In ski country, we all need a good tech once in a while. We also need quality ski and snowboard shops with a knowledgeable staff. Tahoe Dave’s has the North Shore covered. Located right in the heart of Tahoe City I went and checked in with Tahoe Dave’s recently as I was about to leave town for a big trip and needed some serious work done.

We all know what kind of season it’s been in Tahoe. Still, I’ve been doing my best to continue seeking the most fun I can have in the California backcountry. Truth be told I’ve found some worthy skiing in these truly low tide conditions, but it’s led the bases of my skis to be about as hammered as they’ve ever been. These shots are almost embarrassing. Here’s the bases of my primary backcountry setup,

and my powderboards before handing them over to Tahoe Dave’s. 

During the main part of the ski season I usually maintain upkeep on my equipment, but with this years thin cover the hits have just kept coming, and the beatings on my skis were a bit beyond what I can reasonably fix myself. Enter Tahoe Dave’s repair shop a voilà! When I picked up my skis I hardly recognized them. They literally looked brand new!

Backcountry sticks-

Powderboards-

What’s even better is clicking into my newly dialed rides they skied as if they were brand spanking new!

Tahoe Dave’s has been taking care of locals and visitors alike for years now. While they do act and offer the services of a normal ski shop, and are even offering stellar deals this season like selling demos earlier than usual, some without any use at 500-600 bucks w/binders, really what helps the shop stand alone is their repair center.

They have some of the best techs in all of Tahoe. Their combined experience is tough to beat with some techs having been at it since the 80’s, some with as much as 25-30 yrs of experience. Brian Nakagawa may as well be crowned as a full-on tech guru at this point. He can literally take a pair of skis on their last legs and if there’s any chance at bringing them back, he’ll do it. He’s not alone working alongside a crew of five others, all of whom will provide you with with every conceivable service a high quality shop can provide. Their progressed equipment makes all the difference. Basically what they have now can get your skis in better shape than what world cup skiers had available to them 10 years ago.

According to Brian the shop has seen lots of edge compression this year, which usually ends the life of a lot of skis. The thing is Tahoe Dave’s can get on sidewall repairs, edge replacements, and just about anything else because they have some of the best repair equipment currently available to ski shops. Their edge machine is the ultimate. It sharpens your ski tip to tail, takes off less material than is possible when doing the same job by belt or by hand, and gets the burs out.

Waxing and p-tex jobs are still done by hand,

and they have a solid belt for grind jobs to put the proper pattern on your bases.

The release function testing machine insures your bindings are working properly.

Overall Tahoe Dave’s is a local shop in the Tahoe community that’s clearly a cornerstone business. As a shop they don’t want competition- they want to be complimentary, which is essential for viability in a small ski town like Tahoe City. They’ve found their niche as one of the best shops around with the highest quality repair service available. While the rest of this week may be busy with ski week madness, make sure if you need any repair work you give the crew at Tahoe Dave’s the opportunity to get your gear dialed. Chances are you’ll turn into a returning customer for many years on down the road.

 

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