These four pros will get your gear in gear
By Susan Schnier
June 2006

Graham Lonetto
Edgewise Elite Ski Service
Stowe, Vermont • 802- 253-8883 • edgewiseskitunes.com
Lonetto opened Edgewise Elite Ski Service four years ago after spending two years traveling Europe with the U.S. Ski Team. He still does race tunes for juniors at the four nearby ski academies and for USST members, but now caters to the everyman as well. “We deal with locals, like instructors and parents, all the time,” he says. His shop specializes in vertical sidewall work called shaping that shaves off excess material to make it easier to lay a ski on edge. Tunes range from $35 to $135.

Ben Cranson
Podium Productions
Truckee, CA • 530-592-9254 • podiumproduction.net
Ever seen a 54-foot ski-tuning trailer tooling around Lake Tahoe? Chances are it was Podium Productions, a Truckee-based tuning outfit that travels to events across the country. Owners Ben Cranson and Willy Wilkes started the biz in December 2005 after Wilkes came off 23 years on the World Cup circuit. They know edges, bases and sidewalls better than any duo in the U.S.—but wax is their real forte. “Good wax lets you cut through heavy snow instead of getting bogged down, especially in Sierra Cement” explains Cranson. “A $5 belt wax is ok, but for a couple of extra dollars we can make a ski perform to its maximum potential.”

Larry Houchen
Larry’s Bootfitting
2709 Spruce St, Boulder, Colorado • 303-402-6733
With 26 years of experience and a knack for fitting hard-shell boots like they’re Air Jordans, Larry doesn’t need to advertise. His Boulder, Colorado, shop has two insole stations and one canting station, plus several couches filled with customers reading ski mags or watching old ski movies on TV as they wait. Houchen and his two employees handle all aspects of boot work from footbeds to buckle work to stretching and grinding. “We show people what their feet look like properly supported,” he says. “When we bring that support to ski boots, feet cramp less and energy is transferred more easily and in less time.” Got hotspots? Go see Larry.

Bob Remeger
Taos Boot Doctor
Taos, New Mexico • 505-776-2489 • bootdoctors.com
When Bob Remeger started his Taos, New Mexico, shop with Bob Gleason in 1986, they were cutting insoles out of big sheets of head moldable plastic; there was no pre-formed footbed blanks, cushioning or cork filling. Things have come a long way since, but several of the staff members still remain. “On our 20th anniversary, we have staff that’s been with us for up to 15 years,” he says. This synergy helps Remeger’s seven-member team tackle tough foot problems and concentrate on polishing fit and balancing stance. To achieve a balanced stance, he adjusts canting, places wedges, and grinds boot soles. “People spend thousands on ski lessons, but part of the problem may be that they’re out of alignment and always compensating,” explains Remeger. “When your standing flat on your ski and your skeleton is aligned over it, muscles move better.”