A Positive Ski Tuning Experience in Banff

[GregK]

With all the nightmare tuning and grinds on here the last few years, i thought I’d post a positive experience I had today.
I met with some of the staff at Bear Outfitters in Banff https://bearstreetoutfitters.com/
last year when they just received a new to them Wintersteiger Scout and again this year while checking out the latest gear. They remembered me as they gave me a tour of their shop and new Wintersteiger last year.

After hitting lots of rocks in Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Kicking Horse the last few weeks, there was some base damage and I wanted to get the base bevels reset a bit as I kept having to diamond stone the base edge damage away.

Went first thing this morning and the sales person was also a knowledgeable tech who listened to my requests after looking over the skis. Did a bit of p-Tex repair to some deeper hits and then did a stone grind just a few passes shy of a blanking grind and a universal structure to finish. No customers in the store so he did it right away while I watched inside the open shop. Charged me $30 CAN which is a great price for the quality of work.

The skis came out great and I went over the base and side bevels myself with files and stones back at the hotel after. Skis now packed away as I ski in Revelstoke the next 2 weeks.

Pics of machine

 

[Philpug]

Nice organization of the jigs.

 

[ARL67]

Thanks for the info Greg.
Reminds me several years ago when I went into Skiis & Biikes in Collingwood and snooping around the tuning equipment - I had no tuning equipment at home and thinking about getting into it. The shop was empty and the head tech ( Rob ) spent 45 minutes with me back in the shop showing me the ropes on how to tune my skis. I walked out with some basic tuning gear, and then built up my bench / kit over the next season(s). I'm going to order some binding mounting parts from Tognar, so can do everything myself except for a base grind.

Enjoy Revelstoke !

 

[GregK]

@ARL67 Thought of you yesterday with your post on what wax for slow, dirty snow as we had very warm temps here at Revelstoke yesterday.
After a grind, I usually tune the edges and then brass brush, fibrex pad and then hot wax. Just have my universal roll on wax here at the hotel so I was STRUGGLING on the cat tracks yesterday. Went into the Revy shop to get a hot wax to hopefully solve my glide issues.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

We always bring our skis when we're going to Banff... Demoed at Lake Louise and it was a pretty firm day... neither of our skis really had edges so it was slightly terrifying. Went to the demo shop at the base and they said they don't tune their skis all that much. We were like yeah that won't work for us new englanders... They tuned them again for us for the next day. Now we bring our skis when we go there. Good to know there's an option in the event we do need a shop.

 

[dovski]

So here is the funny thing about that shop. I believe it changed ownership in the last couple years, but for the longest time in the basement was this old school ski tech who did amazing tunes. When he retired no one took over from him, and the basement was full of all his tuning gear some of which was pushing 40+ years old. Looks like the invested in a complete refresh and are offering amazing tunes again.

Also FYI if you demo skis at Lake Louise late in the season and like them, they will sell you the demo as a crazy good price and credit your rental fee to that purchase. They will also give you a free tune and LL also has a great tune shop so just an FYI

 

[GregK]

So here is the funny thing about that shop. I believe it changed ownership in the last couple years, but for the longest time in the basement was this old school ski tech who did amazing tunes. When he retired no one took over from him, and the basement was full of all his tuning gear some of which was pushing 40+ years old. Looks like the invested in a complete refresh and are offering amazing tunes again.

Also FYI if you demo skis at Lake Louise late in the season and like them, they will sell you the demo as a crazy good price and credit your rental fee to that purchase. They will also give you a free tune and LL also has a great tune shop so just an FYI

Think the older vet is now somehow involved in a Canmore shop(Gearup I think) if I recall correctly. Think the Banff shop bought a lot of his old gear, this machine and the Canmore shop has a newer, fully auto Montana and do lots of hand tuning as well. So 2 great options in Banff and Canmore now.

Some of the techs at Lake Louise are okay if it’s not a certain bevel request etc and they can just press a button on their older Montana machine. They over bevelled my skis and they had super coarse edges after their tune. It took lots of grinding and work at home to fix. This was before I knew of the better options in Banff and Canmore.

 

[GregK]

With the mediocre conditions at Revelstoke today, I stuck to mostly scrapped off groomers and still managed to hit something on one run.
Lots of nice hits to the bases and edges that will require some ptex and another grind.
Only 2 more ski days and I’m back home so will have them done there.