Supporting Local Athletes Since 1973

(604) 792-1130

Cheam Source For Sports Sporting Goods Chilliwack

(604) 792-1130

Supporting Local Athletes Since 1973

Effortlessly Cut Through Powder:

Ski & Snowboard Pro-Tuning

All of our services are provided for any product you have,
whether or not you bought it from Cheam Sports.

Simply drop off your gear and we'll take it from there.

You’re ready to fly down the slope.

Your heart’s pounding and you can’t help the grin that’s plastered on your face.

But the moment you begin descending, you realize something…

…you’re not going very fast. And every time you try to shift direction, the movement isn’t smooth or precise.

It’s time for you to get your skis or snowboard tuned.

0 +
Years Combined Tuning Experience
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Skis & Boards Tuned

Check Out How a Pro Tunes Skis

Carve Better With a Pro-Tuned Board

3 Reasons

Why You Should Get A Tune-Up

1.

Get A Smoother Descent

When the wax on your board or ski isn’t right for the conditions you’re riding in, or it’s old and worn out, you’re going to stutter down the hill and feel incredibly uncomfortable – as if the snow’s grabbing at you.

A fresh wax fixes this discomfort, as does some sharp edges,

2.

Discover More Speed 

A freshly tuned ski (or board) glides through the snow like a heated knife cutting through butter. Which means you can go faster.

3.

Carve Accurately

Need to change direction? Want to do some wicked tricks?

The edges of your ski or board will be sharper after a good tune-up, which means they bite right into the slope, which equals super awesome carving.

The Tuning Package

Breakdown

Our 9-Step

Tuning Process

Not sure what the heck goes into tuning?

Here’s the full process on a Major Tune Package (which includes all of our tuning services):

Drop Off
The first step is dropping your equipment off.
1
Drop Off
Repair
Sometimes you zip over rocks and tree roots and your board (or skis) get banged up. Most of the time it’s just an aesthetic issue, but sometimes the damage needs fixing.

Before we start the tune-up, we ensure any problematic gouges are dealt with. We do this by dripping P-tex (Polyethylene) into the offending scrapes. After the P-tex sits and cures, we scrape it so the filled-in holes are flush with the surface of your equipment.
2
Repair
Base Grinding & Cleaning
Our base grinding machine is a Wintersteiger, one of the best in the industry. It’s not a machine you can use without proper training. If you use incorrect pressure, or fill it with water that’s mixed with the wrong chemicals...you can burn or concave the base.

The grinding machine cleans the edges of your ski or board. It gets rid of old wax and dirt and freshens up your base - a perfect canvas for a new coat of wax! If there’s any dirt the grinder missed, we use base cleaner to get rid of it.
3
Base Grinding & Cleaning
Sharpening
The grinding machine also sharpens edges. It cleans up any existing rust and jagged catches that compromise speed and carving on the slope.

There are 2 angles:

  • Recreational - the most common angle, it’s perfect for casual time on the slopes.
  • Intermediate/Advanced - this one’s slightly more aggressive, and really bites into snow. We don’t generally recommend this angle if you’re just getting comfortable skiing or boarding.
4
Sharpening
Hand Filing
This step isn’t always necessary - It's only for skis or boards that have really worn, rounded edges that the grinding machine can’t fully sharpen.

In order to get the perfect edge, we have to sit and finish by hand.
5
Hand Filing
De-Tuning
After sharpening, the tip and tail of your board or ski have keener edges than is safe. When they’re too crisp, they can catch and send you in the wrong direction and cause some nasty wipeouts
6
De-Tuning
Wax Coating
When the base is clean, dry, and the edges are perfect, it’s time to wax.

There are 2 wax types we use:

  • Universal All-Temp - this wax is excellent for any temperature, and is used by 60% of riders.
  • High-Fluoride - this wax is temperature specific, and is a better grade wax than the universal. When used in the right environment (moisture-heavy snow), it lasts longer than the other wax, which means you don’t have to replace it every few rides.

The coating of wax looks like a simple job, but it still needs proper execution. Wax gets lathered onto the ski or board with a hot iron. If the wax or iron is too hot, the base can burn.
7
Wax Coating
Wax Scraping
Once the wax thoroughly soaks into the base (this takes about 15 minutes), we scrape off the excess by hand. Your board or ski isn’t a candle! You just want a nicely saturated piece of equipment.
8
Wax Scraping
Brush Buffing
A nylon brush buffs the wax into your ski or board. We use cross-hatching to really get into the pores, which removes any excess wax the scraper missed.

The brushing also clears the grooves that water flows through - without proper water flow along your equipment, you won’t get a ton of speed.

The last brushing step calls for a horsehair brush. This finer-bristled brush perfects what the Nylon brush began.
9
Brush Buffing

Ski & Snowboard Tuning

FAQ's

Have you slowed down on the slopes? Can’t stop or turn on a dime? It’s time to get your equipment tuned.

Generally, casual riders only need to come in 1x per season. If you do more than 5 trips a year, we recommend coming in after 4 trips, depending on your pickiness.

Weather is also a factor. Dry, light snow can suck the wax out faster, icy slopes can blunt the edges.

We can definitely fix gouges, as long as your ski or board is still in one piece. 

We use P-tex to fill in any problem areas. Read our process to learn more about this step.

If you know how to do your own wax, we can just sharpen your ski or board.

Each step is priced separately because not everyone needs all steps done. 

There are times someone comes in for a full package, but it turns out they only need a fresh wax. When this happens, we waive the sharpening fee.

We service any product. It doesn’t matter where you bought it from!

Does your car look different after the engine was tuned?

You actually don’t want to see a huge difference in your ski or board, you just want to feel it.

Expert Advice On Our Tuning Services

We Know Our Stuff

Sometimes the type of tuning you need changes according to location.

If you let us know when and where you’re going (e.g. this exact day in December, at this place), we check to see what sort of conditions you’re going to be skiing or boarding in.

Why this matters:

  • Sometimes when you head out to certain locations, there are multiple layers of fresh powder that press down and create a bottom layer of ice. Conditions like that make it tough for you to hold your edge if you didn’t get a recent sharpening.
  • If you’re going to ski or board over fresh, light powder, edges aren’t as crucial. They’re still helpful, but what you really need is a fresh wax.