Business Spotlight: Podium Ski Service

Posted by Christine Grenney on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 3:39 PM By Christine Grenney / September 27, 2017 Comment

When snow makes an appearance in the forecast, it’s a little friendly reminder that I need to get my quiver of skis tuned for the upcoming season. Nothing like a fresh wax to lay down some laps on opening day. Want to look like a hero on the hill?

Try my go-to place for a professional tune, Podium Ski Service. “At Podium Ski Service, we know the details can make the difference,” owner Jeff Butz explains. “Our knowledgeable staff can help you whether you are looking for hundredths of a second out on the race course or picking out the perfect ski for your vacation.”

We chatted with Jeff to learn more about Podium’s history, gear maintenance tips, and his plans for Winter 2017-2018.

How long have you lived in Park City? What drew you here and what do you love about the town?

I have lived in Park City over 20 years. I moved here for the active outdoor lifestyle, skiing, and biking. I love that Park City has grown into much more than just a ski town.

How and when did you first start your business?

I started Podium in 2005 with the goal of providing high level ski service to local racers. Initially, I worked out of my garage. Today, our professional staff helps skier and racers from all over at our state-of-the-art tuning shop.

What’s your favorite aspect about your job?

While it is always rewarding to work with athletes heading to World Cup or Olympic events, helping a young racer or recreational skier have a breakthrough by setting up their equipment properly is my favorite part of the job.

Do you have any tips on gear maintenance as we head into the season?

Get your gear out early and beat the rush. Opening weekend and the holidays have most tune shops swamped. You will get better work at any shop if you plan ahead.
Even if your skis look okay, consider getting your skis reground and edges properly beveled. Skis can loose their flatness and edge geometry without being visibly damaged. A well-maintained ski requires less effort, is more predictable, safer, and more fun.
Have your bindings tested and calibrated. This not only sets them for your height and weight, but makes sure the bindings are releasing within proper tolerances. All binding manufacturers recommend this at least once a season.
If you have a garage full of skis for the family, think about setting up a waxing bench. Waxing is easy to learn and really makes a difference. You can generally go longer between shop tune-ups with a little at-home maintenance.

Which skis are you using this winter? Got any exciting ski trips planned?

I get to choose from a lot of great skis from Dynastar and Fischer in our high performance rental fleet. On groomers, I like the Dynastar Speed Zone 14 or a Fischer Curv GT. For all mountain and powder, Dynastar Legends or Fischer Rangers are amazing.

No major trips planned, just a lot of “product testing” and skiing with my kids and going to their ski races. On a good snow year, I keep skiing into May at Snowbird. One of these years, I’d like to get to Chile for a summer ski vacation.

If you subscribe to my newsletter, then you can take advantage of the free binding test (with the purchase of a performance tune) that I partnered with Podium to offer through the end of November. Not a subscriber? Contact me and I’ll be happy to send you the promo code.