I have been skiing for 30 years and dabbled in snowboarding for a little while as well. I started tuning my own gear in the 90s and have refined my methods since then. I worked in the snowboard industry for 7+ years, including two seasons tuning snowboards and skis in the service dept of a local snowboard shop.
ABOUT VST
VST was started after I set up a ski servicing station in my garage in 2013. Friends started asking me to wax and tune their skis and snowboards and I was happy to help them have more fun on the slopes. Eventually there were too many friends and friends of friends and I decided there was an opportunity here to pay for lift tickets.
VST TUNING PROCESS
Before waxing I use a citrus base cleaner formulated for ski/snowboard bases to remove all the old wax and dirt that builds up on your base over time, slowing you down.
When it comes to wax, I use only high-quality, locally made Beaver Wax on your gear. I have Cold, Warm, and All-Temperature wax, but typically recommend All-temp due to the ever-changing conditions on the coast.
Wax is applied with a ski tuning iron that provides an even heat that won't burn your bases or the wax like your old clothes iron. Hot iron waxes heat the base material as wax is applied, getting the wax deeper into the base than a machine wax that many tuning shops use.
The final touch is a nylon brush to add texture to the wax and create vertical microchannels along the entire length of the base, which allows the water created by the friction between your base and the snow to smoothly run down the ski as you glide over it.