How to care for your ski equipment

1. To make your precious spatulas last over time
2. To ensure optimum glide, whatever the snow conditions (hard or soft, dry or wet). Skis that are regularly maintained guarantee good edge grip and glide. Indispensable for progress and pleasure!

The basis of maintenance is the famous “sharpening-sharpening” duo.

• Sharpening sharpens the edges, the metal parts that line both sides of the tip and enable you to hang on in turns and carve beautiful curves.
• Waxing involves applying a thin layer of wax, mainly kerosene, to the ski’s base. This operation protects the ski and optimizes its gliding qualities on snow.

If your soles have a few shallow scratches or small holes, they can be filled with black candle.

On the other hand, if the ski is badly damaged, it may be necessary to restructure the base. To do this, the base is sanded down to remove large holes and deep scratches. Advantage: the base comes out as good as new! Disadvantage: the operation removes material and therefore wears out the sole…

It largely depends on how much you practice. Your edges will wear faster:

• If you ski a lot (but that’s a given!)
• If you’re a skier who “engages” and puts a lot of pressure on your edges.
• If you’re skiing on hard snow, such as can be found on the slopes in the depths of winter when it’s really cold.

On the contrary, your edges will wear less quickly:

• If you’re a beginner skier, take it easy on the turns
• If you ski in powder or spring snow.

It’s a good idea to give your tips a sharpening-waxing treatment every vacation, or as soon as necessary if you’re a more regular skier (i.e. when you feel that the edges don’t grip as well or the base is sticking to the snow).

And no! If you have a good level and ski every day on hard snow from 9am to 5pm, then you put a lot of strain on your edges, and there’s a good chance you’ ll need to sharpen them during your vacation.

Similarly, there are different types of wax, suitable for cold, dry snow, or for wetter spring snow. If snow conditions vary over the week, you may find that your skis “stick”. You may then need to re-wax your skis to suit the new conditions (although most stores use universal wax, with a wider range of effectiveness, to avoid this inconvenience).

When in doubt between two types of wax, always choose the one that is adapted to cold, dry snow conditions rather than a “special spring snow” wax. This way, you’ll enjoy decent, if not optimal, gliding conditions even in wetter snow (although the reverse is not true!).

As well as waxing your skis, you can also look after them by wiping them down after each session. Dry them separately before putting them away to prevent rust from forming where the two edges meet. A little extra tip? Save your old bath towels for wiping – it works really well!

It’s not rocket science! But bear in mind that the initial investment is not neutral: vices, workbench, iron, sharpening equipment, stone wire removal, waxing, scraping, brushing… If you ski 6 months a year, it may be worth it. If you only ski one or two weeks a year, it’s still cheaper to entrust your precious spatulas to a sports store.

Not to mention the fact that in the event of a major problem with the sole (oops, missed the stone…), you’ll need to call in a professional to repair your ski using specialized equipment.

Unless you’re the type of person who travels from one hemisphere to the other in search of slopes to track in all seasons, it’s very likely that you won’t touch your spatulas for several months of the year.

Before storing your skis, check several points:

• Sharp edges
• A waxed sole – any wax will do: in any case, you will have to re-wax them with a wax adapted to the current snow conditions just before your first ski outing next season.
• Loose fasteners (we often forget!)
• A dry place, protected from cold and light, to store your skis.
• Secure your skis

A few extra tips

• Beware of sharp edges, they cut!
• Remember to tie your skis when transporting them : this will prevent them from rubbing and wearing out faster…
• As tempting as it is, don’t let do not slide on partially snow-covered roads ! Quite apart from the obvious danger, this (bad) habit makes Rémi Besson’s hair stand on end, as he prepares over 800 pairs of skis a year for the Club des Sports de Tignes: “When I think of the time spent preparing the base and sharpening the edges…. That’s why we teach the children at the Club des Sports de Tignes to look after their own skis. It’s a way of giving them a sense of responsibility and instilling values such as respect for equipment.
• And finally, when transporting your skis on the roof of your car, be sure to position your ski tips towards the rear of the vehicle, so that they are less exposed to the wind. Otherwise, you risk deforming your skis before they even touch the snow.