't leave them in the bag, it doesn't need to be air tight just the fact that air can't freely circulate can make the difference
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I didn't think about the effect of leaving your skis strapped together on the spring of the ski - thanks for the tip will undo immediately!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This got me motivated to sharpen up the edges of my Salomons. I knew they needed it before I go to Austria in 2 weeks, but just haven't got round to doing it until tonight.
No cuts on me, and they are a lot sharper, now I just need to spend part of tomorrow afternoon waxing them.
I never had too many cuts from edges, but I used to get ptex burns from time to time. Ouch!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Any hints for servicing snowboards?
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Ok skis and snowboards can be serviced and waxed in almost exactly the same way, the best thing would be to go to the Toko website where they have lots of info, they even do PDF format documents on the subject for you to download and print out, hope that helps to start with 
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You know it makes sense.
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Have you got any advice on the essential gear to buy for a mid ski trip service?
I'm quite happy to give S&R 20 quid for a proper service (i'm sure I couldn't trust myself...) but it would be nice to be able to tune the edges of my skis after a ski/rock interface session mid holiday...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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As you can see, I'm no expert, but to do your edges you'll end up spending at least £20 on edge files. For not much more you can do the whole servicing malarkey yourself!
After your skis have said hello to some rocks, the biggest problem will be gouges in bases. From what I've read, it's not too hard - you can get ptex candles that you melt.
PG, excellent idea about the gloves - I think I might invest in some!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm not too bothered about base gouges. I know they can be filled later by someone with more time and expertise than me. But it would be great to be able to take the burr off my edges during the holiday.
I've always assumed you needed a clamp or something to do it properly.
Are you saying there's a tool you can just run up and down the edge?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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markP, I used the following "tools" to do my edges:
1x ironing board
1x kitchen worktop
1x yellow pages
1x edge file with guide
1x pair shoelaces
1x roll insulation tape (only needed if you're doing the base edges as well)
The ironing board came more or less the same height as my kitchen worktop. I rested one end (about 2") of my skis on the kitchen worktop (the sink unit is raised above the level the of worktop, so provided a handy "stop" that the end of the skis could push against and not move). The other end went on top of the yellow pages, which was on the ironing board. The bindings were between the ironing board and worktop, so suspended in space.
The yellow pages is handy so that when you're doing one edge of your skis you can move to one side it so it doesn't obstruct you running the edge guide down the skis. I used the shoelaces to tie the binding brakes (sure they have a more technical term, but the bits that stick into the snow when you're not in your skis) back so they didn't obstruct my efforts.
In theory, you should file your base edges too, but a quick mid-week job you should be fine just to sharpen those side edges (the ones that are at about 90 degrees to the base). You choose your edge angle from those available with your guide and simply run it across each edge until they're nice and shiny. A good tip is to run a marker pen down each side edge - then keep filing until the marker pen is all gone.
I never found my skis wobbling on this Heath Robinson setup - rather surprising, really!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just a suggestion, don't know if there's the equivalent in the UK, but you can mail order stuff from a company in France called Worden, even from the UK. Trouble is the site/catalogue is in French. You can at least fill in the catalogue request form at http://www.worden-sport.com/inquiry/demande-cat.htm - they'll send you it FOC, even to the UK I think. Makes good reading at least, and they sell a lot of non-brand stuff which is cheaper. All you need to prepare skis is in it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Are you saying there's a tool you can just run up and down the edge?
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mark - for de-burring you can get a small diamond file, they're only a few inches long so you can carry it with you. A larger file and some big elastic bands (to hold the stoppers up) are all you need for a quick sharpen in the chalet.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Seems like some quite good prices on waxes etc but I think the ski clamps might be priced a little high, I'd need to check on that though
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Cheers Guys. Looks like I'll be poping into S&R this afternoon then. There's one within walking distance here.
masopa, I wouldn't be able to get a similar set up. My kitchens only six foot square...
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After reading this lot I am tempted to have a go at doing my babies (volkl 5 stars) myself as I haven't gpt time before I go away again to get them done so other than that its get them waxed and edged in the resort - but how will I know that they will do a good job !!
Thanks for the links to the toko site DG
But can someone post a definitive shopping list so I can go and get some retail therapy !
Also if I stuck them on my office wall would that be a safe storage space although they would have to be stored horizontally rather than vertically ?
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So long as the bases are allowed to bow to their designed shape I don't think it matters how they are stored I'll post a list later on today
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Helen, The place I live in the Savoie already had a specially designed horizontal ski rack when we moved in. As D G says, don't think it matters as long as they are allowed to keep their natural shape.
DG, maybe two lists....one just for basics, one for budding fanatics?
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Excellent I will be able to look at my skis all day whilst I work - sorry surf on snowheads - although this could cause serious summer depression !
Thanks for the shopping list inadvance 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen, as a beginner, I can tell you exactly what I've bought, which is pretty much the bare minimum for a novice:
For sharpening edges
1) £20 Edge sharpener (has a plastic "guide" as well as a removable file and can do angles from 88 degrees to 90 degrees). Remove the file and you can use it to deburr as well as doing the base edges
2) £5 Rubber "stone" for detuning the tips and tails
3) £1 Shoelaces
4) £1 Insulation tape to wrap around the file to do the base edges
Total cost = £27
For hot waxing your skis
1) £5 iron from Tesco (about 1.5 dots seems to melt the wax without smoking)
2) £7 block of wax (I use the general purpose Swix stuff that can also be rubbed on in-resort mid-week)
3) £7 plastic scraper
4) £1-2 nylon scrubbing brush from Tesco or Wilkos (not a brillo pad - a proper brush, and not a "washing-up" one). This seems to be identical to the proper base brush I saw in Tiso, except a fiver cheaper
Total cost = £20
No need to buy wax remover - you can remove old wax by waxing on a "hot coat" of your new wax and stripping off straight away.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I'll do a proper one some time but for the moment masopa seems to have got most things down, may I add a set of Ptex candles either in clear or black depending on your base colour to repair scratches in the ski base and a metal scraper blade to remove the ptex with
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Thanks boys
Can now go shopping If I am feeling brave enough to have a go myself
Looks like another wodge of my hard earned cash is going to Ellisbrigham then for this lot and my new footbeds
I will be a demon in 2 weeks - btw how often do you all do your edges ?
I have normally just had mine serviced and then top up with liquid wax on a daily basis ?
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You know it makes sense.
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Helen it depends on conditions, if you have lots of deep powder snow edge wear and damage will be minimal maybe just once a week or less often a light run over of the file down the edges say 2 or 3 times down each side will suffice, if conditions are hard and icy maybe every 2 or 3 days, again just lightly over the edges, you are just trying to keep the sharpness not re work the metal, then just use the hard rubber block mentioned earlier and rub off the top and bottom 6 to 10 inches of edge which supposedly helps stop edges catching again just a couple of passes of the block is enough to "break" the edge
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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My rule is that I do them when I feel that they need doing - I'm not a slalom racer and tend to seek out the softer snow where edge sharpness is not an overriding concern. However when the odd patch of hardpack or icy snow is encountered it's comforting to have confidence in your edges. You might scare yourself when you see how much metal appears to come off when you use a flat file on the bases, so I hope that by only sharpening when they feel blunt on the nail test or when I feel that I'm not getting the grip I deserve that I can preserve the edges for a couple of seasons at least (3-4 weeks a season).
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Poster: A snowHead
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I wish - deep powder snow arghh my ideal
More likely to be cement knowing my luck !
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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So far my current skis have had about 16 weeks of use and the edges are still in good condition, the bases on the other hand have taken a lot of scratch damage fortunately all of it shallow, thank God for Ptex candles
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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D G Orf, Spent ages Friday night preparing daughter's slalom/GS skis for the weekend races - and they're just race skis, not used for training sessions, and the edges had already been done for the races the previous weekend! As you can imagine, although the bases are usually in perfect nick at the end of a season, there's not much steel left to sharpen!
Not doing the edges for as long as 16 weeks, well, ok if you're a good/expert skier, but when it turns icy more regular sharpening can 'give you the edge' when you need it most, don't you reckon? In some conditions the piste can be virtually unskiable without good edges and confidence can evaporate pretty quickly....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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That's right DG, the bases can take a pounding if you're unlucky. Another problem with razor sharp edges is that I seem to get through an inordinate number of gore-tex salopettes 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Sorry PG you miunderstood, I ment with my gentle aplication of the file and regular assesment of edge condition they are still in good condition after 16 weeks use, I guess they've been sharpend at least once every 4 days on average over that time
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Alan, Worth having a spare pair of 'rock skis' for conditions such as we had in the Savoie in December - glorious in November, meltdown early December, pistes rockstrewn right up to the glacier in Tignes, and I've never done so much damage to a pair of skis as in the later part of the month in Les Arcs....
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DG, ah, ok, now it makes perfect sense....
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Speel about my impulse purchasing in S&R which angle does one choose 
Ergonomically designed guidance tool with four ball-mounted guidance rollers. Absolutely base-friendly and precise. The angle can easily be set between 85° and 90° using a coin. The mounting can take most files, diamonds and grinding stones and can always be adjusted using a coin. The absolutely professional tool for safe and clean side edge filing!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Ok, so I may well be talking out of my @rse here, but this is the way I understood it:
The edges are made up of two parts that we're interested in for sharpening - the actual side edge (runs along the ski, funnily enough - on the side), and the base edge (the bit of metal "on" the base). Pros sharpen both these "edges" to specific angles. A quick and dirty way would be to ignore the base edge.
The base angle: the higher the angle, the more you have to rock your skis onto their edge to bite. This prevents you accidentally catching an edge, but too much will mean you have to work harder to do it at all. I have mine at about 1 degree (although it's all done with a bit of tape wrapped around the edge file, so it's hit and miss in my case!)
The side angle: this is important. This can be expressed in two ways - the "true" angle between the base edge (which, remember might be at 1 degree off level) and the side edge; or the angle between the BASE (not the base edge) and the side edge. It is this latter angle you are setting into your edge file, whereas it's actually the other ("true") angle you want to control. However, since you know your base edge angle, you can work it out: my base edge angle is 1 degree, my edge file is set to 88 degrees (to the base itself), which makes the actual angle between the base edge and side edge 89 degrees. If this seems confusing, think about having a zero degree base edge angle - ie your base edge is totally level with the base. If your side edges are at 90 degrees, then your "true" angle is also 90 degrees. However, now file your base edge so it is one degree off base and you've now (without filing the side edge) made the "true" angle between the edges 91 degrees.
Sorry if that's confusing, but getting back to the question: what should the side angle be? Well, you want your "true" edge angle to be no more than 90 degrees, since this will impede the edge's ability to cut into ice. Compare hitting a piece of steak with the back of a spoon (splat) and a knife (slice). The knife cuts because the angle of the edges is nearly zero degrees, whereas the spoon is probably 150 or so. So, the more you want your edges to cut into the ice, the sharper your edge angle should be.
However, also remember your skis have a finite life. If every time you sharpen them, you give them a really acute angle (85 degrees or something), you'll file through the whole edge in no time flat. A good compromise seems to be having a "true" angle of about 88-89 degrees. Pro Slalom racers have an angle of less than this, but they can afford it! BUT - remember we're talking about the "true" edge angle (between the side and base edges), so assuming you have a 1 degree base angle, you'll want to set your edge guide to between 87 and 88 degrees (88 in my case).
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OMG thanks Masopa
I knew I should have paid more attention in Physics lessons 
Will report back once I have done my first lot of ironing of the year at the weekend !
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FAQ
