Getting to visit some Massachusetts Ski Resorts may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for many. However, an old snowboard or skis can be disastrous when you are about to head out to the slopes. Many people have their favorite boards and/or skis, so it is very important to make sure the equipment is in good enough condition in order to prevent accidents. Either you can take your equipment to a professional to tune up your boards and skis or you can learn to perform maintenance on your own.
Why are tune ups important?
Some people do not realize the importance of regular maintenance of their equipment. Just like any equipment such as bikes or even appliances, parts can become worn with use and may not be as effective as they were when they were brand new. With boards and skis, the base and bottom become worn down. The beveled edge also occasionally hits rocks, which makes it dull and burred. When this occurs, the equipment does not work freely like it should and it is harder to maneuver.
What is the proper tune up procedure?
While you may have your own custom snowboards or skis, the process in tuning up your equipment will be the same for any equipment. You must first adequately prepare yourself to do the job properly. You need a pair of light maneuverable gloves so that you protect both your hands and your base. You can then retract ski brakes if necessary and find a support for both ends of your board. Once you are prepared, you begin repairs by cleaning your base.
Once the base is clean, you can then begin the process of truing the base. After this step, you can begin making minor repairs to the edges. Edges usually need to be repaired from damage such as burrs, pressure hardening and rust. You may not need to do all these repairs at once, but you should check for this type of damage. You should then look to see what type of minor base repair you need to perform. For instance, you may need to do p-texting to fill gouging or repair and oxidized base.
After minor repairs, you will need to make sure you perform some heavier maintenance. Base structuring will help you increase glide in many different snow conditions. Of course, you will also need to sharpen the edges to prevent wax buildup from gumming up your file. However, you do not want to oversharpen the edge. You do, however, want to polish it and de-tune the dulling of the board. The last part of the maintenance process is waxing. You can use a base preparation or a hot wax scrap process.