How to Buy Ski Repair Equipment

With the right materials and a little elbow grease, you can repair your skis. Make a list and check it twice before you head to store to pick up all the equipment you will need to do some basic ski repair.

Things You'll Need

• Repair iron
• String
• Copolymer
• Ptex (extruded, candle and repair)

Instructions

Buy the Right Materials to Repair Your Skis

1. Learn a little about how your skis are made. The majority of ski bases are made of either sintered or extruded Ptex, a polyethylene base material. Skis made with a base of sintered Ptex are generally more resistant to abrasion and impact.

2. Use extruded Ptex to repair gouges in your ski base. Even though sintered Ptex is the more durable and protective of the two forms of this substance, it is not possible to heat sintered Ptex to a point where it may be extruded without changing its molecule structure.

3. Buy a repair material that is similar to the hardness of the base of your skis. Softer materials may be easier to apply but their effect will not be as long lasting, particularly when used on deeper gouges.

4. Use a copolymer to repair a gouge along a steel edge of your ski. You need to use this type of material because it is the only ski repair material that can bond with steel.

5. Purchase a repair iron to melt repair materials to fix shallow to medium gouges in your skis.

6. Buy a more portable repair material like a Ptex candle for on-the-spot repairs on the slope. Ultimately, this material will show more wear than the surrounding area of your ski but this handy piece of equipment can fix shallow scratches.

7. Add a Ptex repair or string to your equipment list to fix deeper scratches in your skis. Do not be discouraged by the appearance of the repair as this material does not smoothly fill gouges like a drip candle but the repaired area will ear more evenly with the rest of your ski.

Tips & Warnings

• It's always a good idea to get the advice of an expert. Your local ski shop should be able to give you a few pointers for fixing more tricky ski damages.

• Do not attempt to repair your ski bindings yourself. This can be a delicate procedure and the security of your boot and ski connection relies upon proper installation of your bindings.

• Use care when working with hot wax and repair wax heating elements. Seek medical assistance if you suffer a severe burn while using these materials.