Tuning Tips Guide

Considerations for New Skis

• New skis will be dirty from the manufacturing process and have a layer of factory wax.
• NOTE: Never use base cleaners on your base. Always clean by the hot-wax-scrape method. It is good for your base and repeated waxing keeps the bases running fast.
• Scrape the factory wax off with a plexiglass scraper.
• Use the hot-wax-scrape method to completely clean the ski.
• Choose an inexpensive soft (warm-temperature) wax. The red (warm) hydrocarbon wax sold here is excellent for this purpose.
• Set your skis in a vise and hold the brakes back with a brake retainer.
• DrD recommends a Ski-Man vise; they are rugged and will last a lifetime.
• Iron on a coat of wax and scrape it off while it is still liquid. You may see dirt or grime in the hot wax.
• Repeat waxing/scraping until the wax is clean.
• If you use someone else's cheap quality wax for this purpose, try to select a better quality wax for the final wax/scrape so the last thing on your base is a quality warm or cold hydrocarbon wax. If the ski conditions are cold, start with a warm wax to clean, but switch to a cold at the end.
• Allow to cool at room temperature.
• Follow up with a brass brush; leave as is if you are done for the day.

• Place the skis together, tails down, on a firm surface and close them at the midpoint (where the middle of your boot would be).
• Note any gaps.
• Have a ski technician work out 1.5 mm or larger gaps with a bending bar.
• Smaller gaps can be ignored as they will be removed during preparation.
• As mentioned previously, match the camber, or bend in the center that gives the flex, to the skier's size and aggressiveness.

• Hold a true bar to the ski at 8-10 points along its length (see picture below).
• You are looking for a base that is consistent along its length, neither high nor low compared to the edges.
• Base material should be free of waves.

• The average skier may wish to retain the factory grind; a racer should consult with a shop technician that knows what grind is performing well in your region.
• For a new ski being stone ground by a technician, consult with him/her to decide if light passes may be sufficient.