Tuning Tip #3: Finding the Right Edge Set

Did you know that you can actually set your edges so it makes it easier to ski?

If you change the bevel of your ski (the angle at which they are set to the snow), you can affect how quickly or slowly your ski will initiate and hold a turn.

What’s a Bevel?

Bevel is the inclination that one line or surface makes with another when not at right angles. 

In terms of your skis, if you are looking at the base edge, it is the amount the edge is tipped off the snow relative to the base. If you look at the picture below you see the base edge angle tipped up slightly; this is base bevel.  When your skis are set at 90, or flush with the base, it makes the ski feel ‘grippy’, but if your skis have a bevel to them, it lets the ski transition from edge to edge more easily.  This makes the ski more forgiving, especially at speed.

Side edge bevel refers to how much the edge is “pointed” and is measured relative to 90 degrees of the base.  The picture below shows you what I mean; you’ll notice that the side edges are angled slightly in.  The more side bevel that you add to the ski the more it will grip the snow.  In other words, a 3° side bevel will hold the snow better than a 1° side bevel, but the 1° side bevel is much more forgiving.

What is appropriate?

The most important factor when selecting what bevel is appropriate for you is to decide what level a skier you are and where you will be skiing.

Living here in Ontario, I set my skis with a 1° base and 3° side bevel.  I ski on a slalom ski and like the feeling of the grip on the snow with short turns, but the forgiveness in the transition when doing faster, longer turns.

If you are mainly an ‘east-coaster’ and tend to spend the majority of your time on hard-pack or ice, you’ll want to set your base bevel at 1° and your side bevel at 2°.  This will allow you to have a good grip on the snow but still allow the ski to be forgiving.

If you mainly spend your time out west, in more powder and crud, you’ll want to have a 1° base bevel and 1° side bevel, since the snow itself will be more forgiving and require less grip.

The next time you take your skis in, make sure you talk to the technician about beveling your edges, it will make your ski experience that much more enjoyable the next time.