T10 Getting base edge done

Let us just review some things we learnt in the past classes.

1. Safety first ( no need to list all the things you must respect)
2. Keep all surfaces clean
3.Use correct tools.
4.Never but never pass your hand or finger over ski edges once filed!

Assuming you have all tools and are ready on your practice ski we will first attack the base and base edge.

No doubt on your practice ski you will have many scratches, grooves and perhaps "serious" scraps. Let me define each so we understand each other.
This is important since you will tune or repair the ski depending on the severity of the damage done. There is a major difference between tuning ( ie structuring ski base) and repairing ski base!

You must decide which to do! The repairing course will be given in the Summer and will involve; epoxy application, cutting out damaged ski base, gluing new ski base, repairing ski de-lamination, cleaning base and top skin, inserting helicoils, re-positioning ski bindings.

Scratch: A minor line in the ski base. Easily filled by waxing. The lines which are problematic are the ones that are diagonal to ski edges. You must sand these.

Grooves : Deeper and longer "valleys" in the ski base Often you can not sand down grooves but you you note that at each side of the groove the ski Ptex is "raised" due to pressure. You must sand these two peaks with 180 sandpaper. Do not look at grooves when doing this, feel them!

Gouges: These are serious cuts into the base. They may even go into the ski core. You may even have a complete section of the Ptex base gone! Serious work needed! Not ski tuning here but ski repair. You will need Ptex candle!

This course is on ski tunning so we will only deal with "minor" scratches on base. The question is what is minor! I am preparing a series of picts to show various damages to bases in order to help you decide when to sand, when to cut out base, and finally when to just apply wax.
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When you have minor grooves just sand CAREFULLY with 180 grit paper and always from tip to tail in same direction parallel to ski edges.

Remember rule: If warm weather in Spring sand with coarser paper to make wider grooves or heavy structure.
If colder weather sand with finner paper for finner grooves.

I will assume you have passed a true bar to see if base is concave or convex. Having problems remembering which is which? Here is a trick, CONCAVE visualize a CAVE ie going INTO something. A concave base means the plastic is going into the ski center while ski edges are higher than the center.

****** Some modern skis now come out of the factory with a slight concave base. Atomic is one of these skis. The engineers at Atomic just say that it makes the ski more responsive???????

I suspect in the coming years more skis will have a slight concave base since the Atomics are more responsive and are noted as a leader in ski design!


You will note that as you sand base the smaller grooves will disappear! If you do this every time your skis will love you and perform so well for you!

The next step is the BASE EDGE. This is the side of the steel ski edge which is aligned with ski base. This you will do just once or twice during the year and it will depend on where you ski.

In my opinion if you ski where there is soft snow or often powder , you do not need to bevel this edge. Bevel means taking a very small piece of base ie plastic and steel off! Do you remember the exercise we did in the previous classes on drawing the angles???? Now you know why you must understand these two important angles: base bevel and side bevel. If you are confused go back to previous classes!

If you ski where there is ice and I mean ice all over the ski run, not a small patch here and there, then you should bevel your base edge 1 degree.

There are many ways to do this. I will show you about five ways depending what tool you have.

1. You can take a NEW ( note new ) 6" mill bastard file and using duct tape , tape 1-2 sections ( layers) near tang ( that pointy piece of the file). This tape is you guide and should be placed near center of base. The rest of file is resting on ski edge. This filing action is a soft, gentle, loving motion which takes off a minimum of material.

Why you want new file for this work, is that the file rides on the ski base.
If you have old file,,,,, it has metal bits from previous work and these bits will insert into base.

2. I prefer using a diamond stick instead of file for this procedure. Cleaner and easier since the diamond dust on the stick cuts so well. Again tape one end of stick! Slide stick over ski edge just once!

Bravo you are done! That was easy.

3. Some companies ( Kuus, Reliable Racing, Toko as example) sell plastic sleeves that insert on file. You have three sleeves for .5 1 1.5 degrees of bevel and these plastic sleeves replace the duct tape.
I have used this approach but I still like the duct tape. Seems to flow easier for me!

4. SKS makes a tool that I recommend to all serious tuners. It is expensive but mine lasted 10 years with just a blade change. This tool has a central dial for various degrees and two blades that can be adjusted! This is the kind of tool you get your parents or wife to buy for you. For you women tuners St. Valentin just passed and you could have wished this tool!

With this tool you just dial 1, align edge to ski edge and very very gently pass SKS tool over ski edges! I really mean very gently since the blades on this tool are 10 times more hard that ski edges so will cut edges like butter! I do not recommend this tool to beginners since you can ruin a ski with just one tune.

5. Reliable Racing ( a major producer of ski tuning tools) as many others sells "guides" in which you can insert a file in a metal guide. Place on ski base and pass once from tip to tail.

I must stress that base bevel is a personal choice. All racers do it. All skiers in the Eastern USA and Canada do it. Few skiers in the Rockies do it. Just be carfull when doing this ( not because it is hard but because you might not really want an aggressive base bevel)

I have searched far and wide all over net and even written to ski companies to demonstrate to me some "field testing results" on the function of this base bevel! To this day I have no "ojective" data on base beveling so you try it gradually if you want.
I have given some junior racers at the regional level skis that were base beveled and others that were not base beveled and guess what,,,,,, most did not notice any difference! You tell me how your skis do!

What is more critical is the side bevel. That is the vertical angle if the ski is flat! This is very very important to do! I do all my skis every time I ski. I might, if the skiing is very hard and runs full of ice do a minor sharpening at lunch time! That is how fanatic I am about having a ski that holds the line. While others are slipping sideways, losing control and get frustrated at "hard snow" my skis are really cutting the hill. You can heard the ice shattering as the edges dig in! That is why you tune a ski!

It seems very complicating and time consuming to do all this work but it takes me about 5-10 minutes! The hours of pleasure I can justifies to me the 10 minutes.

Try the various options and you decide what is best for you!
Tell me via PM if you have any problems!
Send me picts of you work if possible!



Hope this class was informative.

The key for base bevel is; gentle, easy pressure, once is enough!

For the registered class you will get video of all this at end of course and I will send you 10 sources for tools. I have also spoken to a wholesaler who is willing to sell tools at cost! (again I am not promoting them and I am not related to them in any way. I just buy my waxes there)

The next class will be a detailed procedure on side bevel!

Enjoy!!!!