Ski equipment and tuning for U10 Subscribe Pub

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Here's what you need as a U10 parent.

Equipment

At this age, the kids have ony one "do it all" ski, set at 1 degree base bevel and 2 degrees side bevel. Save your moneys, get a second hand pair at a ski swap... invest in tuning tools instead! Read more about Ski Boot Fitting and Ski equipment for U10-U16.

You only need to sharpen the skis every now and then and wax it with basic all temperature wax regularly, to provide a consistent experience for the little racer, be it race or training. You're also learning the dark arts of ski tuning and maintenance, so take it easy.

Tools

For tuning tools, you need:

• a vise... I use a Tools4Boards. You could make do without a vise at this point, but it will make life a lot easier.
• some 150 and 220 sandpaper, to smooth out the topsheet of the ski
• a small 100 diamond stone to remove rough and hardened steel - the kidz will bang those skis together quite a bit
• a generic 88 degree multi-tool (88 degrees is the same as 2 degrees)
  • like this Wintergeister quick sharp which you could also use at U12 until it gets dull
  • OR this Tools4Boards XACT is also useful in the future for sidewall removal, but you won't have diamonds for polishing, which is ok...

If you want to get more serious, instead of the 88 multitool, get these:

• a fixed 1 degree ski base bevel guide⁺⁺ - you only need this to deburr the edge with the 200 diamond stone, after filing the side, so you could instead just use a simple shim as the base guide - see the Kuu file below
• a fixed 2 degrees ski side bevel guide⁺⁺
• a mill bastard file, I recommend the Kuu Pro File Edge File - it comes with a simplistic 1 degree shim/guide, good enough if used carefully.
• the Kuu file above or a some other "mill bastard" file is good enough
• a 200 diamond stone to polish after using the file.

Effective
Expert

Skiing
Technique

Click to improve carving !

It is not uncommon to start out with a kit, like one from RaceWax or the Tools4Boards SuperStation that I started with.

For waxing, you can choose an all purpose paste or rub-on wax, to get used to the process. If you're ready to progress to hot waxing, get a good all-temperature cheap wax like the Hertel SuperHotSauce and you'll need:

• an iron
• a hard plastic scraper
• a hard plastic oval brush to clear the wax
• get fancy and get an oval horse-hair brush to polish for race day

If you don't have a vise, you could support the skis at tip and tail on a 4x4 or a few 2x4s stacked on a workbench, for waxing.

Tuning routine

Get the ski profesionally tuned at the beginning of the season, including a base grind and re-setting the edge bevels - make sure to ask for 2 degrees side and 1 degree base bevels.

Inspect the skis weekly or every other week and fix major issues:

• top sheet will be chewed up: cut off the big plastic shavings and smooth it out with sandpaper
• the edges will be pretty banged up on rocks or eachother - use the 100 diamond stone to smooth those dings out
  • the metal there is most likely hardened and you cannot use a file on it.
• big gouges in the base - get them to a shop or do it yourself with melting some p-tex

Then simply maintain them weekly or bi-weekly:

• if they feel dull or you are sharpening for a race, lightly run the file on the side edge only, with the 2 degree guide
  • one pass on the base edge with the 400 diamond stone, to deburr after using the file on the edge - I usually keep a 400 stone in the 1 degree base guide
• a few passes on the side edge with the 200 and 400 diamond stones, with the 2 degree guide

Hot wax weekly with the all temperature wax, and brush lightly with a hard plastic and an oval horse hair brush. Brush more for a racing day!

If you feel like doing more than neccessary, take a peek at the next age level.

Other tips

Don't use metal scrapers - it's easy to damage the base with those...

Read on for even more Ski Tuning Ideas.

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