Omar – Joe’s Sporting Goods
How long have you been working on skis?
Been working on skis for 48 years and I have been at Joe’s for 18 years.
What is the highest end athlete equipment you have worked on?
It was actually a snowboarder – Mike Schultz (USA Paralympic team). I have worked for countless USSA and High School athletes as well.
When a Ski Challenge racer brings in their skis, what is typically the biggest issue you see with their equipment?
Not enough handwork done (sidewalls not pulled back, edges not sharpened). Another issue is over grinding. Many skis I see have been ground too much and it makes proper tuning and grinding very difficult.
How often should a Ski Challenge Racer get their skis tuned/ground?
Factory tunes are getting better and better every day so it’s possible you don’t need a tune when you first get them. Feel the ski out and see how it performs.
When the ski quits responding the way you expect it to. Sometimes through excessive scraping and waxing the base becomes concave (low in the middle) or Convex (High in the middle). Another time to get a grind is when you have excessive base burn (white near the edges of a ski). Wax doesn’t like going into base burn and it’s very difficult to get out without grinding.
How often should a Ski Challenge racer wax their skis?
Everyday! Every time you use your ski! Snow is extremely abrasive and wax is your friend against abrasion.
What are three pieces of advice you would give any racer who waxes/tunes their skis?
Don’t scrape dark! When you scrape the wax off of the skis, in most cases when you see black mixed in with the wax: you are scraping your structure and base away!
Be consistent in your process. Find out what works for you and stick with it.
Make sure you have the right tool for the job! No Multi-Tools or Files are needed!
What are three tools that every racer/parent should have in their bag?
A decent iron, a handful of good brushes for the different stages of waxing/tuning, and
a decent side edge tool and stone.
What are two things a racer should NEVER do to their skis?
1. Do not change/mess with BASE BEVEL! No files or stones when the base is showing!
2. Don’t use PTEX candles on the base for base repair. Bring it in and have the repair done correctly!
IN YOUR OPINION: What is THE ONE THING that a Ski Challenge racer could do with their skis to help lower their HCP/times?
Maintain your edges. GS is an ‘Edge Sport’ (Spend more time on edge than not) and having properly prepared edges is critical for best performance.
Final Question: How many skis do you work on a season?
Wow, that’s a good question. I would have to estimate about 1,000 pairs a season come through the shop.
Joe’s Sporting Goods
33 East County Rd B – St. Paul, MN 55117
Store: 651-209-7800