Ski service costs | Is it worth doing it yourself?
The ski vacation is approaching and the skis and snowboards of the whole family should be prepared for the slopes. Those who do not own their own equipment for ski service at home must either go to the nearest sports store or bring their equipment to the ski workshop during vacation. For a family of four, this often means digging deeper into the wallet. But what exactly is done during ski service, what does a ski service actually cost, and isn't it worth doing it yourself in the long run?
We asked ourselves these questions and conducted comprehensive research in which we compared prices from over 50 ski service shops in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We have compiled the following results for you.
Types of ski service
Minor ski service
- Grinding ski edges or snowboard edges – without desired angle, standard, base structure grinding and waxing.
Major ski service
- Grinding ski edges or snowboard edges – without desired angle, standard base structure grinding, minor base repairs, waxing.
Some workshops still offer a special professional or racing service. This service can include, among other things, grinding special race structures into the bases or sharper edge angles (86°-88°).
(Of course, deviations from this distribution can occur in individual ski service shops, but this is the standard in the majority of the researched shops.)
Ski service prices
Prices for ski service in Germany and Austria average €30-35 for the small ski service and €40-50 for the large ski service. For larger damages to the base, an additional charge is generally applied for repairs. For the mentioned professional service, a price starting at at least €50 can be expected.
Ski service is most expensive in Switzerland. With 50 SFR for the small ski service, you already have to pay significantly more here, and the large ski service costs on average about 60 SFR, which is much more than the ski service in Germany and Austria.
The snowboarders among you have to invest significantly more for a board service in the shop. While in Germany the small service costs about €40 - 45, in Austria it is about €5 cheaper. The large service costs about €50 - 60 in Germany, in Austria it is about €45 - 50. If you have your board serviced in Switzerland, the small service averages 50 - 60 SFR, and for the large board service you pay about 60 - 70 SFR.
Depending on the location of the sports store or ski workshop, prices vary slightly between countries. While prices are often lower in larger sports stores within cities, ski workshops directly in ski resorts are usually more expensive.
Ski service costs
Assuming a family of four, where the parents and one child ski and the second child snowboards, this results in about €145 for a small service performed in Germany. If a large service is performed, the costs are around €210. Due to these high costs, many winter sports enthusiasts tend to have their equipment serviced only once per season. Why this is especially a safety issue with edge sharpening can be read in our blog post Edge Sharpening – How Often?. But even simply re-sharpening the edges costs money and involves effort. Even when it has to be done especially quickly due to urgency, it is common for an additional fee to be charged for an overnight or express service.
For those who want a custom angle ground on their edges, there is often an additional fee, as adjusting the large machines means extra effort for the service technicians. If it is very busy, it can even happen that the request for a specific angle is denied. Which angle is best suited for which type of skier can be read in our blog post Ski Edge Grinding – Which Angle?.
Comparison of ski service costs
Below are basic tools with which you can generally perform a minor service independently. With the electric edge grinder, the edges can be quickly and individually ground on both skis and snowboards. Thanks to the grinding belts, no additional tools are needed to prepare or finish the edges.
Tools for the minor service
| Application area | Tools | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Grinding | ES 2000PLUS | 398 € |
| Waxing | Wax set | 78 € |
| Total | 476 € |
Our assembled wax set includes a waxing iron, a scraper blade, and a universal wax with which you are well equipped for different conditions.
Assuming the family wants to have their equipment serviced once before and once during a ski vacation, the costs at the service provider amount to approx. €290 - 310. The acquisition costs of the ski tuning tools we have listed total €476. If the family goes on ski vacation more than once per season, or skis more sportily so that the material wears out faster and should be serviced more often, the purchase of the ski service tools pays off after at most 1-2 seasons. (Depending on needs and skiing style, grinding belts still need to be purchased, but here you can get 10 pieces from €25!)
Tip: If you do not yet have bindings for skis and boards, we recommend the ES 2000 PLUS professional set, which in addition to the edge grinder also includes a ski tensioner.
Tools for the major ski service
To repair small damages on the bases, you need base repair material as well as a base scraper. These additional acquisition costs, to be able to perform a major ski service, amount to €30 more than for the minor service.
| Application area | Tools | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Grinding | ES 2000PLUS | 398 € |
| Waxing | Wax set | 78 € |
| Repair | Base repair material | 5 € |
| base scraper | 25 € | |
| Total | 506 € |
In comparison, the family of four pays about €50 more for just one large service at the service provider.
If you have one large and one small service done per season, this adds up to about €370. After 2 seasons, the purchase costs have also paid off here.
Wear from ski service
Another point to compare is the wear of the base and edge material. On large service machines, the removal of ski and snowboard edges is about 0.2-0.3 mm. The thickness of an industrially manufactured side edge is 1.6 – 1.8 mm, with at least 0.5 mm needed for safe riding. Assuming the thickest side edge and the minimal removal, a machine ski service on a large machine is possible about 6 times before the edges become too thin and the skis or boards are no longer rideable.
Since the removal with the ES 2000 is in the hundredth of a millimeter range, the edges can be ground at least 100 times before they become too thin. This allows you to often refresh your edges even during vacation without worrying about wear.
The same problem occurs with the base, which is usually ground down during ski service, although this is not necessary every time. This means that the base material is worn down after several services to the point where the ski loses its stability and tension. Safety and driving pleasure are also lost as a result. When performing ski service yourself, the base is only lightly brushed, causing hardly any base material to be removed.
Conclusion
Especially for families, groups of friends & holiday groups, purchasing ski tuning tools often pays off purely for cost reasons after just one to two seasons. But even for individuals, the purchase is worthwhile if you consider the longer service life of the equipment.
Individual processing, especially in the edge area, is another advantage for many. Only a few ski service shops really pay attention to ensuring that customers get the angle that suits them. In the worst case, a beginner is given a racing angle on the edges, making the skis unusable for them.
So if you compare the ski service costs plus the resulting depreciation of skis and boards with the purchase costs of the tuning tools, doing it yourself (depending on the number of skis and boards prepared) pays off after 2-3 seasons at the latest.