Grind Out the Tunes
This story was published in
the New England Ski Journal: December
2002 with 1 accompanying photo
By Heather Burke
He can shave three seconds off your race time. That’s an eternity in
the gates. Or he can make you fall in love all over again, with your
skis – that is. It’s all a matter of one degree. He’s not a ski
instructor or a sports psychologist. He’s a guy with a ski tuning
machine and a formula for success.
Mike
DeSantis tells a common tale of the skier who gets his first pair of
shaped skis and finds his turning abilities to be revolutionized.
Flash-forward to that same skier months later, he has reached a
plateau on those life-altering skis. The turns are not as dramatic,
the carve is just not as sharp.
What happened? He’s been dutifully out on the slope, tipping his skis
into the turn just so, but just can’t seem to find that sweet spot
anymore. He even had his skis tuned and sharpened. So what’s the deal?
Ah there’s the rub, or the grind more accurately, so says the guru of
ski tuning. “The quality of your ski tune determines whether you love
or hate the ski you are on,” say Mike DeSantis of Precision Tuning
Center. DeSantis was a World Cup ski tuner; his specially tuned skis
have won numerous World Cups.
“The coaches would tell us technicians the night before a big race
that if their racer has the sticks the next day, they will win,” says
DeSantis. “With that kind of high-stakes pressure you have to seek new
ways to perfect your tune. I tweaked the tune until I got it just
right, the miraculous mojo, and my racer was three seconds faster,
enough to win.”
DeSantis says that in a World Cup downhill race 50% of the performance
comes from the athlete, 50% comes from the equipment. So what does
World Cup ski tuning have to do with us weekend warriors who just want
our edges to grab on the snow, and more importantly bite into the ice,
and lay down a nice carve?
“Not everyone needs a World Cup finish, but a consumer tune uses the
same principles as the big leagues,” says DeSantis. “There’s more than
a good chance that if your skiing has reached a plateau, your ski is
to blame. Skis are designed to be every bit as game improving as large
head tennis racquets. Now imagine your tennis racquet is not strung
properly.”
DeSantis says consumers must find a ski shop that tunes skis to
factory specifications. Shops that offer custom tuning to your ability
level should be avoided, since every ski manufacturer recommends a
1-degree bevel edge, according to DeSantis. “One degree on base edge
bevel combined with 2 degrees of side edge angle provides a shaped ski
with the ultimate slip to grip ratio in all conditions.”
The one-degree recipe sounds simple enough, for tech talk. But it will
prepare you to converse knowledgeably with your ski shop tuner.
Some tips for your ski tips, tails, bases and edges:
Don’t try this at home, as the cliché goes, put the hand file down.
DeSantis cautions that a machine finish is always better, and more
consistent than any hand tune.
Consistency is important in ski tuning. On that note, skis do not need
a different tune for different abilities or variable conditions. A
quality tune is good for all abilities in all conditions; the only
thing you might change is your wax to suit the particular snow du
jour.
A proper tune results from applying the factory formula, quality
machinery, with a well-trained, skilled technician at the controls.
Ski tuners have bevel meter devices to hone in the necessary degrees
and angles on the machinery. But any ski tuner will tell you that
stone grinding is a finesse issue, so experience is key.
Finally, after a stone grind, DeSantis points out that the ski base
should feel smooth. If it feels rough, the ski will not turn well.
Shaped skis have come on strong in the marketplace. But ski shop
tuning, and technician training, has not kept up with the technology.
You have made a significant investment in your shaped skis. Now you
must make sure the ski is maintained to perform as it was originally
intended.
Note: gone are the days when you needed to have your brand new skis
“tuned-up.” Skis are now delivered “factory tuned” allowing you to
rock right out of the box.
If you have had your shaped skis freshly tuned, and they feel
different – not quite right - then you need to search out a better
tune.
To find the best tune, ask your local ski shop tuner about his or her
technique and what formula is used for the perfect slip to grip. You
will impress them with your sharp lingo, and hopefully get a precise
tune. Or take your sticks to the Precision Tuning Center at Ski
Shop West in Framingham, Massachusetts. 1-508-875-6905.
www.skishopwest.com
