
February 15, 2022
Sharpening Skills
Like their bases, your skis’ edges require regular maintenance to ensure they’re running as smoothly as possible in all snow conditions. Leif Sunde, ski technician and cofounder of the Denver Sports Lab, recommends getting into the habit of inspecting your skis’ edges at the end of every ski day to make sure they’re free and clear of any nicks and burrs. “If you find any major damage from rocks, especially on your base edges, take your skis to a shop and have the technicians address it with their machines,” says Sunde. Unless you’re an accomplished and confident ski technician, sharpening base edges should be left to the pros. Minor scratches, burrs, rust, or dull patches on the skis’ side edges, however, can be easily addressed at home. The trickiest part is figuring out which file guide to use, as this depends on your skis’ factory side bevel. Skis generally come with a 1- to 3-degree factory side bevel, which means the skis’ side edges have an 89-, 88-, or 87-degree angle. Before tuning your edges, check your skis’ side edge bevel and use a file guide with the appropriate bevel angle. Pro tip: While adjustable file guides can be set…