Should You Tune Your Skis and Snowboards Every Year?

Ski season’s coming in hot (well, cold, but you get it), and before you dust off your gear and head for the hills, there’s one thing you absolutely shouldn’t skip: a professional tune-up. Even if your skis or board “look fine,” there’s more to it than meets the eye, and skipping it can slow your ride and lessen your control. Here’s why our expert in-Haus team says a preseason tune is at the top of your pre-season checklist:

1. Better Performance by a LOT

Similarly to when you first put new tires on a car, and it magically feels like the ride is so much smoother and more controlled, your freshly tuned snowboard or skis are your new tires. The crisp edges and smooth, waxed base cause less friction while you glide, giving you more control and stability. With that enhanced control, you’ll also feel the need for much less effort when gaining speed and making turns.

2. Keep Yourself Safe Out There

We love ripping through the terrain just as much as the next person, and freshly tuned gear lets us do that in the safest possible way. Sharp edges and a smooth base let your snowboard and skis grip icy and packed terrain much easier than dull edges and a rugged base. At the end of the day, we’re trying to have a great time on the slopes and relax afterwards.

A new service that can enhance your tuning experience is a PHANTOM Glide application. PHANTOM Glide is a wax-free base treatment that allows you to go longer in between applications compared to a wax treatment! It is also much more environmentally friendly, helping keep our mountains and our watersheds in great shape. You can read more about PHANTON Glide here, and you can expect to find this new service at your local Alpin Haus Ski Shop location this winter!

3. Get Your Money’s Worth

When you invest in new equipment, you’re hoping to get the most run out of it. If you’re hitting the mountain pretty often, gear can become aged after a few seasons. Just like other sports, when you find the gear you love, you want to get the most time you can, and a yearly tuning can do just this for your snowboard and skis. This maintenance will prevent things like rust, permanent edge damage, and core shots.

Other than tuning, you can find some other best practices to lengthen the life of your ski gear here.

We hope the next time you ask yourself, “Should I tune my skis and snowboard this year”, you are confident in saying yes! If you want to get your equipment tuned before the season, feel free to view our ski tuning packages, and you can stop by anytime to show your gear some love with a fresh tune.