Maintaining your skis

Proper maintenance of your skis is key if you want your skis to last and give you their best performance on the slopes. Here are a few tips for maintaining them.

The sidewall is the plastic or Zicral part lining the sides of your skis. If the sidewall isn’t planed, it’s hard to sharpen the skis because the file will first work the sidewall rather than the edge itself. This should be done regularly during the season. Place your equipment on the workbench and secure it with a vice. Place the tool on the edge. If necessary, adjust the angle and depth of the blade so that it touches the sidewall. Pull the tool towards you, applying light pressure. Slide the tool along the entire length two or three times. Your sidewalls are ready!

To give you good grip on the snow, the edges of your skis must be well sharpened. For this step, you’ll need a sharpener to easily sharpen your edges at a very precise angle. Set your skis flat, base up. Place your sharpener on the edge and pull the tool towards you, applying a slight pressure. Slide it along the entire length four times. Your edges are sharpened!

For this step, you’ll need a specific stone to polish the edge to remove leftover particles and thread after sharpening. The goal is to smooth the edge’s imperfections, or “burrs”, to improve skiing performance. Place your stone on the edge on the base side then pull towards you, applying a slight pressure. Slide it along the whole length a few times. For a good finish, pass the ski edge rubber over the ridge of the edge. Your edges are ready!

There is a special kind of wax that is applied to bases to help the skis glide across the snow. Before applying your wax, dry and clean your base with a bronze brush, from the tip to tail. Melt the wax onto the base with an iron and spread it all over. For a proper finish, move the iron up and down a couple of times without stopping. Wait 2 hours for the wax to cool and impregnate the base.

Press the scraper firmly against the edge, from tip to tail. You must always scrape following the direction of the skis. Scrape until there is no more visible wax.

Once your base is scraped, it must be brushed to bring out the structure. As for scraping, always brush tip to tail and never in the opposite direction. First, use a nylon brush to polish the base and then a horsehair brush to make it smooth and shiny.
Your equipment is ready!
If your skis have deep scratches, bumps or holes, take them to a professional for repair.

If you follow these care tips, your skis will remain in good condition for many seasons to come. Remember that maintaining your skis regularly can also improve your skiing experience by providing better grip, stability, and speed.