Originally published in the 2020-21 Masterfit Buyer’s Guide and realskiers.com
How long your gear remains in tiptop condition depends entirely on how well it’s maintained.
At least once a season, it’s good to get skis tuned by a specialty shop, where tuning machines can reproduce a factory finish on the skis so they perform like new. Here are some tips on how to keep your equipment in optimal condition for better performance on the snow.
If you follow these maintenance tips, a well-made pair of skis can perform acceptably for 200 skier days, and may last longer if there’s no major damage. Even inexpensive package skis have at least 100 days of useful life in them. Heavier and more aggressive skiers will usually wear out their skis—and anything else they own—faster than the lighter and more cautious.
Daily Equipment Care
SKIS: Wipe clean and dry. Check for dings on edges and bases.
BOOTS: Buckle all buckles with just enough tension to keep closed.
Be sure soles are clean and no mud or debris is lodged in tread.
BINDINGS: Wipe clean, particularly at boot/binding interfaces.
Regular Maintenance & at the End of the Season
SKIS: Get ski edges tuned by the shop. Or do it yourself: freshen up side edges with a light filing, followed by hand polishing. Fill cuts in bases if necessary. Wax, scrape and buff.
BOOTS: Visually inspect for sole wear and damage to buckles.
BINDINGS: Look for excessive wear, damage or missing parts. Inspect boot/binding interfaces.
Extend the Life of Your Boots
The first part of your boots to wear out will be the soles, but most boots now use replaceable toe and heel pads. The trick is getting a replacement pair while the supplier still stocks them. Or you could just protect them. If you spend a lot of time in parking lots or other hard surfaces, we recommend The first part of your boots to wear out will be the soles, but most boots now use replaceable toe and heel pads. The trick is getting a replacement pair while the supplier still stocks them. Or you could just protect them. If you spend a lot of time in parking lots or other hard surfaces, we recommend Ski Skootys. These are the easiest to use, most versatile sole protectors on the market. As a bonus, they’re also rockered so they make walking in ski boots a lot easier.
All sound advice. And, give my regards to Guru Dave and the original Sizzler crew.
For years I was in the habit of getting a shop tune once/year and flat filing and edge filing them after every 2-3 ski days. I got my skis tuned last year on the latest tuning equipment (Wintersteiger?) and and after a few ski days I flat/edge filed them they skied a bit weird. I talked to the shop about it and they recommended not touching them after a shop tune. Your thoughts?