Poster: A snowHead
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Wow... just tried to get a basic service on my skis in the UK, amazed that both Ellis Brigham and Snow and Rock want 2 weeks to do this.....I appreciate that it’s a busy time of the season but isn’t it always in January?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wow, got mine done overnight in resort. Picked them up at 8:30 ready for first lift.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@pika1971, think you have answered your own comment. Yes, busy time of year.
But I am lucky. My OH did a course with Jon at the Piste Office some time ago so mine were done in the autumn.
And he does other family skis . In exchange for logs as son in law is a tree surgeon.
Hope you have got them done somewhere .
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Always get mine done overnight in resort. I CBA dragging them to a UK shop and schlepping back 2 weeks later. Spyderjon notwithstanding...def worth it if I lived closer
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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BTW I paid 25 euros for a edge and wax, and they checked to see if the edges needed it. The first time I used them they said to leave the sharpen as it wasn't necessary.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I pay €18 for an edge and wax at the place next door to my flat. €25 if needs filling
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My skis stay in resort and are serviced at one of two excellent shops there. Before I did that, I serviced them myself with kit bought from the Piste Offce. Before that they were serviced at the Piste Office - and I can't imagine anywhere better than there in the U.K. - but handing in my skis (or booking a slot for them being serviced whilst we chatted / drank coffee / ate biccies) well in advance was advisable.
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Snow and Rock quoted me three weeks. That was two weeks ago. My reaction was one of surprise as I’d always just turned up and had them serviced whilst I waited. They reduced it to two weeks and I’m due to collect them tomorrow. The skis were bought new last season so have only been used for a week and they recommended a full service at £40. In hindsight I wish I’d decided to just get them serviced in resort.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I normally get them done in resort after the last day of skiing and ask them to put on storage wax or not to scrape off much. Then have nice dry serviced skis to put into the ski bag the day we leave and don't need to get them done in the mad rush before going on next trip.
Didn’t manage it this trip not wanting to pay Swiss resort prices. Now looking around now for a service in the UK and everyone is quoting about 2 weeks as they're all busy but at least I’m in no rush.
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dredgey wrote: |
Snow and Rock quoted me three weeks. That was two weeks ago. My reaction was one of surprise as I’d always just turned up and had them serviced whilst I waited. They reduced it to two weeks and I’m due to collect them tomorrow. The skis were bought new last season so have only been used for a week and they recommended a full service at £40. In hindsight I wish I’d decided to just get them serviced in resort. |
By 'full service' they'll mean including a base grind which a one week old ski does not need!
Many of the chain stores no longer offer in-house servicing so the skis get sent off to a central workshop location which is going to add to the lead time. Add in a large amount of store closures over the last few years and the difficulty finding decent staff that can only be employed for a few months then it's no wonder that lead times have moved out. I did just over 900 services last year which is my absolute capacity and my turnaround is a week but it's now rare that I can offer a while-u-wait service any more during the season.
The situation would however be helped if folks got their kit serviced after their last trip of the season or during the off-season as opposed to waiting to the week before their holiday even though said hloiday was booked months ago
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@spyderjon, my first thought. I get mine serviced 'at some point' during the week if I think they need it or at the end of the week ready for next time. Never had a base grind.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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spyderjon wrote: |
dredgey wrote: |
Snow and Rock quoted me three weeks. That was two weeks ago. My reaction was one of surprise as I’d always just turned up and had them serviced whilst I waited. They reduced it to two weeks and I’m due to collect them tomorrow. The skis were bought new last season so have only been used for a week and they recommended a full service at £40. In hindsight I wish I’d decided to just get them serviced in resort. |
By 'full service' they'll mean including a base grind which a one week old ski does not need!
Many of the chain stores no longer offer in-house servicing so the skis get sent off to a central workshop location which is going to add to the lead time. Add in a large amount of store closures over the last few years and the difficulty finding decent staff that can only be employed for a few months then it's no wonder that lead times have moved out. I did just over 900 services last year which is my absolute capacity and my turnaround is a week but it's now rare that I can offer a while-u-wait service any more during the season.
The situation would however be helped if folks got their kit serviced after their last trip of the season or during the off-season as opposed to waiting to the week before their holiday even though said hloiday was booked months ago |
I have to say I doubt I’ll be going back to Snow and Rock, the overall experience wasn’t great. They couldn't give me a ticket when I dropped my skis off as they’d ran out, then when collecting today it was a bit disorganised. At first I was presented with another persons skis and then after a while they came back with the right ones.
Admittedly the edges were a bit rusty from driving home last year, could this be why they insisted on a full service/base grind?
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I don’t understand why folk are so flabbergasted when they’re told it’ll take two weeks to get a service done in the UK for a holiday that was booked a fair while ago 99% of the time.
If you’d worked in a chain ski shop at this time of year, you’d begin to understand how mind-numbingly boring it is trying to explain to fussy (and often ignorant) customers why things take as long as they do, why there is a surcharge for while you wait stuff or why their salt-watered rusty planks are in no fit state for just a wax. Honestly, people are so thick. It must be the shop’s fault, though. Always is.
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You know it makes sense.
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dredgey wrote: |
......Admittedly the edges were a bit rusty from driving home last year, could this be why they insisted on a full service/base grind? |
Possibly, especially if on the base edge angle. Reurning from the Alps with unprotected skis on the roof is a no-no. If your happy with having with the loss of edge material to remove the rust that's fine but it's the grime/salt getting in to the bindings that's the problem. I've seem a number that have been badly corroded internally to the extend that their function was impeded. Many bindings have captive parts that can't be removed for cleaning/lubrication etc. If you're going to travel home with skis open on the roof then at least buy a roll of clingfilm to protect the bindings.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Managed to get my skis done at https://www.horacebarton.co.uk/ in Cheltenham in just a few days, nice people have been going in there for over 40 years just hadn’t been in in a while... they did a great job.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Check your binding settings after a service. Mine had been reset far too low and I didn't think to look at them. I had a nasty pre-release at speed on first day.
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