Snow

Titanal is a high-strength aluminium alloy that’s used in the construction of some skis and snowboards. A lot of skis that have a titanal in them have the letter ‘Ti’ in their name, which leads some people to think that it...

A core shot happens when a ski or snowboard runs over something hard and sharp, usually a rock, which takes out a chunk of the base material and exposes the inner core of the ski or board underneath. Depending on the ski’s or board’s construction it will reveal a layer of wood, fibreglass, or metal. If the inner core isn't exposed then all you have a is a scratch, which you might still want to repair (see P-Tex below).

Please excuse the irresistible pun, but Outside Sports is genuinely at the cutting edge of ski and snowboard edge tuning. Outside Sports’ snow workshop at Queenstown is now running the latest TrimJet...

Sharpening your own edges at home is one of the most useful ski maintenance skills you can develop. It saves money, extends the time between workshop visits, and means you...

If you've ever booked a service and been asked whether you want a hand tune or a machine tune, you might have picked one without really knowing the difference. It's...

If you've ever taken your gear into a workshop and been told it needs a base grind, you might have nodded along without being entirely sure what that means or...

There are few things more frustrating on the mountain than feeling slow when everyone around you seems to be gliding effortlessly. The good news is that poor glide almost always...

The last day of the season is easy to romanticise, but what happens after you get home matters more than most people realise. NZ summers are long, and gear that...

Whether you're a local pulling gear out of storage or a visitor flying in for a week on the slopes, showing up prepared makes a real difference. The Southern Lakes...

Most people wait until something feels obviously wrong before getting their gear serviced. The problem is that by the time it feels bad, the damage is often already done. Dull...

New Zealand snow conditions are genuinely tough on gear year-round. Early and late season, thin coverage means edges regularly make contact with rocks and hard ground. Mid-season, the South Island's...

Snow isn’t just snow. It has all sorts of different attributes that depend on many different variables, including the depth of the snowpack, prior snowfalls, altitude, wind, sun, air temperature, humidity, time of day, and time of year. As skiers and snowboarders it’s good to know what characterises the different types so we can speak...