Tuning Business

[Catbert]

Alright, a friend and I are thinking about going into a little ski tuning endeavor. Seeing as it costs forty bucks to get your gear fully done at my local shop, I was thinking I may as well go and do it myself. Well, if I have all of the tools, I may as well use them to their full extent, and make a little extra money on the side. So if I charged a bit less (ten bucks) than the local shop, I could get the kids at school to let me tune their skis. What do you all think of this idea? What would you charge for a wax edge sharpen/bevel, base repair, stone grind, etc.

thanks

[coastal]

take a look at the cost of getting a good quality stonegrinder first, then reassess the situation. Wintersteiger is the gold standard.

[splat]

Wintersteiger is the gold standard.

Yeah, but the machine costs around $200K. That's some hefty startup costs for these guys, I'm thinking. There's some money in converting ski boot soles to vibrams as a sideline, and fitting boots. If you diversify a bit and are good, you might squeek by and build a business.

[ill-advised strategy]

I was checking some stuff out at a big woodworkers supply shop in SLC a few weeks ago, I think some of the machinery I saw could be adapted to do very good tuning work, and it would be in the $500-$1000 range, possibly cheaper.

[coastal]

Yeah, but the machine costs around $200K. That's some hefty startup costs for these guys, I'm thinking.

That was kind of my point
IMO, aside from running the actual lifts, ski tuning's probably the hardest way to make cash in the ski industry... You need considerable investment, a large customer base and to top it off, a fair chunk of skill.

[splat]

I was checking some stuff out at a big woodworkers supply shop in SLC a few weeks ago, I think some of the machinery I saw could be adapted to do very good tuning work, and it would be in the $500-$1000 range, possibly cheaper.

I had a buddy who tuned at Snowshoes in SLT and I'd stop by and have him zip my boards on a sander to get the major edge gashes out. You could get that sander at a woodworkers supply. Of course, a wet one would be nice.
Start a new concept - Speedy Tune and Wax - for people who just want to get the fuck back out on the slope.

or go the tried and true method: http://www.swixschool.no/web/index2.html

[ill-advised strategy]

I had a buddy who tuned at Snowshoes in SLT and I'd stop by and have him zip my boards on a sander to get the major edge gashes out. You could get that sander at a woodworkers supply. Of course, a wet one would be nice.
Start a new concept - Speedy Tune and Wax - for people who just want to get the fuck back out on the slope.

or go the tried and true method: http://www.swixschool.no/web/index2.html

I was looking at wet belts. I used to do a lot of good work with a fontaine. It just takes more work and time and a tech who understands how to deburr a base after wet belt sanding and make sure that the belt/belt stay is producing a flat base. A really good deburring shortcut with the wet belt sander is a scotch-brite belt. That takes a lot of the elbow grease out of deburring a sanded base.

I'm still not willing to say that a stonegrinder is the one and only way to go.

[col_surfer]

If you`d like some beta on what it`s really like to start up a tuning biz from square one, a friend of mine just opened one in Palmer, Alaska this winter.
He named it White Knuckle Sports, he`s Leif Peterson and is a very competent ski tech. I believe he bought a Grindrite tuning machine that does both skis and boards, and maybe financed a portion of the cost. You can call him at 907-746-7630 Tues-Sat Ak time zone if you want to ask him some questions. Tell him hello from a former Gary King`s guy who skis lots of BC.
Good luck!

[Catbert]

Ok, maybe skip the stonegrind... how about p tex repairs, edges, and wax? It seems as though there is the demand in my community. Would the cost of running it outweigh the profits if I go like 5 or ten under the local shops?

[marshalolson]

Ok, maybe skip the stonegrind... how about p tex repairs, edges, and wax? It seems as though there is the demand in my community. Would the cost of running it outweigh the profits if I go like 5 or ten under the local shops?

if you have the shit, throw it out there. post a few flyers on campus or whatever. no harm in doing it, but i'd do it for 1/2 price of retail to attract customers. don't fuck anyones skis up though, so you better know what you are doing.

[weibo]

Why would I take it to you for $5-10 less than a shop that does this everyday? If you can answer this question you maybe able to make some cash, otherwise don't even bother.

Now if you charged $20 less is it worth your time amd effort.

[Catbert]

Why would I take it to you for $5-10 less than a shop that does this everyday?

Because you can purchase 5-10 McDonalds double cheeseburgers with the savings?

But seriously, because I will get them done the night you give them to me before a big saturday w/o the hefty beer tax. And it's not like I am catering to adults who would ask these type of questions.

[yesIsaidyes]

I had a buddy who tuned at Snowshoes in SLT and I'd stop by and have him zip my boards on a sander to get the major edge gashes out. You could get that sander at a woodworkers supply. Of course, a wet one would be nice.
Start a new concept - Speedy Tune and Wax - for people who just want to get the fuck back out on the slope.

or go the tried and true method: http://www.swixschool.no/web/index2.html

that Swixschool site is wicked...and will probably cost me the rest of the afternoon of work...

[squirrelmurphy]

^^^ seconded. i know what i want for christmas... no more quick tunes at the shop baby!!

[SLCMunchie]

i had a pupil of mine that tried that. his mom worked on the ski school, and he was tuning all of their skis for 25 or 30 bucks a pop. no stone grind, just a p-tex repair, wax and edge sharpening with desired bevel. those machines just can't get a truly sharp edge bevel, you have to do them by hand anyway. i believe he bought a new pair of skis or something with the proceeds. you'd be amazed how many people are willing to throw down half the cost of a shop tune to have a buddy put forth the elbow grease when the shop dosen't always get it right....

however, those who are usually off piste on their skis most always need a good base grind to get them back to a good starting point for a tune. so, if you potential clientel is this type of skier, i wouldn't even try it.

my $.02.....