A better solution is to either buy a cast edge ruler or a dedicated side edge tuner, such as the Toko Edge Tuner, which can be set to 6 different angles. Again, a lot of ski shops sell plastic edge tuners that will do a variety of angles, but the problem with these is that they’re only designed to hold the files that they’re sold with, and not diamond stones, which means that you would end up cutting away too much material from your edges every time you sharpened them. Once you’ve set your bevels, you’ll want maintain your edges, as much as possible, only by sharpening the side edges with diamond stones. Most snowboards will come with a factory bevel of 1˚ on the side, whereas the factory bevel for skis varies depending on the manufacturer. Side Edgesīevel angles vary a lot more on side edges. Routine sharpening is done on the side edges. It won’t be perfect, but it’s a solution if you’re in a bind.īase edges only require occasional maintenance, for example if they’ve been damaged by rocks or rails. Place the taped end on the base of your skis, so that the file is angled downwards across your edges. Many shops also stock multi-purpose, plastic file guides that do both side and base bevels, but in my experience these don’t tend to work very well and it can be hard (or impossible) to get a good, clean edge.Ī cheaper alternative to the base bevel guide is to buy an edge file and wrap some electrical tape around one end. You can buy base bevel file guides, but these can be pricey. Some racers will bring this all the way down to 0.5˚ if they’re looking for their skis to engage earlier and have more bite – but for our purposes, let’s stick to 1˚. Base bevels are usually set to 1˚ on most skis. This bevel prevents the edge from catching before the turn has been initiated and throwing you over as soon as it encounters some resistance in the snow. When you initiate a turn, you lean your ski onto one side and engage the edge. Base Edgesīase edges do not run flush to the bottom of your skis – they angle upwards, away from the floor. This isn’t an essential component if you’re on a tight budget, but they’re not very expensive and they do provide a nice final touch. Run the gummy stone gently along the length of the base edge once or twice and then repeat along the side edge. Once you’re done sharpening, a gummy stone is used to remove any last little burrs and give the edges a final polish. Gummy StonesĪ gummy stone is a sort of rubber stone that feels like a very hard eraser. So if you’re looking for the best all-round grit, start with 200. Racers will use a selection of stones, from coarsest to lightest, in order to achieve really sharp, smooth edges. 100 and 200 grit stones are used for de-burring and sharpening, while 400 grit stones and above are used more for polishing. Keep them clean by wiping them regularly on a clean rag or some kitchen roll while you’re using them.ĭiamond stones come in a variety of grits. Some people add a tiny bit of washing up liquid to the water in order to better lubricate the stone. They should be used wet in order to preserve the life of the stone. These are diamond-coated stones that are set into a plastic case to hold them. (Remember that files are directional and only cut one way, so check for an arrow on the side of the file that indicates the cutting direction.) Diamond Stones You might also need to use a file if you’ve damaged your edges on rocks or rails, but otherwise leave it alone. You’ll need to reset your edges after a base grind. So set your edges once and then maintain them thereafter with diamond stones for sharpening. But you don’t want to keep cutting away loads of material from your edges every time you sharpen them, or you’ll soon run out of edges altogether. Because of this, they are used to set the bevel angle of your base and side edges. These are designed to cut away material from your metal edges. Hacking away at your skis freehand, like an alpine Michelangelo, is only going to lead to trouble. The main principle to remember is that both your base edges (the sides on the bottom of the ski) and your side edges should be set to a specific bevel for optimum performance, so use a guide. There’s a lot of different, sometimes contradicting, advice out there and everyone has a slightly different way of doing things. But tuning edges can be a bit of a minefield. Sharp edges are crucial to staying safe, particularly on steep, icy pistes. A wise man once said, “it’s all about the edges”.
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