SHOULD I GET A SNOWBOARD & SKI SERVICE?

Dec 22, 2022

SHOULD I GET A Ski and Snowboard service?

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WHY IS A SNOWBOARD AND SKI SERVICE IMPORTANT?

Servicing skis is the regular maintenance of your skis or snowboard. The benefit is two-fold: it'll enhance your on-snow experience and help look after your investment for years to come.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD SNOWBOARDS AND SKIS BE SERVICE?

In general, it's good to tune your skis & snowboard after about every 20 days of riding. Again, however, this varies for every user. If you are the type of skier or snowboarder who tends to beat your skis up a lot more. You might need a tune-up more often.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T SERVICE YOUR SNOWBOARD & SKIS?

Servicing is an essential part of riding. Just like a car's engine, your equipment need regular service to ensure optimal performance. After a service, your snowboard & skis will be faster, grip the snow better, and they won't hook or catch. In short, regular servicing will help you have a great time on the hill.

WHAT DOES A STANDARD SKI AND SNOWBOARD SERVICE CONSIST OF?

Servicing Includes:

deep cleaning and preparation using base cleaner, edge sharpening using an edge tuner at either the angles of 88 or 90 degrees, hot waxing using either a standard or carbon wax, scraping the wax of with a sharp acrylic scraper and finishing with a buff up using a buffing tool then another final deep clean with base cleaner.

WHAT DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF WAXES DO?

STANDARD HOT WAX SERVICE :

the standard hot wax is the average wax anyone would use if they were servicing themselves at home and wanted the wax to bed into the base of their skis or snowboard and hold for around 4-5 days then they would have to re-service which becomes a lot of hassle when you're a regular on the mountain or on a trip for a couple weeks and longer.

CARBON HOT WAX SERVICE:

the carbon hot wax is a service we offer which is a high quality performing hot wax. It will hold into the base of your snowboard or skis for around a week longer than the standard hot wax. the carbon hot wax will give you a much higher quality of a trip, holding into the base of your ski or snowboard for over a week and a half.
it also helps to repel any dirt in the snow. it also has amazing antistatic and water repellent properties, which provides unequalled acceleration, speed and abrasion resistance.

HOW DOES A DIFFERENT ANGLE OF EDGE TUNING IMPACT YOUR RIDING?

Side edge angle affect your ability to grip- particularly on hard snow and ice. A 90 degree angle is good for most snowboarders and beginner skiers but sharper angle are used by more advanced skier, particularly racers. Too sharp an angle can lead to difficulty initiating a turn.

For most recreational skiers a side edge angle of 90-88 degree and a base edge angle of 0,5 degree will be just fine. Just stick to the same edge angle each time, you tune your skis.

If you're experiencing such jerkiness, your snowboard or skis edges might simply be too sharp. They will improve as the edges dull, but waiting until they dull is frustrating. Take them back to the shop, and ask the tech to dull the edges with a file then retune.

HOW LONG DOES SERVICING TAKE AND WHY?

Ski and snowboard serviceis usually a 7 day turn around but can be done in 2 days. We like to let the hot wax settle and hold into the base for a better performance.
We also offer that we can wax and tune the edges and let you keep the board in storage over summer and when it's time to hit the slopes again, a week before you leave we can scrape off all the wax and you will have the ultimate performing skis or snowboard.

HOW DO I IDENTIFY IF MY SNOWBOARD OR SKIS NEEDS A REPAIR?

FILLING SCRATCHES AND HOLES:

when you look at the base of your skis or snowboard and you see deep scratches or minor holes that can be filled by P-tex then the P-tex will be scraped off flush to the base of the snowboard or skis. This all takes extra time, so we do need to charge more for this depending on how long it takes.

FIXING DELAMINATION:

if you damage your snowboard or skis on the edge and the lamination comes away from the board or ski, this is called delamination. depending on the severity of the delamination it can be filled with epoxy resin and sanded down which takes a lot longer.

You must bear in mind this is not a repair that will hold forever, once the harsh conditions and average wear and tear start to effect the snowboard or skis you will need to consider buying some fresh equipment. Again we charge extra for this depending on how long it takes.

WHAT IS A P-TEX CANDLE AND HOW IS IT USED?

Polyethylene (p-tex) candles used in minor ski base repair. Can be melted with a match or lighter and Comes in packs of three.

How We Fill in the Gouge:

Using a candle or lighter, fire up one tip of the P-Tex candle.
Wait until it's flaming (this may take a couple of minutes).
Move the molten P-Tex candle and drip into the gouge.
We do a second round if necessary then extinguish the flame.
Let the P-Tex cool about 15 minutes.
Scrape the P-tex till flush with the base.

WHAT IS BASE CLEANER AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Base Cleaner is a citrus based cleaner that is perfect for removing dirt and old wax from the base of your snowboards or skis. Designed to ensure that your fresh new wax job gets deep into the base! Featuring a spray application.

WHY DOES THE WAX GET SCRAPED OFF DURING A SERVICE?

Scrapping the wax off the snowboard or skis is exactly what it sounds like. Because the pores of the base it gets saturated with wax, you should scrape off the top layer of wax to expose the base to ensure a smooth non-stick ride on the mountain.

HOW MUCH DOES A SKI AND SNOWBOARD SERVICE COST?

The services we offer here at S2AS vary in price and is only a £5 difference between the standard or carbon service.

standard service charge:

£35

carbon service charge:

£40

WHY IS IT MORE BENEFICIAL TO SERVICE YOUR SNOWBOARD OR SKIS BEFORE A TRIP?

If you have well-serviced equipment in advance heading to the mountains, it will give you a smoother, more enjoyable and safer ride on the mountain. It also protects your snowboard or skis and increases its longevity.
having your equipment serviced on the mountain can be frustrating as it is usually very busy and they will have to keep your equipment for quite some time whilst you're already on your trip which can be super frustrating.

HOW TO YOU STORE YOUR SNOWBOARD & SKIS IN THE SUMMER?

Storing your skis and snowboard in the summer is a vital part to owning the equipment. you should ensure your snowboard and skis are treated after each session otherwise it will dry out the base and possible rust on the edges.
keeping your snowboard or skis in a cool place is also important, try to avoid storing your equipment in a hot place such as an attic/loft to reduce risk, again of dryness and rust.