Given the profit contribution rental makes for many areas, the capital tied up in a rental fleet, and the increasing importance of the first-time experience, maintenance plays a big role in the industry’s focus on conversion. Top rental shops aim to provide the best possible guest experience, and have developed precise routines to achieve that.

“Like many, we took a focus several years ago for the guest experience,” says Jimmy Koontz, rental operations manager at Liberty Mountain, Pa. “We have to keep our guests happy if we want them to come back. It’s no longer about what’s the cheapest thing out there. If it takes a little extra time and payroll to do that, I’m willing to do that.”

That makes tuning important. “Modern rental gear performs remarkably well, but it is more sensitive to the tune,” says Jim Deines, owner of Precision Ski, a tuning and performance rental shop in Frisco, Colo., and longtime guru of the Ski and Snowboard Mechanics Workshops. Even beginners can recognize when a ski or board glides smoothly. “We all know what slippery feels like,” he adds.

Fleet Performance
At Liberty, maintenance is a year-round job. “A lot of people don’t realize how much work goes into the gear despite our short season [90 to 100 days],” says Koontz. “It takes us the rest of the year to get ready for that short season. We run about 3,000 skis and 1,200 boards.”

Once the area shuts down, the entire inventory gets a visual inspection. The shop’s assistant manager stays on for the summer and starts the process. Skis receive a preliminary base grind with Liberty’s Montana Crystal Glide stone and tuner. The ski bindings are backed off, to preserve the springs.

“When dealing with skis, we’re looking at everything: any obvious flaws, taking tension off the bindings, doing everything to be covered for indemnification,” says Koontz. “Then we’re looking at edges, tops, bases, etc. We inspect each piece of equipment and note all possible needs. We record everything we do, so we have a track record.

“If she finds a problem, she’ll often fix it on the spot,” says Koontz. “If it will take more time, we’ll put those aside. Periodically, we’ll take a day off from tuning and work on those repairs.”

In general, Liberty’s approach is to do a preliminary base grind, then move on to base repair. The shop then does a second grind, then a third, finish grind and “then we go back through, do side edges, detune, wax, binding test, then they are ready for the season,” Koontz says. The shop has side edge, wax machines, and test machines for these steps.

Boot issues, such as toe/heel wear and buckle condition, are inventoried as well. “We look at heels and toes, also buckles or ratchets, and replace as necessary,” he notes.

Snowboards are similarly inspected for base and edge condition, and needed repairs are noted. Boards then get a pass on a Trizact diamond belt sander, and are beveled by hand. “The Trizact belt gives the base a bit of structure; it’s a step up from a sander,” Koontz says.

“We have created our own checklist for visual inspection to make sure there’s nothing wrong with boots or bindings, too,” Koontz says. “We’re looking at straps, replacing as needed. You need to check the hardware, make sure screws are tight, straps are secure.”

Sounds time-consuming, and it is. The initial grind and repair process often runs from April 1 to about mid-August. Then, a second part-time staffer comes in to help out. By October, “we’re ready for the side edging, waxing, and cranking up the bindings,” Koontz notes, and the shop brings in two more technicians. “In November we start the binding test process,” and by mid-November all but the most difficult-to-repair equipment is ready to go.

Durango Mountain Resort, Colo., follows a similar series of inspections and repair, but the work is interrupted in the summer by mountain bike operations in both the retail and rental shops. So, Durango does an initial inspection in the spring, then stores gear for the summer. That includes about 3,000 pairs of skis and boots, plus 325 snowboards and boots, and 120 demos.

“Before we close, we hand count inventory, visually inspect each ski binding, bases, flag skis if they need more attention,” says rental manager Alex Lekas. “We leave them hanging indoors. We also check out toes and heels on boots, make sure they are in the norm, flag those that need to be taken out completely, or just need toe/heel replaced.

“In October, we bring in four or five guys who have been working for us for a long time. They go through every ski, do preseason calibrating of the bindings, and put every ski through a Montana stone grinder. They fully tune and wax them all,” Lekas says. Durango also has a side edge machine, and does P-tex repair by hand.

In-Season Maintenance
Both Liberty and Durango perform daily maintenance and testing throughout the winter. “In season, we wax equipment daily. Snowboards are waxed before every use. Skis are waxed throughout the week to have the entire fleet ready for the busy weekend. Side edge and base work are done as needed, based on the condition of the equipment,” Koontz says. It’s much the same story at Durango.

And each area dedicates staff to the task. “We might have three or four long-time staff doing maintenance,” Lekas says, on even the slowest days. Liberty has one dedicated person doing maintenance, with others pitching in as needed.

“We focus a lot on staff training,” says Lekas. “We tell them not to hand out equipment if there’s a problem. We put it in a rack, with a note, and get it fixed.” The story is much the same at Liberty. Both areas send new employees to the Ski and Snowboard Mechanics Workshops (see this year’s schedule and program at www.vermontskisafety.com), and veteran staff also get involved in training.

Both areas are also rigorous about following the requirements of their binding indemnification programs. “For preseason testing, we have our own inventory management system. You have to certify that you did the testing, and it’s tied directly to a specific person. We’re very diligent about the testing part of it,” says Koontz.

Priority Steps
By prioritizing their work, high-volume shops can be efficient and provide a good experience.

“With regular maintenance, skis and boards never get far out of tune,” says Deines. “But the edges still wear down, and wax wears off.” That makes waxing the top priority, followed by keeping the edges sharp.

Can guests feel the difference between a stone-ground base and sanded finish? Perhaps less so, Deines believes. That makes the next tier of equipment a base repair gun, and a good base sander or stone grinder—with as much automation as a shop needs to handle the volume the shop sees. Robotics have vastly speeded the process.

And despite the initial expense, automated machines can be a smart investment. Modern robotics can process up to 100 pairs of skis or snowboards per hour, with just a two-man crew. That makes daily maintenance possible for even the largest rental operations.

However it’s done, maintenance is still one of those basic expenses that can pay dividends in creating new skiers and riders.