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April, 2025

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Official Ski/Binding Maintenance Thread

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no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,273
As all of us know, it is very important to know how to use/maintain your ski equipment, so my hope for this thread is to have everyone post videos or picture tutorials on how to do various forms of ski maintenance, whether it's adjusting bindings, waxing skis, dulling edges, anything, but just so you know where to look when you have basic questions about this sort of thing

I'll put 2 videos in the OP:

How to Take Apart/Bend FKS
by me

How to Wax Your Skis
by mrstskier

Next up just a few tips:

When you get home from skiing you should do 3 things:
1. take your skis inside and leave them there
2. wipe your bases and edges with a cloth or rag
3. pull your skis apart and lean them against a wall with the bases sticking up

Now it's your turn, post tips, stories, tutorials, anything relating to ski maintenance because it can greatly increase the life and performance of your gear


**DISCLAIMER**
A LOT OF THESE THINGS REQUIRE BASIC SHOP SKILL, PROPER TOOLS, AND EXPERIENCE. DO EVERYTHING AT YOUR OWN RISK AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE ABLE TO EXECUTE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PROCESSES. THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU RISK THE LIFE OF YOUR GEAR AND MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING

This goes for advice giving as well, make sure you possess knowledge of the subject you're providing advice for because it can jeopardize people's safety if you give them false tips. So either make sure you know what you're saying or put in your post that you're just kinda guessing
Apr 21 2009 10:27PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
Does a base grind take off any edge? Or, can i restructure my bases without taking off any edge?

i don't know if it's worth it to take off more edge on my race skis to restructure the base
Dec 12 2011 10:31PM
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stickerman
Posts: 2043 - Karma: 147
It would take off a very small amount, just like how it takes off a tiny bit of base each time.
Dec 13 2011 6:59AM
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
I have them beveled at 1degree base 3 edge. Would that change it?
I don't think I'll get a grind if I would have to re do the edges.

My other question still stands, any way to structure wothou a grind?
Dec 13 2011 9:44AM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
A brass brush will give you some structure... depends what you're after though. You really need a base grind to get that proper vinyl-record type base that's good in really wet snow, but a good solid brushing should give you enough for good glide in drier snow.
Dec 13 2011 5:35PM
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Yinzer
Posts: 1011 - Karma: 73
so what do you all use to cut the bevel edge? I use this thing:

Click for larger image

...and it takes nothing off. Is it because I need to take off a layer of base?
Dec 13 2011 11:37PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
this is nice for the base edge
http://www.svst.com/categories3.aspx?Category=0f036d81-7847-495a-8842-45d2fb4fe3e2
this for side
http://www.slidewright.com/toko-edge-tuner-pro-85anddeg-to-90anddeg_tk412000251.html?cat=106

this one is cheaper and does both
http://www.slidewright.com/tools4boards-razor-3-in-1-ski-and-snowboard-base-and-side-edge-tool_t4b2002tx.html?cat=106

is that tool for side, base, or both?
Dec 13 2011 11:53PM
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NWPA
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 165
it does both.
Dec 14 2011 1:49AM
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Yinzer
Posts: 1011 - Karma: 73
supposed to do both... does cut the base edge at all
Dec 14 2011 3:54PM
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Guck
Posts: 528 - Karma: 221
do you gummi stone your entire edge or just the part you want to be dulled? for example, if you use some park and some all-mountain, would you want to gummi stone the whole thing?
Dec 16 2011 6:40PM
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monkatizer
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 1,518
just finished mounting my bindings by myself. and it can be a pain in the ass!

i first measured wrong and the toe piece was off alignment, then i completely re-did it, and the track didnt have room for adjustment, then i had to redo it one more time and finally got it right. then i had to drill holes 3 times over because of bit issues. i did the first shot w/ a 3.5mm going 9mm deep, and i couldn't get the screws all the way in, then i made it 11mm long, and it was too narrow. finally i used a 5/32 bit at 11mm deep and got them in. i used 24hr. marine grade epoxy, so they should hold strong as hell too! thanks to the poster of the vid!

heres a pic:
Click for larger image
Dec 16 2011 6:41PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14544 - Karma: 11,151
I just mounted up my one lifes with a pair of px 15's. Absolutely no issues at all. I thought it was super easy, wasn't concerned or nervous at all. The hardest part was cutting golf tees to put in the old holes.
Dec 16 2011 7:59PM
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Jonny7
Posts: 3309 - Karma: 76
so just bought a pair of domains, they've got factory wax on em. Is there anything else I could use to prepare my bases than yellow svix wax? If I understood well the best thing to do would be a couple of hot scrapings and then normal waxing?
Dec 17 2011 2:44PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868

Depends who you talk to and what your local snow is like... factory wax is OK for a day or so but mostly just to keep the bases and edges nice while the ski is in the shop.

I'd do a normal hot wax and just use a bit more than usual to make sure you really saturate the bases. Then scrape. Heaps. It's not like they're race skis, if the wax job is a bit shitty it's not going to ruin your day.

Dec 18 2011 6:25PM
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Ghini
Posts: 2267 - Karma: 3,057
This is not important, just a question to all you guys out there who have mounted Pivot/FKS bindings with a jig..plus a short summary of my thoughts..

Yesterday I mounted my new Moment Bibby Pro's (190) with a pair of Look Pivot 18's. [the stoke is high] At first I wanted to mount them straight on the line..but I also want to get a pair of Atomic Tracker tour bindings next year.. So I decided to put my bindings on inserts so next year I can swap between my Pivots and tour bindings..and use the last also on other skis.. But what to do with the mounting point? Do I want my tour bindings a full cm (or more) back from the sweetspot? Not really, but do I want to mount my Pivots in front of the sweetspot? Feels odd..but since the line is -6 because of the rocker,camber,sidecut etc, half a cm in front of the line would be -0.5cm behind the center of the camber, I measured this out..and thougth that would be fine and fun.. But than I thought NO! Just go with the line! So yesterday I decided to mount them on the line, and mount some tourbindings a cm back next year. So I went to my shop where I can use their tools to mount my skis. (I've mounted bindings a couple of times, even some at home without a jig)
Took all the time I wanted, got the jig set up for my shoe size, lined the jig up on the ski and measured and looked 500 times if it was right before I drilled the holes. There is a pretty clear mark on the jig to pin point the line..as you might know..
So after checking etc etc I drilled, get the dust out, glue in the holes, screws in etc.. Same thing with the other ski, everything went well and they match up perfectly, to the mm, so I was really happy about that.. Moment puts nice mounting marks on the sidewall that is 100% correct so that helped quite a bit (topsheet is off maybe 1.5mm?)
Now here is the thing.. I just put my boots in the bindings just for fun and looked at the mark on the bottom of the boots, this should be right above the line where you wanted them to be mounted..but its not, its just a few mm in front of the line, I didnt measure it, but maybe half a cm..
Now I didnt freak out or anything, but I just dont get it.. What went wrong? I measured and looked, wel not 500 times, but a lot and really took my time placing the jig..
Or is it a touch of God? Does he know my first choise was the better one and made it happen?
Did this happen to anyone else? The only thing I can thing of is that there is something with the jig..or that the line on my boots is off..

Long story short/question:
Did anyone ever had any problems mounting Pivot/FKS bindings with a jig; mount went forward half a cm, jig didnt move, tripple checked everything etc..

Now for some stoke pictures:
Click for larger image
Dec 22 2011 8:58AM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868

Check your forward pressure - have you set up those bindings before?

If you have WAY too much forward pressure on the 18 DIN ones, when you clip the boot in the toe piece will tilt forwards (there's the vertical release people say doesn't exist....)

Dec 22 2011 5:06PM
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Ghini
Posts: 2267 - Karma: 3,057
Yes I have, several pairs.. The forward pressure is correct at both skis.. I know what you mean though, but thats not it this time..
Again, its not really a problem, I just like to know before I mount more skis in the future..
Dec 23 2011 4:23PM
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LC.
Posts: 5952 - Karma: 2,423
You need to set the FKS jig 5mm smaller than your boot when mounting if you want it all to work out perfectly. Read the Rossi manual.
Dec 24 2011 5:39AM
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Swagzilla
Posts: 195 - Karma: 85
little off topic but do the salomon suspects come pre-waxed? or any ski at that
Dec 28 2011 3:35PM
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stickerman
Posts: 2043 - Karma: 147
most skis come with shipping wax. You should always do a few layers of hot wax before bringing them out onto the hill though. The wax that comes on the skis is just there to drive out moisture and dirt in the shipping process.
Dec 28 2011 4:13PM
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tDrops
Posts: 202 - Karma: 121
anyone have tips on keeping your brakes out of the way when you are waxing/ scraping your skis down, and i dont want to invest in 100$ clamps or anything I just use a workbench with a wall to push against, thanks
Jan 10 2012 9:32PM
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stickerman
Posts: 2043 - Karma: 147
thick elastics that come on broccoli work really well.
Jan 10 2012 9:56PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
Rings of inner-tube. You just have to find the right tube for the size of your brakes. I.e. you may need a thin ring of motorcycle tube to get around your pow fatties but a piece of decent downhill mountainbike tube should work for most skis.
Jan 10 2012 10:14PM
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tDrops
Posts: 202 - Karma: 121
alright thanks
Jan 14 2012 12:11PM
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SteezySanders
Posts: 174 - Karma: 112
i just got into freestyle skiing and kindof feel stupid asking this, but almost all bindings fit on any ski right??
Feb 12 2012 1:12PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
as long as you can find brakes that fit or bend brakes to make them fit, yes you can mount any binding ...

Feb 13 2012 10:07AM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868

This, with the caveat that some (particularly carving skis) have bindings that only fit into a bespoke rail system that is built into the ski.

Feb 13 2012 5:10PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5676 - Karma: 4,299
What do you need for basic edge sharpening? I'm going to killington this weekend and am probably not gonna be riding with kids who do park, so it would be nice to have some edge grip.

All I can think of is one of these holder/guide things and the file, then I'd just gummy stone the underfoot area down when I need to. And of course I'd gummy stone before sharpening to get rid of al the rail damage.
Click for larger image

Does having sharp tips and tails with dull underfoot actually grip and not ski funny?
Feb 28 2012 10:57AM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
I think it will ski rather oddly indeed. Traditionally you tune a ski and then de-tune the tip and tail with a gummy stone to prevent hooking. You could, I guess, go for a bit of a hybrid tune... tune the whole ski, detune only directly under the boot for sliding rails, then detune the tip and tail for maybe 10-12"... which will leave you maybe 3' total of sharp edge, basically 18" in front of and behind the binding.
Feb 28 2012 3:31PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5676 - Karma: 4,299
Ah never though of it being hooky. Maybe I'll just tune the whole thing, then detune the whole thing after this weekend.
Feb 28 2012 6:10PM
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YouAllSuck
Posts: 632 - Karma: 1,177
someone probably already answered this, but the purple is a base prep wax that you would mainly use for waxing race skis
Feb 29 2012 11:46PM
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.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,792
How do you use/ what is rub on ski wax?
Mar 9 2012 5:39PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
It's wax that's designed to be applied quickly and without heat... you literally just rub the wax into the base. It's not as effective as a hot wax and doesn't last as long, but if it's a spring afternoon and you keep knuckling that 50fter because the in-run is getting sticky it can be a really good quick fix. Likewise if you've just got some fresh snow and it feels like the cat-track is made of carpet because you haven't waxed for a couple of weeks.
Mar 18 2012 7:52PM
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wasatch_rat
Posts: 1773 - Karma: 2,969
probably already been answered somewhere in this thread, but is it bad to remount your skis with a new pair of bindings in the same place as the first bindings?
Jun 7 2012 3:01PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868

Depends... if they have the same mounting pattern, and you're careful, no problem at all.

If they have a different mounting pattern, you ideally need to have 10mm between the old holes and the new ones. The old ones should be filled with epoxy or properly plugged. If you can't get 10mm you considerably increase the chances of the binding pulling out, and you might be better off changing the mounting position 5-10mm in either direction to get better placement.

Jun 7 2012 4:32PM
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Ghini
Posts: 2267 - Karma: 3,057
Thanks! Will search for the manual in the shop..
Jun 19 2012 5:20AM
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.RYAN66
Posts: 5381 - Karma: 225
this thing will not remove much edge at all.


great for removing burrs but thats about it.




Jun 19 2012 9:26AM
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AndyGreen
Posts: 827 - Karma: 61
any one know how much to spend for a good vice? should i get a ski vice (swix or other ski brands) or can i go to my local department store and get one there? +k for responses!
Sep 27 2012 11:40PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
you can make/buy/ghetto rig a vice for really cheap/free

If you are going to be tuning a lot, a legit vice will be a super nice investment, and they last forever
Sep 28 2012 1:03AM
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.RYAN66
Posts: 5381 - Karma: 225
it doesnt really matter, I have nice fancy swix vises in my basement. but at the shop I work at we drilled wood into the benches and use them. we do tons of skis and they work fine.
Sep 28 2012 8:09AM
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AndyGreen
Posts: 827 - Karma: 61
sweet thaks guys. 10/10 to both of you
Sep 28 2012 6:03PM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Right now I'm up in the air between which bindings I should get for the season. I think it's really going to come down to a maintenance perspective as I will be mounting whichever binding I choose on several skis with several different waist sizes with binding freedom inserts. The bindings will be swapped several times ski to ski.

I've boiled down my search to the Salomon STH12 Driver and the Look Pivot 14. Can anyone give me some insight as to how easy one or the other, or both bindings were to swap between skis? And if you could also give me a general idea of how easy/hard the Pivot 14 is to mount in comparison to the STH12 (Which I currently own now) Thanks!

Oct 6 2012 11:02PM
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Drew_ski.
Posts: 1310 - Karma: 1,858
If i were you i would go with the sth12's for sure. If you plan on switching them on different skis with different waist widths and a brake change is needed the sth's will be much easier. In order to change the brakes on pivots you need to take the whole heel piece apart and reassemble it again with a new brake. with sth's its just one screw and you can swop them out.
Oct 6 2012 11:14PM
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NinetyFour
Posts: 8650 - Karma: 13,410
Yeah. I've lucked out and havent had to replace my STH12 brakes yet, but they've been in the vice several times and on and off the ski lots. How available are new brakes from Salomon? I will definatley have to pick up some pivot 14's some time though. I don't want to miss out on something that I might really like :D
Oct 7 2012 4:52PM
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CousinEddie
Posts: 633 - Karma: 215
Please Help- A couple of years ago was my first year skiing and I did not know much about tuning. So I used a file rather than a gummy stone to dull my edges underfoot. I think a dulled them more than would be recommended. Could I fix this if I just sharpened them with a file and bevel guide and then detuned them properly with the gummy stone? Thanks
Oct 10 2012 11:23PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
Depends how crazy you got on them in the first place - it might be worth taking them to a shop and getting the base and side edge angle properly done.
Oct 11 2012 7:27PM
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SteezySanders
Posts: 174 - Karma: 112
If you ski park a lot does it make sense to do anything to your edges or would it be fine if you just left them?
Oct 13 2012 11:46PM
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rozboon
Posts: 1642 - Karma: 868
Deburr them just about every day if you're hitting a lot of rails. Those little burrs getting caught on the rail is what makes your edge rip out rather than just cracking all over the place.
Oct 14 2012 1:07AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
just back from my skishop, my own tech wasn't there (sunday) so i mounted my salomon sth drivers myself, little problem though, on one ski i wanted to mount at -2 but somehow i flipped my ski the wrong way and drilled 9 holes at +2
:/

i filled the holes with wood glue and hammered in plastic plugs, then trimmed them to size with a sharp chisel and drilled 9 new holes at -2.
distance between closest holes is at the toepiece where 2 holes come within a cm of the new one, so normally i'd say this is no problem and the ski is still as good as new but i wanted some feedback from you guys ...


so sparknotes, 2 sets of holes in one ski, 1 set of holes filled with woodglue and plastic plugs, come within 1 cm of the new ones (closest)
the ski is reinforced with a metal mounting plate inside so i was wondering if i'm good to go ?
Oct 14 2012 7:25AM
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SteezySanders
Posts: 174 - Karma: 112
Thanks!
Oct 14 2012 9:05PM
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.RYAN66
Posts: 5381 - Karma: 225
you should be fine, I remount skis at 1cm apart all the time. it is considered the minimum but I havent had any problems in my personal gear or stuff I have done for people.



Oct 14 2012 10:06PM
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