Gore Ski Shop

[Snowballs]

DMT stones?

Sounds like an intense experience

LOL.

Sponge, i bought the 5 stone set. They're 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500 grit. They do work really well. the other day i was sharpening and felt the tell-tell bump bump bump of hardened spots. The 400 grit stone took them right out! Didn't even need to drop down to a lower grit. They even seem to yield a better edge. Clean them with a brass bush and a 50/50 alcohol/h20 solution. i dip my finger in the solution and place a drop or so on the stone for every pass then flip the stone around in the tool for a clean surface for the other edge. The 1500 grit polishes the edge good. I think the top three grits or even the top two will get ya where you wanna be, but i thought get the whole set for a small price difference in case need to do some major hogging. Racewax.com has a great price on them. Mine are the 70mm size, not sure what you need. You won't be sorry you bought them. i have some DMT stones and you're right, they not only don't hold up, they don't even come close to the moonflex performance wise. Moonflex yields a much better edge, much easier,IMO.

[Harvey44]

i drop my skiis off when im done and there ready the next day@the gore shop.i think the quick tune was around $15,but mayb diffrent now,havnt had them done this year,,,i think sports page gets like $40,
has anybody checked out the store in town(nc)that sells used stuff,been hearing good things about it.u can sell ur old stuff there allso.

Jimmer... what time does the mountain shop open?

I think the store you are talking about in town is called "The Source." (Sort of across the street from the laundromat?)

Very cool place. I got ski boots for our daughter for 5 bucks. If they do a tune I will definitely check it out.

[jimmer]

there there early,by time i get there anyways

dont think that store does tunes,,but heard they had good deals,like the one u got.

[adkskier]

I recommend learning to tune your own equipment and tune it every 2-3 days of skiing. Well maintained skis take only a few minutes to tune. Sports Page has the bet equipment around and I use them once or twice a season. Their newest machine is fully computerized and loaded with the original settings for your skis including the base structure. It does a remarkable job. Hertel Ski wax is a great product and very competitively priced. You'll also find good instructions on how to tune your skis. www.hertelskiwax.com

[Spongeworthy]

As other have said, tuning your skis is worthwhile, much cheaper in the long run, and when you start getting the hang of it, you'll wonder why you didn't start a long time ago.

There are many resources on the web, like You Tube and this: http://www.alpinecarving.com/tuning.html

Good places to go online are Tognar, Race-werks, Racewax, Reliable Racing (a/k/a Inside Edge). Reliable Racing and Sports Page are right off exit 19 on the Northway (I-87) if you're driving north to get to Gore. Reliable Racing used to have awesome sales on full kits when I started 8 years ago, but not anymore.

I started tuning when Goldstocks in Glenville screwed up my Volkls by tuning them square -- no bevels at all even tho' Volkls are and always have been 1 degree base and 2 degrees side. A good start is the FK Multi Tuner (does base and edge, but only uses the 2.75" stones) which comes with a file insert. I did fine with those, but I've since graduated to guides that use real files. Online sources will tell you to get a good iron (using an old clothes iron can be dangerous -- too hot and you can ruin your bases), scrapers, and some kind of stone (ceramic, diamond and/or gummi stones, basically a big pencil eraser) to polish the edges. I use brushes now (stainless steel to occasionally refresh the structure before sharpening/tuning, brass and nylon brushes for after scraping), but I did fine using scotch brite pads in the beginning.

You don't have to sharpen every day. Just deburring and polishing every day (just don't overdo the polishing). You don't have to wax every day, but there's no such thing as too much waxing of your skis.

My old ski club (the OC Ski Club in Albany) has a ski tuning clinic every year run by 2 expert tuners. See if there's a ski club in your area. That clinic was not limited to members (but if it is in other clubs, just tell them that you're considering joining). Also, if you have the time when you do bring your skis in, especially for a quick tune, ask them if you can watch (it never hurts to ask).

It's not as hard as you think, and in no time at all, you'll be able to feel when you did it right and, more importantly, what you need to do the next time to make it better.

[Snowballs]

Ah, OC huh? That explains alot.

[Spongeworthy]

Ah, OC huh? That explains alot.

Recovering OC

[Snowballs]

Ah, OC huh? That explains alot.

Recovering OC

It's always kinda fun when they come to Gore. Definitely a spirited, outgoing bunch. i've always had some fun conversations w/them and seen more than a few OC cuties.

So, Sponge, you have more tuning experience than i, might i ask you to enlighten me as to why you say don't over do the polishing aspect.

As far as irons, the economical green Wintersteiger iron Racewax sales rocks. even as a newbie i've never had a single iron issue such as smoke, burnt wax, up and down temps. It's thick base holds the temperature steady. i don't see any need for an expensive iron. Also, with good stones, i don't know why anyone would need to buy extra stuff to get into files FOR BASIC TUNING. i know files can also be used for base removal and such but most will not be doing that, at least at first. The metal scraper or even better a Brand new Scotch brite pads remove alot/most of base oxidation issues. That's the whitish hue on bases from harsh conditions or lack of waxing. it's good to remove it as it will not hold wax.

i wouldn't let the myriad of different wax types wig anybody out either. Racewax,et al has all those, but the Racewax hydrocarbon wax Red(warmer outdoor temps and cleaning/conditioning) Green (cold outdoor temps) and the Universal temp wax are excellent and provide great results. why dink around with expensive multi types wax and additives that basicaly will not do much more unless you're a racer. last year i used the greenwax and put universal on the families' skis. Their's glided very well so this year i'm hitting mine with the uni too. This early season i used the red/warm wax and it glided excellent! now it's time to switch to the other two as they have additives to protect the base from the abrasive, scratchiness of colder snow.

I bought the RaceWax kit cuz at that time, it had more needed componets than the others. Everything i bought there has been excellent and the man's instructions are simple and easy to follow. NOT that other's don't have good stuff, i just found his complete and easy to follow So i relate that here for other newbies.

****Once you get your base good and clean, then well conditioned and well waxed, you will "sorta laugh" at the tunes you been getting at the shops. I have never had a tune at any shop that comes close to the one that even i can lay down. It's not so much that shop's suck. It's just that you get what you pay for. It would be very expensive to have a shop do a wax job like we are describing here. Inside Edge charges $25 and that's sharpening, ptex and wax so you can see there's no room for a cadillac wax job.

Others may have other advice, that's fine and dandy, i'm just posting mine to help/inspire other newbies. Keep it simple newbies. Most of us won't ever need the complicated stuff like fluro powders, molly and other endless choices.

Sponge and ADK, et al should have some good advice. Structure thru brushes is interesting. Have you ever found it necessary to desharpen steel brushes w/files first? Does Ptex absorb wax? Who buys the beer?

[Spongeworthy]

Ah, OC huh? That explains alot.

Recovering OC

So, Sponge, you have more tuning experience than i, might i ask you to enlighten me as to why you say don't over do the polishing aspect.

Because you very easily can start detuning the edge. I know because I've done it. You'll know when you start skiing the next day and wonder where the heck your edges went.

It's all about feel. I don't quite have it yet, but I'm getting there.

[Harvey44]

SW - hmmm .... you're in North Creek ... you seem like to tune skis ....

I'll be right over!

Actually I have a question .... I got a new pair of Atomic RT-86s. Are the tuned out of the box? Rep told me yes ... but could they be too sharp? The seem to catch a bit. It could be because they are fatter than anything else I've had. Or it could be that I'm just not a great skier. Can I blame the tune? Do they need to be "detuned?" Is there such a thing as detuning?

Ok so I have more than one question.