Mansfield Nordic Club

The fall is right around the corner, and no matter what the race season will look like, it’s time to start thinking about getting our skis in tip-top shape!

MNC delivers skis to Caldwell Sport in Putney for stonegrinding.

What is stonegrinding? Put simply, stonegrinding removes an incredibly thin top layer of your ski base while also applying a new pattern. This is all done with an incredibly-expensive, finely-tuned machine using special stones, depths, speeds, and pressures. If it sounds complicated, that’s because it is! But you only need to know the outcome, which is that a freshly stoneground ski will:

-Be much much easier to wax because the base will be flat and even. This means it will be faster

-Hold wax better due to this even distribution of material and opened “pores” that were previously damaged by heat from irons or corks

-Repel moisture better with a new pattern and structure

Most skiers only assume that stonegrinding “gets the scratches out” and while this is true for very minor dings and blemishes, stonegrinding won’t necessarily make a base look perfectly new. And more often than not, it isn’t the scratches that are slowing your ski down: it’s all those passes with an iron, all that dirt that you can’t see in the base, and all the uneven rises and falls at a minuscule level from repeated use and abuse.

With the transition to non-fluoro racing, flat bases and fast bases have never been more critical. That’s why our club is transitioning back to Caldwell Sport after a bit of an absence. Although these grinds are slightly more expensive, one stonegrind costs less than a block of pure fluorocarbon wax and will make MUCH more of a difference.

Last year our Junior team alone was the largest it has ever been, and our wax team was also larger than ever. There were many different hands and eyes “on the bench” and one thing was clear: a lot of us need some fresh grinds on those bases! Here is a simple rule:

If your skis have not been stoneground and you have raced on them for two years in a row, they need to get ground before this season. Even if they do not have scratches, they are most likely not flat and are difficult to work with. This is ESPECIALLY true for race skis, which have likely seen a lot of action from hot irons and roto-implements used in racing. 

Our coaches have some detailed knowledge of Junior skis from the past race season, so if you are a Junior and are interested to know if you’d benefit from some stonegrinding please reach out. Masters, don’t hesitate to reach out either!

So, how does this all work?

1) Fill out the form below to indicate # of pairs, grind options, and personal info by SEPTEMBER 30th

2) Deliver skis to Adam sometime before SEPTEMBER 30th

3) Adam will drive skis down to Caldwell Sport, and they will be completed in time for Thanksgiving on-snow training or earlier. 

4) Individuals will be billed by the club and can submit payment via all our usual means (online form, or check made out to MNC)

5) Stonegrind cost includes rate for grinding, plus transport of skis to/from Putney. Expect around $70-80 per pair. Skis will be returned to owners upon receiving payment

Need some suggestions for grinds? Zach helped lay out his best options for various numbers of skis and I have utilized that info on the form. If you only have one skate or classic pair, for example, chose the “Universal” option. Most of us, if we have a 2nd pair of either skate or classic, are utilizing a specific “warm” pair which is also an option to select.

Stonegrind Form 2023

Looking for used skis, or looking to part with skis or gear? Mark your calendars for the MNC Ski and Gear Swap. The 2nd annual swap takes place on the weekend of October 28/29!

MNC’s 2022 batch…can we beat these numbers this year?