A few ski companies (Rossignol and Dynastar currently, and their Junior skis in particular) are finishing their skis using a process that creates EXTREMELY hard ski edges.  This might be a good thing- if you could use the skis "straight out of the box," but these skis also come quite concave, and with minimal side edge bevel. In other words, they NEED work in order to ski properly.

These hard edges will destroy even the best, hardest, and most expensive files- in just a few minutes- and the edges will still need work. So what can you do? Well,  you can (of course) hand the skis off to a shop and let them do the dirty work. But, if you need to (or prefer to) do the work yourself?

The trick here is cheap and simple, but time consuming and potentially hazardous to your fingers: Use strips of sandpaper to condition (soften) the edges BEFORE using stones or files.Cut 150-220 grit paper into 1/4 inch strips and sand the edges until the surface  is ready. I will add pictures to show you what it should look like. Be sure to wear cut-resistant gloves since you will be pushing against the edge with your fingers and thumb.

More to follow...