The start of the 2023-24 ski season is nearly upon us. If you are planning to spend time on the slopes this winter and haven’t yet gotten a ski or snowboard tune, we recommend paying us a visit as soon as you can. It’s always a wise idea to tune your skis or snowboard before the season starts. Waiting several months is not going to help you enjoy the best possible experience.

Tuning gets skis or a snowboard ready for the new season. It addresses some of the damage left over from last season while also ensuring the skis or snowboard are in top condition for a safe and enjoyable time on the slopes.

Improved Safety and Performance

There are several reasons to get your skis or snowboard tuned prior to the start of the season. At the top of the list is improved safety. Remember that a tune involves sharpening the edges of your skis or snowboard to accommodate the type of snow we get early in the year.

Sharp edges prevent catching the snow which, in turn, reduces the risk of falling or losing control. Sharp edges reduce your risks of injury on the slopes. Unfortunately, dull edges do just the opposite.

From a performance perspective, a properly tuned snowboard or set of skis will glide more easily through the snow. They will turn more easily as well, improving everything from control to speed. Isn’t that how you want to approach the slopes in the early part of the season? Absolutely. You want performance that gives you the confidence you need on every run.

More About Ski and Snowboard Tuning

Getting a tune-up before the season starts is all about hitting the slopes with the right foot forward, so to speak. You want to be safe and perform at your best. But there are other aspects to tuning that we should probably talk about. Let’s start with cleaning up last year’s damage.

When we tune skis or a snowboard, we address imperfections found on the base of your equipment. We do this via base grinding. A good grind gets rid of burrs. It creates a more even surface that will improve how your skis or snowboard glide across the snow.

Some other things to consider:

• Equipment Protection – Ski and snowboard tuning includes a fresh coat of wax. Why do we wax equipment? To protect it from dirt, debris, and moisture. Wax will not prevent any and all damage to your skis or snowboard, but it will prevent some and reduce the severity of the rest.

• Wax and Glide – Speaking of wax, applying a good coat to your skis or snowboard improves the glide. Wax reduces the amount of friction between snow and equipment to increase speed and improve turning.

• Equipment Life – Tuning skis and snowboards actually extends equipment life by simultaneously improving performance and reducing equipment stress. Even if all the other benefits weren’t there, tuning protects your investment.

The concept of tuning skis and snowboards isn’t especially difficult. It is also not hard to do from a mechanical standpoint. But to do the best possible job, you really need to know what you’re doing. We recommend letting professionals tune your skis or snowboard.

We are eagerly awaiting the start of the ’23-’24 ski season. Winter is our favorite time of year here in Utah. If you’re like us, you can’t wait to hit the slopes. But before you go, bring in your skis or snowboard and let Canyon Sports do a complete tune. You’ll enjoy a better season as a result.