Tuning involves waxing the base of skis and sharpening the edges. Regular tuning keeps skis in good shape and insures the best performance on the snow. Tuned skis glide better on the snow and sharp edges enable skiers to ski well on icy snow. You can take your skis to a professional at a resort or ski shop to be tuned or learn to tune them yourself.
Cleaning
Clean your skis before you tune them. Salt and dirt can corrode the metal edges and lessen the effectiveness of the wax. A citrus-based cleaner will remove old wax and dirt and grime, but you can also use plain soap and water.
Tools
A ski vise holds the skis still while you work on them, which makes your job easier. A ski tuning vise also allows you to adjust the angle of the skis for tuning the edges. While you can use a regular iron to wax your skis, an iron made for the job makes the job easier. The right files and scrapers also help you do a professional tuning job at home.
Wax
Different waxes soften at different temperatures. Makers of ski waxes have developed different formulations of natural and synthetic paraffins and silicon to create waxes for warm weather and cold weather skiing. The right wax helps your skis glide better on different temperatures of snow. You can also choose a midrange or all-season wax suitable for the entire ski season.
Repairs
Rocks, tree limbs or rough treatment during transport can cause dings and nicks in the base of the skis or burs along the metal edge of the skis. Take the time to smooth these out or repair them. You can use a p-tex candle to fill in deeper gouges that can't be filled in with wax. You can also use a file to smooth the edge. It's especially important to smooth out burs, before rust takes hold.
Timing
You can wax your skis as often as you like. Professional racers wax their skis after every run. Most recreational skiers will benefit from waxing skis every seven to 10 days on the snow, according to Meadowlark Ski and Snowboard of Portland, Oregon. You'll need full tuning less often since the tuning process removes a small amount of material from the ski bases and edges and tuning too often can damage skis. A professional stone-grinding of the edges and full tune at a ski shop once a year can keep your skis in top shape. If you ski on a lot of ice and hard surfaces you'll want to tune your edges several times a year. Skiing in soft powder doesn't require very sharp edges.
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