Workshop

SLR has a world class, modern and well appointed workshop which keeps all our equipment in top shape to maximise your pleasure on the slopes.

All rental equipment is tuned/waxed after every hire!

Our workshop equipment, from industry leaders Montana of Switzerland, includes the following tuning machines; P-Tex Master, Wax Master, 3D edge machine, LC snowboard grinder, and a Robotic wide stone grinder with Vario structures to give you World Cup base finishes (the only machine in the North Island off mountain, that is capable of doing so). We have a Montana ‘Wax Future’ which is a state of the art hot waxer, and is the only one in the country! And new for 2010 was a high tech Robotic edger, offering radial tuning. This $100,000+ machine is the only one in the Southern Hemisphere.

All this to give you the best rentals in the country. Of course if you have your own equipment, our state of the art machines and highly trained techs will bring your skis and boards back to life, and at a price that won’t KILL your wallet!!!

Also just as exciting, SLR is proud to anounce the arrival of the North Island’s only ski binding calibration machine. This machine, a Montana Jet Bond, checks your bindings to makes sure they are safe, and working as they should. The Montana Jet Bond will also be used to calibrate our entire rental fleet, making SLR’s skis the safest available.

Come in and check us out. We will look at your board or skis and advise if anything needs work/repair. Please feel free to come in and check out our high tech machines, we are only to happy to show you them; hey, they are all on display behind glass windows in our new shop. Why spend $450,000+ only the most advanced machines around and not let them be seen!

Your skis and boards are modern, high tech pieces of equipment, and they deserve to be tuned by modern machines designed to tune modern high tech skis/boards. The only people that knock our machines are the ones that can’t afford them!

Please note some nights during season, due to a very high demand, we may be unable to accept all work on an overnight service.
 

WORKSHOP TUNING SERVICES

SLR offers ski and board tuning services at prices that wont break your bank, by technicians with the skill and training to tune your equipment to make the most of your time on the slopes.

PRICES (all rates are for an overnight service):

  • Machine wax: $5.00
  • Hot wax: $10.00
  • Edge and machine wax: $10.00
  • Edge and hot wax: $15.00
    Edge work includes base bevel, side edge, debur and detune
    (    on tips and tails if and when required)
  • P-tex, base repair price on application: normally around $5.00 - $10.00
  • SLR Full tune (most common request)
    Includes stone and/or belt grind (for boards), edge and wax: $30.00
  • Vario ‘race’ structures (on top of $30 full tune: $10.00)
  • Binding calibration: $10.00
    with full tune: $5.00

Your skis and boards can be dropped off at either of our two shops and will be serviced at our centralised workshop (now located at our new shop – SLR @ Vertigo Climbing). Your skis or board will be ready for pick up the next morning at the same shop you dropped them off at. While you are partying, relaxing, or sleeping after a hard day on the slopes, our technicians will be working into the wee small hours to bring your equipment back to life!

TUNING MYTHS
Do robotic stone grinders dramatically reduce the life of your equipment? FALSE.

 

This statement is generally used by shops that don’t have these expensive high tech machines. These machines start at about $150K and rise in price to over $500K.

These robotic machines use the same principles as a manual workshop, but instead of a staff member feeding the ski or board through the machine by hand (what some shops call hand tuning), a robotic machine picks up the ski/board and takes it across the stone, first in one direction, then back again. A manual machine has only two contact points on the ski in which to apply downward pressure, while a robotic machine has five and with the computer controlled vacuum pressure system, the ski/board is divided in 10 pressure curve areas, which gives unlimited opportunity to vary which area of the ski or board is ground harder, or less as the case may be.

A manual machine cannot vary this. A robotic machine grinds two skis at once, whilst a manual machine grinds only one at a time. Each time a ski passes, the stone wears down a fraction, meaning the tune on each ski is not identical.

Grinding skis or boards is a slow repetitive (boring) job so staff can choose to quicken up the process by increasing the stone speed and the downwards feed pressure. This means a quick job, but a poor one as the p-tex can be burnt, resulting in a poor finish. A robotic machine is never in a hurry to get to the pub or bed, or up the hill, so every grind is done the same - or as programed to do. In our rental fleet, some skis have had over 50 grinds and are still going strong.
 


 

WAX FUTURE - High end hot waxing machine for Top Quality Service and Racing
The latest race proven waxing technology with the highest requirements for far better gliding and protection properties. Any wax on the market can be applied to the bases by hand or with a wax machine such as MONTANA FLUID WAXER or WAXMASTER. Without any direct ski contact or temperature shock the WAX FUTURE glides at variable speed over the base and allows the wax to penetrate deep into the polyethylene base. The application is independent of the outside temperature (no condensation as normal when using the iron). Wax saving compared with conventional wax methods is up to 90%. Based on an optimized wax application you will get a higher wax penetration and absorption which results in long lasting gliding capacity of the ski and snowboard bases especially with hard waxes. The even distribution of the temperature over the whole ski leads to a homogeneous wax penetration.


 


Our CRYSTAL EDGE - offers Radial Tuning
Utilizing the gradually changing geometry of an ellipse, Radial Tuning bevels skis and snowboards more in the wider shovel and tail areas and less in the narrow waist area underfoot. The effect is easier turn initiation and completion as well as solid secure edging throughout the entire turn, regardless of speed and snow conditions. Also thanks to Radial Tuning the danger of falling is reduced because the skier can abruptly interrupt a full speed turn anytime without risking a dangerous fall because the edges are still gripping on the snow.