Best tune/ski repair in Denver?

**auvgeek** · 01-30-2017, 10:22 PM

Wife moved to Colorado while I finish up grad school on the east coast, and I guess sharks are a bit more of an issue here than WA. I never even felt the hit and ON3Ps have always been bomber for me, but pulled the skis out of the car for day 2 last weekend and noticed a core shot right against the edge.

Anyway, what's the best shop in the Denver-area to do the repair and base grind? Yeah, I could get my ptex gun & stuff from WA, but I think it'll be best to a shop handle it for a myriad of reasons, namely that I'd prefer not to spend my limited time in CO doing ski maintenance.

And yeah, I searched before posting this.

**MakersTeleMark** · 01-31-2017, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by auvgeek

Wife moved to Colorado while I finish up grad school on the east coast, and I guess sharks are a bit more of an issue here than WA. I never even felt the hit and ON3Ps have always been bomber for me, but pulled the skis out of the car for day 2 last weekend and noticed a core shot right against the edge.

Anyway, what's the best shop in the Denver-area to do the repair and base grind? Yeah, I could get my ptex gun & stuff from WA, but I think it'll be best to a shop handle it for a myriad of reasons, namely that I'd prefer not to spend my limited time in CO doing ski maintenance.

And yeah, I searched before posting this.

I don't Denver for shit, but how about just contacting a shop ahead of time where you ski?

**Tryingtostaywarm** · 01-31-2017, 12:02 AM

Edge works on Broadway. Do. Not. Go. To. REI.

**Rideski** · 01-31-2017, 12:23 AM

Name of ski area culprit and wife's nipples needed to assess damage.
If you just didn't have room in your hotel or apt you can use my yard.
No base grind here but guides and files.
Edgeworks is good Central, BentGate West.
Although in a pinch I doubt rei could fuck up a baseweld that bad but apparently this dude ^ has a story. There's a few dozen local shops that would probably work out as well.
If you only have a few days left you could use epoxy and then baseweld it when you get home if it pops out.

**adrenalated** · 01-31-2017, 08:28 AM

Edgeworks no longer exists, they were bought by Evo. The former owner of Edgeworks now runs the backshop at Evo Denver so the recommendation still applies.

Denver Sports Lab
Larson's Ski and Sport

Or bring them by my garage and use my ptex gun.

**auvgeek** · 01-31-2017, 08:38 AM

Thanks all.

Ptex/base material is pushed up pretty high aft of the core shot, so I'll need a base grind even if I do the repair myself. I was figuring on Denver Sports lab, but thought I'd check-in on here first.

**skibum93** · 01-31-2017, 02:47 PM

Seconding EVO. Great and quick shop experience from them
And stay far away from REI

**Soups** · 01-31-2017, 03:52 PM

Curious why to stay far away from REI for nonmounting work? Does that apply to repairs or the grind?

Never had welds or repair done as I do that myself, but will take them in for a grind and have never had issues.

Mounts on the other hand. Do. Not. Take. To. REI.
The two times I've needed mounts due to not wanting to mounting myself freehand they have fucked up.

**N1CK.** · 01-31-2017, 03:56 PM

Edge works (evo)
Larson's

**Rideski** · 02-04-2017, 03:29 PM

Interesting timing with this thread.
I've done a lot of ptex and edge work but
I have not hit a core shot in a few years now, so I have not messed with base weld any time recently. My nephew up at CU Boulder has a very small core shot with some big scratches around it.
Coreshot area is only about the size of eraser head. He's called around for baseweld material and 5 shops have said none.
Where are people buying this?
Seems an option would be a small dab of epoxy to the base and then ptex on top?
Anyone in Boulder I could send him to for quick material / tool help, or info on where to get baseweld material that he could bring to me in Denver?
Thanks

**COBRI** · 02-05-2017, 10:55 AM

I've had good work done by Christys

**galibier_numero_un** · 02-05-2017, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by Rideski

... or info on where to get baseweld material that he could bring to me in Denver?
Thanks

If he wants to do it himself, slidewright.com out of Durango has what you need to repair a core shot - adhesive mixed with p-tex. His handle on this forum is alpinord.

You lay down a bit if this stuff to bond to the core, and finish it up like a normal patch.

... Thom

**doebedoe** · 02-05-2017, 12:02 PM

Another Evo/Edgeworks recommendation. Eskimo down south I've had friends recommend as well.

**hatchgreenchile** · 02-05-2017, 12:05 PM

So strange seeing Evo now in that space; complete 180 from the old shop! Stop by Pizzeria Locale down the street after picking up your gear

**doebedoe** · 02-05-2017, 12:15 PM

I paid for work at edgeworks with beer more often than $$$. Wonder if those times are over.

**galibier_numero_un** · 02-05-2017, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by doebedoe

I paid for work at edgeworks with beer more often than $$$. Wonder if those times are over.

Maybe the beer for shop work business model was unsustainable ;-)

... Thom

**Rideski** · 02-05-2017, 11:10 PM

So how does the CU Boulder ski team have no dedicated tool bench work shop?

**cravenmorhead** · 02-06-2017, 11:39 AM

Nthing Evo/Edgeworks; they do solid work. Payment via beers may be on its way out though. Can't recommend Pizzeria Locale though; never been impressed with them. If you're headed further down Broadway, get to Trve or Baere brewing and order delivery from Fat Sully's delivered to the brewery.

**auvgeek** · 02-14-2017, 05:35 PM

Had the work done at Evo/edgeworks. $55 for the "standard tune" which included the base repair was very reasonable, in my book. The bases were pretty fast afterwards, too.

But they definitely did not detune enough. The skis were very, very sticky on the edges, and I usually like pretty sharp edges. Which is a little interesting because PowTron mentioned that the ON3P demo fleet was tuned by Evo, and I thought they were detuned too much. So not sure what's going on there. The skis felt so odd, I'm wondering if they have any base bevel. They were much better after hitting them with a red gummy, but I'm still figuring out how much more detuning they need and whether they have a 1* base bevel.

Just a heads up for anyone else who might get work done there—prices are very reasonable, but definitely ski with a gummy in your pocket the first day out.

**SILENCER** · 02-20-2017, 01:37 PM

Alpine Base & Edge in Boulder is very good; I get all my grinds there. They do all the CU and some other club teams' gear if I remember right. They recently had to downsize back into a tuning-only shop after expanding into more hard goods and it not going very well. Peter is a good guy to strike up a conversation with. He's taught me a lot.

**tuco** · 02-20-2017, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by auvgeek

Had the work done at Evo/edgeworks. $55 for the "standard tune" which included the base repair was very reasonable, in my book. The bases were pretty fast afterwards, too.

But they definitely did not detune enough. The skis were very, very sticky on the edges, and I usually like pretty sharp edges. Which is a little interesting because PowTron mentioned that the ON3P demo fleet was tuned by Evo, and I thought they were detuned too much. So not sure what's going on there. The skis felt so odd, I'm wondering if they have any base bevel. They were much better after hitting them with a red gummy, but I'm still figuring out how much more detuning they need and whether they have a 1* base bevel.

Just a heads up for anyone else who might get work done there—prices are very reasonable, but definitely ski with a gummy in your pocket the first day out.

Had a similar issue with some G3 Highballs right out of the package. I mounted them with the first frame touring binding(adr 16) I had ever been on and couldn't figure out at first if the bindings were just fuckin' with me. I knew I hated skiing them. Decided to re file the edges(both base and side) and deburr with hard stone, no detune. totally different ski now, loosened 'em right up. I had to go after mine aggressive, because the skis were edge high, not just no base bevel. It might just be that you have an edge burr rolled down biting snow and you just need to deburr it with a hard stone or diamond(base and side) to smooth it out. If that doesn't work, reset your bevels to 1/1 and deburr and detune to your liking

**gregL** · 02-21-2017, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by auvgeek

But they definitely did not detune enough.

The shop shouldn't randomly detune your skis, and you don't want them to. Detuning and hitting the correct base edge bevel are not the same, either - they should absolutely get the base and side edge bevels right. Not sure about evo Denver, but the standard at evo Seattle is 1/1 unless you tell them otherwise. If the machine was set for a 1 degree base bevel, you should see the faint rotary marks on the edge that protrude just barely into the Ptex.

As for actual detuning, you should adjust it yourself after skiing the ski using a gummi stone, diamond stone or actual file depending on the degree of detuning desired.

**auvgeek** · 02-21-2017, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by gregL

The shop shouldn't randomly detune your skis, and you don't want them to. Detuning and hitting the correct base edge bevel are not the same, either - they should absolutely get the base and side edge bevels right. Not sure about evo Denver, but the standard at evo Seattle is 1/1 unless you tell them otherwise. If the machine was set for a 1 degree base bevel, you should see the faint rotary marks on the edge that protrude just barely into the Ptex.

As for actual detuning, you should adjust it yourself after skiing the ski using a gummi stone, diamond stone or actual file depending on the degree of detuning desired.

Yes, I'm extremely aware that there is a difference between detuning and hitting the correct base bevel. My point was that they skied very oddly. The only other pair of skis that behaved that way was a pair of Kusalas from the factory that had no detuning and no base or side bevel (which Pat told us beforehand). shroom skied them and knows what I'm talking about. No other ski I've skied from a shop or out of the plastic from a factory (including Praxis, PM Gear, DPS, ON3P, 4FRNT, Down, Blizzard, K2, etc) skied like these. Including a pair of Down skis with no base bevel and a pair of DPS skis that were railed. I don't have my guides here to check if the base and side were set to 1/1, and they edges are all dinged up now from a couple days at Crested Butte anyway.

As for detuning, I don't expect any shop to randomly detune. I asked them to match the ON3P factory tune (and I specified 1/1 in case they didn't know). I would assume that should include some amount of detuning, no? The guys even looked at some new ON3P Kartels and commented that they wanted to go with a different structure that would work better in the CO snowpack...which seemed like a good call as the bases were quite fast afterwards.

I decided to mention it here not to call out the shop for bad work, but to tell other members to remember to ski with a gummy stone in their pocket the first day.

**galibier_numero_un** · 02-21-2017, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by auvgeek

...I decided to mention it here not to call out the shop for bad work, but to tell other members to remember to ski with a gummy stone in their pocket the first day.

Or in the case of Praxis, a mill bastard file in the car (if not skiing with a pack - 'coz you don't want to stab yourself while on the hill). Boy, do they come sharp from the factory!

... Thom

**gregL** · 02-21-2017, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by auvgeek

I asked them to match the ON3P factory tune (and I specified 1/1 in case they didn't know). I would assume that should include some amount of detuning, no?

One light pass with a soft gummi? Four passes with a hard gummi? Another two passes with 200 wet/dry sandpaper? Increase the base edge bevel by 1 degree to 1 inch past the contact point at the tip? You get my drift. I doubt ON3P does anything after pulling them off the machine, but I don't know for sure.