Before edges can be filed, you'll want to remove burrs using a stone or de-burring tool. Simply rub the stone up and down the edges on areas with burrs or where edges have been damaged.

Flat file the bases using a 10-12 inch mill bastard file. Holding the file at a 45 degree angle, use smooth and even pressured strokes from tip to tail. Make sure not to apply so much pressure as to bend the file.

Side file the edges by putting the skis in a vice, keeping the file at a 90 degree angle from the base.

Most skiers like a 1 degree bevel in their edges. This can be achieved by wrapping electrical or duct tape around the center of the file (two wraps should do it) and repeating the base filing technique. A much easier and more accurate way to bevel your edges is to use an edge tool.. Set the tool at 0 degreed to sharpen the edges, and then at 1 degree to bevel them. You'll still want to make sure you de-burr the edges before using the edge tool.

Clean your bases and gouges thoroughly using base cleaner or citrus solvent and allow them to dry.

Light a stick of P-tex, trying your best to keep it burning clean. There are many tricks to keep carbon from forming on the burning end of a P-tex stick, but the easiest is to keep the lit stick close to either the ski base or a metal scraper. Rotate the stick often, and try to keep the flame small and blue. A big, red, smokey flame will produce a lot of carbon.

Drip the P-tex into the dings on your base, making sure that holes get completely filled and the repair material is higher than the base. Allow the skis to cool for about half an hour, and then scrape off the excess P-tex. The easiest way to do this is with a sharp metal scraper. Scrape carefully, a little at a time, making sure not to rip the repair out of the ski.

A core shot (hole all the way through your base) is best repaired at your local shop with a base weld. If you've got no other option, here is a trick that works well. Clean the hole thoroughly and use a razor blade to get rid of rough edges/extra base material. Fill the hole about halfway up with epoxy. Before the epoxy has dried completely, rough it up with some sandpaper or a razor blade. After the epoxy has dried completely, drip P-tex into the remaining hole. It may help to apply pressure to the repair immediately after using a metal scraper, covered on top with a rag to protect your hands. Scrape after 30 minutes.

Clean the bases of your skis using base cleaner or citrus solvent and allow them to dry. This removes old wax and dirt from your bases and gives you a clean surface to start with. You can skip this step and just give them a good scrape and wipe if you want to leave your old wax in the ski as a base.

Choose an appropriate wax for the snow temperatures you expect. Unless you are racing, a universal warm or universal cold should work just fine. Use an iron set on medium heat to drip wax onto the ski base. Next, slowly work the wax into the base using the iron. Spend a few minutes getting the wax into the pores of the ski, but keep the iron moving and don't leave it in one spot for too long.

After about 20 minutes ,scrape the wax completely off the base and edges using a sharp plastic scraper. Once you've got most of the wax off, you can use a cork to push the excess into the base and polish the surface.

New skis have sharp edges all the way to the tips and tails. Usually, you'll need to "de-tune" the tip and tail edges to keep them from grabbing the snow. This is not always necessary on new, super-sidecut skis, but is still standard practice on most skis. Use a de-burring stone or a file to gently round the edges about 4 inches from the tip or the ski, and about two inches from the tail.

Also, new skis often don't come out of the factory perfectly flat. Determine if your bases are either edge or base high by running a true bar down the length of the ski. If you don't have one of these, a flat metal scraper should work too. Look for light coming through the bar in the middle (edge high) or on the edges (base high). It's really best to take your skis to a shop and get them stone ground in this situation, but you can do it yourself if you prefer. For edge high skis, use a large file (same technique as flat-filing edges) to take them down. Check your progress with a true bar and don't take off any more than you need to. You can use sandpaper wrapped on a block if your skis are base high - just make sure that the block is wider than your ski! Use strong and even strokes to flatten the base, remembering to check your progress with a true bar.

Once your skis are flat and de-tuned, wax 'em up and you're ready to go!