*All prices listed in CAD and subject to 5% GST

* Tuning must be brought in by 6 PM and is subject to be cut off at an earlier time dependant on numbers

“Why is tuning important? 

Tuning boards and skis regularly is important for a whole host of reasons, but mainly so that you get the most out of your gear and out of your day while you’re up on the mountain!

One thing a lot of people don’t know is the word “Tuning” covers all of the processes done to your gear to get it riding its best. Whether that’s just a wax, an edge and wax, or a complete tune to get all your core shots and scratches fixed, it’s all tuning! 

Tuning is important for general care and maintenance of your gear. Think of it like getting your car serviced, just like a car needs an oil change every few thousand miles, your gear needs a tune up every few days to clean up any rusty edges or lube up a dry base. We recommend a wax every 4 -5 full days of riding or when you notice your base looks dry, an edge job when you start to get nasty burs or rounded edges, and base repairs when you can see deep scratches or core shots anywhere on your base.

Edge Sharpen: Have you ever been on the hill, laying some nice carves and you just keep slipping out or losing traction in the middle of the turn? Well chances are it’s because your edges haven’t been tuned in a while (if it all..). The process of edge tuning is important because it sharpens up and smooths out the metal edge of your skis or board, allowing you to glide along the snow and still hold a nice grip when you dig into a nice turn! 

Waxing: Ever been stuck on a cat track, and everyone else seems to glide past you with ease? That just means your base is dry and it’s time for a wax! A dry base won’t just make you slower than all your buddies, if left unchecked it can actually do long term damage to your gear.. with a fresh wax you’ll be the one passing everyone on the flats! 

Base Repair: Just got off the mountain and noticed you’ve taken a big chunk out of your base? This is likely a core shot and it is especially important to get these patched up immediately! An open core shot will leak water into the core of your gear and over time weaken the internal structure and can lead to board or ski being unusable with time.. we patch up these core shots     

If any of this has you thinking it might be time to get a tune, come in and see us and let us get our gear back to its best condition and get you out there having the best ride you can! 

“What is the difference between machine and hand tuning?”

The biggest difference between these two methods of tuning comes down to precision. Contrary to other production industries where machines are paramount when it comes to precision work, with ski and snowboard edge tuning it is often the human touch that gets the best result!

Skis and snowboards come in an almost endless array of shapes, sizes, materials and durabilities. This difference in form factor from board to board or ski to ski means that in order to precisely tune an edge a machine must be calibrated for each and every ski to compensate for all of these variables, and in most cases they aren’t.. And when the machine isn’t instructed on how to fine tune an edge or grind down a base it often leads to far more material being stripped away from each piece of gear than is needed, resulting in a shortened life span and reduced durability of each item. 

Alternatively, hand tuning means that each board or ski is tuned as heavily or as lightly as is needed. A technician is able to look at the condition of each piece of gear and give it the care that it needs to get it back to premium condition, but not take off any more material than is needed in the process. 

Got a super rusty edge but a nice smooth base? That’s gonna need a heavy filing but a light base grind. Got a real dry base but some smooth edges? No edge file and a nice hot wax should do the trick! 

At Underground Tuning, we’re able to give your gear the care it needs but nothing more, so we can get it riding better than new for as long as possible!

“Why is getting your board or ski’s tuned for storage before you finish up riding for the season important?”

Tuning boards and ski’s is important all throughout the season, but it’s a surprise to most people when they’re told that they should also have their gear tuned before they pack it away for the summer. Have you ever pulled out your ski’s to find your edges are covered in a thick grimy layer of rust, or noticed that the base of your board is all white and rough? This is because over the summer period your gear is constantly being degraded by water vapor in the air, temperature fluctuations, and just friction from being moved around here and there. Rusty edges and a dry base might not seem like the end of the world, but it can be the end of your favorite piece of equipment if its not taken care of…  

At Underground we provide a storage tuning service to mitigate all of these conditions to give your gear the best chance of surviving the summer months, while also making it so that your board or ski’s are good to go with just a simple scrape and polish when you're ready to get back out there! We’ll treat your gear to a base grind, edge and polish, and a nice thick layer of wax over the top so that you can store your goods properly and with a bit of peace of mind 😊

Come and see once you’ve finished shredding for the season and we’ll take care of the rest!” 

 IMPORTANCE OF A STORAGE TUNE

What is a storage tune? A storage tune is a normal tune needed to bring your equipment back to looking brand new with the exception of the wax. The wax is left as a thick layer all over your equipment instead of being scraped off.

When do I do a storage tune? A storage tune is the last tune that you will do at the end of a season or end of your trip. Anytime you will be placing your equipment in storage for an extended period of time it is a good idea to do one. A normal tune will be done with the exception of the wax being a thicker coat that is not scraped off. 

Why do I need one? Doing this tune helps to keep your equipment in the best shape possible. Over the course of a summer your bases will dry out from being exposed to oxygen. This starts a slow process of base-degradation and will show up as a chalky looking base or little hairs that you can feel. While this isn't the end of the world it’s not ideal and can mean needing a base grind at the start of the next season in order for your bases to take wax properly. 

Why do I need to do a tune along with the wax? When it comes to the start of the next season you want to take your equipment out and be ready to go with as little steps as possible. Doing the necessary tune for your equipment at the end of your previous season means all you have to do is scrape and polish the storage wax and you're ready to go with fresh sharp edges and perfect base. This eliminates the need for any tuning before you head up the hill

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