Technician Kelly Jubert throws a hot wax on a pair of skis at Aalta Sports in Vail.
There’s a lot of talk about March madness this time of year, but very little about how schizophrenic the snow conditions can be and the coinciding need to keep your skis and boards tuned and waxed.
Yes, as much March snow as we typically get in Vail and Beaver Creek, the temperatures are warmer and the powder holds a lot of water.
Thus, nobody wants to hit it at high speeds with a pair of dry boards and begin their spring ski vacation with spectacular crash.
According to ski technician Kelly Jubert of Aalta Sports in Vail, skis and boards are like snow tires. They have a structure on the base made up of fibers and like snow tires, “you want the water to take off out of the structure as quickly as possible,” Jubert said.
Snow – especially the stickier March variety – attaches itself to the bases of skis and boards when they’re dry and a simple wax, which, depending where you go in the valley, usually runs between $8 and $15, can keep them fast and resistant to sticky snow.
Like any other piece of equipment, skis and boards break down if they’re not properly maintained, and can make for an unnecessarily challenging day on the mountain.
Individuals can do a lot of maintenance on their own – purchasing a rub-on wax to apply before a day on the mountain and a gummy stone to remove burrs from metal edges. There are, of course, easy precautionary measures to take to keep skis and boards in good working order. The first is keeping them in a dry place.
“The worst thing people can do to their skis is put them on the back of a CME [Colorado Mountain Express] van,” Jubert said. “When the metal rusts, that’s what creates pits, and it’s just really bad for your equipment.”
Here we leave you with a few tips on keeping your skis and boards fast and sharp:
- Run your fingernail along the metal edges. If you don’t see a little peeling on your nail, your edges are too dull and need to be sharpened.
- If you see flakey white on the base of your boards, it means they’re dry. It’s time for a wax.
- If you hit a rock or put a deep gouge in the base of your boards, it can cause water to soak into the core and affect your performance. Go to the tune shop for a P-Tex mend. Wax won’t cut it for deep core shots.
- Take your boards in for a base grind (full tune) at the beginning and end of every season.
- Have a storage wax put on before putting gear away until next season.
- Aggressive skiers and riders should have their boards hot waxed after every three to four days on the hill.
Video
Glen Lowe of Aalta Sports explains the importance of having your skis properly tuned by a technician and shows us the process. Aalta Sports has three locations throughout the Valley- Vail Village, Lionshead and Beaver Creek.
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