There is nothing like a perfect turn on skis.
It doesn’t just happen, besides knowing how to ski, having a well-tuned ski can make or break a ski day.
“Over time your ski edges will become “rounded” and you will not have a good edge grip on firm snow,” says shop owner and tuner Neil Orchard. “A tune-up will flatten the base and sharpen your edges. Also, as you use your skis there will be microscopic hairs on the base created from the friction of riding, the grinding of your skis and the structure will eliminate these hairs creating less friction allowing the skis/board to glide.”
Enter GearUp’s Montana Challenge. No, it isn’t a Yellowstone binge marathon, it is a manually loaded precise tune grinding stone machine that “makes your skis mean” and Gearup is the only shop in Canmore or Banff to have one.
“The machine has an eight segment, direct drive motor which gives it the ability to create special “structure” in the base of skis,” says Orchard.
Essentially, structure is what makes the ski glide, but for a more detailed explanation, Orchard explains that structure “are the tiny lines on the ski base that act as an irrigation system to displace water created from friction as your skis glide over the snow.”
What is special about the Montana machine is that it is able to create different “structure” for different snow conditions. Structure, for all intended purposes, gives the ski the ability to break up the surface with friction tension and glide. This is where ski tuning becomes an art – the art of figuring out the right structure for the ski conditions and all the other factors.
This is Orchard’s passion.
“For example, dry/cold snow (most of the time around here), wet snow, new snow or old snow,” says Orchard, “Every tune is different – like fingerprints, all skis are different. It also depends on how much damage is done to the ski when it comes in.”
The Montana can also make specific structures for race skis called Vario structures. These structures allow the ski to turn easily while maintaining speed. There are so many different specific structures that Orchard almost sounds like Bubba from Forrest Gump rattling off shrimp dishes.
He loves figuring out the best structure for each customer that comes through the door. To call him a nerd would be an understatement. Orchard is more like a scientist.
Along with structures, the Montana can polish as well as side and base edge tuning. These other elements, coupled with a perfect wax, can enhance the whole “snow sliding” experience.
“The polishing really comes into play when you are on low-angle slopes or starting and finishing a race,” says Orchard.
As far as the side edging, this gives the skis more grip when the ski is put on edge. The Montana can increase the amount of bevel, depending on the skier's needs. Base edging can also give more grip and makes skis easier to turn.
“The one special feature on our Montana is the base edge is done with high tech tuning (HTT) discs,” says Orchard. “These discs will provide more bevel in the tip and tail (easier to turn) and a consistent taper to underfoot where you need the grip.”
However, as a wise man once said, it’s not the machine, it's the tech that's using it.
“At GearUp we have over 50 years of tuning experience and all tech either ski or snowboard,” says Orchard. “Someone from the shop is on a freshly tuned ski or board every day of the week, this allows us to monitor quality control on the snow.”
To learn more about GearUp and all its services, visit www.gearupsport.com.
