When to service your skis
Worn edges do not hold on hard snow and a dry base is slow and easy to damage. How to tell what yours need.
5 minute read
The short answer
Once a season, before you travel. If you ski more than one week a year, once before each trip.
Check the edges with a fingernail
Run a fingernail down the edge, across it rather than along it. If it catches and shaves a sliver off your nail, the edge is sharp. If it slides, the edge is rounded and it will not hold on hard snow — which is most of a European morning.
Look for burrs too. A burr feels rough and drags. It is a five-minute fix, but it will not fix itself.
Look at the base
Hold the ski up to a window and sight down the base. You are looking for two things:
- Colour. A base that has dried out goes chalky and pale, especially at the tip and tail. That is not dirt. It is a base that has lost its wax and started to oxidise.
- Flatness. If the base is dished or railed, the edges sit proud or low and sharpening them achieves very little. Only a stone grind fixes that.
Gouges matter by depth, not length. If you can catch a fingernail in it, it needs filling. If you can see the black core through it, bring them in and we will quote.
What that means you need
| What you found | What to book |
|---|---|
| Edges sharp, base looks fine, just been stored | Wax and polish |
| Edges rounded, base sound | Basic service |
| Base pale, dished, or gouged | Full service |
| Running gates | Race service |
Bindings are not optional
However good the bases are, the release setting drifts and the springs age. We test on the machine and record the setting against your name, so next season we know what it was.
Turnaround
One week, every time. Drop them at the counter and they're ready the same day next week — we'll text you when they are. No booking needed.