For Nordic skiers, the performance of your skis can make or break your experience on the trails. Whether you’re competing at the highest levels or simply enjoying the beauty of the backcountry, maintaining your skis is key to ensuring peak performance. One of the most important aspects of ski maintenance is ski grinding—a process that restores your ski bases to their optimal condition. And when it comes to Nordic ski grinding, Winthrop Mountain Sports is the ultimate destination for quality, speed, and personalization.

In this blog, we’ll explore why ski grinding is essential for Nordic skiers, the benefits of choosing Winthrop Mountain Sports, and how our cutting-edge equipment, expert knowledge, and customer-first approach make us the best choice for your ski grinding needs. Whether you're located in Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, or anywhere else in the world, we’ve got you covered.

Why is Nordic Ski Grinding So Important?

When it comes to Nordic skiing, having properly maintained skis is critical for a number of reasons. Ski grinding is the process of restoring or refining the base of your skis, improving their glide, control, and overall performance. Over time, the bases of your skis can lose their structure due to wear and tear, dirt, or damage from snow and ice. Proper grinding ensures that your skis perform at their best, whether you’re racing, training, or enjoying a leisurely tour through the snow.

Here’s why ski grinding is especially important for Nordic skiers:

Optimized Glide: Ski bases can lose their glide as they wear down. Grinding smooths out the surface, reducing friction and improving the ski’s ability to glide over the snow. A smooth, properly structured base is essential for achieving maximum speed with minimal effort.

Restoring Ski Structure: Nordic skis have a specific base structure designed to improve their interaction with the snow. This structure allows for better grip, glide, and overall performance. As the skis age, the base can become smooth and lose its optimal structure. Grinding restores this structure, ensuring you get the best performance possible.

Snow Condition Adaptation: Different snow conditions demand different ski structures. Nordic skiers may face everything from soft, wet snow to icy or crusty conditions. Ski grinding allows for tailoring the base structure to match these varied conditions, ensuring that your skis perform optimally in any environment.

Why Choose Winthrop Mountain Sports for Your Nordic Ski Grinding?

At Winthrop Mountain Sports, we’re committed to providing the highest quality Nordic ski grinding services available. We know that every skier has unique needs, which is why we offer personalized service and expert attention to detail. Here’s why Nordic skiers from across the country choose us for their ski grinding:

1. World-Class Equipment: The Tazzari RP23 Grinder

In March 2024,Mark from Nordic Ultratune retired, which marked a significant turning point for us. We took a huge step in the development of our ski grinding services by purchasing the Tazzari RP23, a grinder that’s trusted by World Cup teams and professional athletes worldwide. This state-of-the-art machine is renowned for its precision and quality, particularly for Nordic ski grinding. Here’s why we chose the Tazzari RP23 for our grinding services:

Nordic-Specific Design: The Tazzari RP23 is designed specifically for Nordic skis, ensuring a grind that is perfectly tailored to the unique demands of cross-country skiing. This specialized focus means your skis receive the highest quality grind possible for Nordic disciplines. The RP23 was developed by Lars Svendsen, a renowned expert who has grinded skis for over 100 World Cup winners throughout his career. Erik Bjornsen, who raced on many of Svendsen's grinds, considers them some of his favorites. This personal experience with Lars' work played a significant role in Erik's decision to choose the Tazzari RP23 over other machines.

World Cup Proven: The RP23 is one of the most trusted grinders on the World Cup circuit, used by elite athletes and technicians at the highest levels of competition. This provides us with the confidence that we are offering a grind that meets the most rigorous standards. We are in regular contact with many current wax technicians from the World Cup, and the RP23 consistently wins a high number of their testing sessions. This ongoing feedback ensures that the grind remains at the cutting edge of performance, trusted by professionals in the sport.

Precision and Consistency: The Tazzari RP23 delivers highly precise and consistent results, ensuring that every pair of skis we grind is treated with the utmost care. The ability to replicate World Cup-level grinds means that even recreational skiers can experience the performance benefits of top-tier equipment.

2. Expert Training from Industry Leaders

To ensure we’re maximizing the potential of the Tazzari RP23, Erik from Winthrop Mountain Sports underwent comprehensive training with Lars Svensen, a legendary figure in the world of ski grinding. Lars’ expertise is unparalleled in the industry. His guidance has been instrumental in refining our grind methods.

Erik has spent countless hours working under Lars Svendsen's tutelage to perfect his skills and understanding of Nordic ski grinding. This summer, Lars came to Winthrop for 10 days to personally train Erik in the art of grinding and the operation of his stone grinding machine. Our goal was clear: to achieve World Cup-level grinds within the first year. Erik trained intensively, benefiting from Lars’s vast experience and expertise. Despite Erik’s already extensive background in testing various grinds during his career, he learned a tremendous amount during this time. By the time Lars left, Erik had already ground over 100 pairs of skis, instilling deep confidence in the quality of the grinds he was producing. With this hands-on training and a focus on Nordic-specific needs, we are confident in our ability to produce World Cup-level grinds for every skier who comes through our doors.

3. Tailored Grinds for Different Snow Conditions

Every skier has different needs, and snow conditions can vary dramatically from one region to another. At Winthrop Mountain Sports, we take the time to understand the snow conditions you typically ski in, and we customize your grind to match. This is particularly important for Nordic skiers who often find themselves navigating a wide variety of snow conditions—from dry, fine snow to wet, sticky snow or icy trails.

By testing our grinds in the specific snow conditions of the Pacific Northwest (PNW), we’ve gained valuable insight into how different grinds perform. This experience allows us to refine our grinds and offer you the best possible performance in your local conditions. Whether you're skiing in the wet snow of the West Coast or the cold, dry conditions of the Rockies, we’ve got the right grind for you.

4. Fast and Affordable Service with Convenient Shipping

At Winthrop Mountain Sports, we know that getting your skis back in top shape quickly is important. That’s why we offer fast turnaround times—typically just 2-3 days after receiving your skis. This is faster than many other ski grinding services, which only process skis twice a week. With three batches per week, we’re able to provide more consistent and rapid service, ensuring that you can get back on the snow without unnecessary delays.

We also make shipping affordable and convenient. You only pay around $30-40 to send your skis to us—a far more cost-effective option compared to sending skis to facilities in distant locations, where shipping can cost over $100. Once your skis are ready, we return them to you for just $29, ensuring that your entire experience is both efficient and affordable.

In addition to our precision grinding services, we offer extra treatments like hot box, base hardening, and more to ensure your skis are ready to perform right out of the box. These treatments also guarantee that your skis receive a deep wax that not only enhances their performance but also improves the durability of the base, helping to build up the wax layer for optimal glide and protection. This means your skis will be in top condition and ready for action, with long-lasting benefits from the very first run.

5. Personalized Service from a Small Business

At Winthrop Mountain Sports, we are proud to be a small, family-run business. Unlike large, corporate-run operations, we offer personalized service and take the time to call each customer when they send in their skis. We’re not just processing skis—we’re working with you to understand your specific needs, snow conditions, and performance goals.

What sets us apart even further is that Erik Bjornsen personally grinds 100% of the skis. It’s a one-man show, ensuring that every pair receives the highest quality attention and craftsmanship. This hands-on approach guarantees that your skis are finely tuned to meet the most demanding standards, with Erik’s expertise and experience guiding every grind. When you choose Winthrop Mountain Sports, you can trust that your skis are in the best hands possible.

We also believe in transparency. As part of our commitment to providing the best possible service, we regularly publish the results of our grind tests. This allows you to see how your grind compares to industry standards, and it helps us refine our processes as we continue to grow and improve.

6. Testing and Innovation for Better Performance

One of the reasons Winthrop Mountain Sports stands out is our dedication to innovation. We not only grind your skis, but we also test the results of those grinds in real-world snow conditions. This helps us fine-tune our techniques and ensure that your skis perform optimally, no matter where you’re skiing.

We regularly test grinds from well-known brands like Salomon and Fischer, comparing their grinds to our own to see how they perform in the PNW snow. By doing this, we can continuously improve our grinding processes and ensure that every ski we grind is tested against the highest standards.

Serving Nordic Skiers Across the U.S.

No matter where you're located—Oregon, California, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana , and Colorado —Winthrop Mountain Sports is ready to help. With affordable shipping, fast turnaround times, and personalized service, we make it easy for Nordic skiers from across the country to get the highest quality grinding without the hassle of sending skis to distant locations.

Conclusion

Ski grinding is an essential part of maintaining the performance of your Nordic skis, and at Winthrop Mountain Sports, we’re dedicated to providing the best grinding service available. With our world-class equipment, expert training, and commitment to customer satisfaction, we ensure that every pair of skis we grind is treated with the utmost care and precision.

Visit our website at Winthrop Mountain Sports to learn more about our Nordic ski grinding services or to send us your skis today. Let us help you get the most out of your Nordic skiing experience with a perfect grind tailored to your needs!