Published in Fall-Line Skiing magazine:                                  
"...We can't even begin to hit the depth of info gleaned from our morning with Jon.......What makes this so enlightening is that Jon will happily coach anyone through the tuning process...
...As a half-day which goes a long way to making anyone feel like a proper skier, this is up there with on-hill coaching..."

 

Graham Nayler
"Thanks very much for the bits & the service!. Seems to work pretty damn well - way better than my previous (more expensive!) stuff."

 

Ski Club of Great Britain member's forum: 
Ben Howe
"Have just done Jon Costers Ski tuning course at his workshop in Nottingham, I can thoroughly recommend it."

 

Email testimonials:
Steve Gwilliam
"I never dropped you an e-mail to thank you for the excellent tuning session you did for me back in January. It has absolutely saved me a fortune over the past 3 holidays alone and given me the skills to keep the skis on tune during the week with minimal effort."

 

George Buchanan
"Thank you very much for yesterday, thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon, my head is still buzzing from everything that you passed on to me. Having done the course I know realise how much information is on your site. Your patience and skill in passing on your knowledge were superb.....Thank you very much."

 

Tim Oates
"Jon – thanks very much indeed for all the advice and guidance – incredibly helpful to get such sound support and to be taken through things so clearly and with great patience on your part – excellent tuition. I’ve got about eight pairs to sort when we get out there on Wednesday so I will get straight to it. And thanks for all the tools – it’s clear that you put great care into making sure that the kit is just the job. Once again, many thanks."

 

GK
"Just a quick note to say thanks. The kit arrived very quickly, was easy to use and the results were noticeable; sharp edges, faster glide and theraputic work to achieve it. Impressed."

 

Mellissa Corley, Colorado, USA
"I received my skis yesterday! They are wonderful, I am taking them today to get my bindings mounted on them so I can go skiing with them this weekend. I just wanted to say thank you for all the effort you put into this; there are few people these days that would go above and beyond like you have done for me! THANK YOU!"

 

Horst Schmidt, Ohio, USA
"Your tuning guide is the best and most sensible I have read."

 

Richard Shorter
"Many thanks for a most demystifying morning.  Aside from showing us how to maintain the skis, it gave us both much more confidence in our kit."

 

Mike Boyle
"Great website full of useful information".

 

Paul Parrish
".......thanks for the quick delivery & info. Already used the Moonstones fixing the day's damage & they really are way superior to the DMT stones."

 

From the snowHeads forum were Jon's username is Spyderjon:    

"Jon – thanks very much indeed for all the advice and guidance – incredibly helpful to get such sound support and to be taken through things so clearly and with great patience on your part – excellent tuition. And thanks for all the tools – it’s clear that you put great care into making sure that the kit is just the job. Once again, many thanks."

 

Madmole
Now back from Alpe d'Huez and first go on my Metrons which you shpowed me how to tune and Campbell balanced for me nearly a couple of months back. Well, I've skiied on these for the past 4 years (about 8 weeks worth) and thought I knew them pretty well. But what can I say. The ski's were transformed!, it was like I had bought a new pair. They cornered MUCH better, were more stable at speed, initiated turns better, didnt skid the tails as much and amazingly gripped on ice (well as well as you could hope for). Unbelievable and so much better. I can't say thanks enough.

 

Turns'n'turns
After Jon had showed me how, I did for the first time tune my skis. In resort. Without any tuning bench to be found. It worked!! Do a tuning lesson with Jon if you can. Your skis will thank you.

 

Mad Mole
"Just got home from a very interesting and educational afternoon spent with Spyderjon at Jons Ski Tuning

I had my binding Tensions checked (all perfect) and was Campbell balanced (I was too far back). Jon then proceded to show me how to edge tune (including sidewall stripping) and wax my old Atomic Metron X's. Basically demonstrating each action to me and then letting me do it to the 3 other edges. All the while explaining and correcting my bad habits

 

Now I've been attempting to tune these myself for the last 4 years and I was amazed at how much more there was to learn and how much more confidence I will now have doing it, and how much cleaner, smoother and sharper my edges now are. I also had my sidewalls stripped, a most disturbing proceedure that I would never have had the confidence to do without seeing it done first (very agressive scrapping noises!!!)

 

All I can say is if you are interested in tuning your own ski's and can get to Nottingham then definately get yourself on one of these classes. They are amazing value for money and even included a cup of tea. Even chatting with Jon is a learning experience, and I now know a lot more than I did on a huge vareity of ski topics

 

As you can tell I was impressed and can't recomend this enough."

 

Mark Handford
Got up this morning at 05.30, toast-coffee-drive 3hrs, stop have panini and coffee for breakfast then end up at Jons place to learn how to look after my edges properly on his ski tuning course.

 

We started off with edge angles, the whys and what nots etc before getting started with the sidewall remover!!!! Then it was on to getting those edges perfect. I was surprised that the factory finish edges on my new Salomon scrambler customs (skied for about 10 days) were in need of a good filing! not because I had damaged them, just that there were some flaws in the factory finish, then we looked at petex repairs and also a 'metal grip' repair on my girls skis. After a coffee it was on to hot waxing, waxing and brushing. Plus the chance to buy a small 'field tuning kit'

 

Cheers Jon it was a great day of hands on learning, I still have one pair of skis here that need tuning so I will be putting it all into practice. I will also be spreading the word around about your courses.

 

I thoroughly recommend spending some time at Jons if you want to get to know how to keep your skis/board in top condition.

 

madmac1
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Jon for his ski maintenance lesson yesterday. We cut my sidewalls, changed the edge angles, cleaned & waxed and carried out repairs on both my skis and a practice pair. My skis now look better then they were when new not to mention the performance improvment that is eagerly anticipated on my next trip. I can't reccomend the lesson highly enough. Thanks again for all your time & patience. I look forward to trying out my newly learnd techniques!

geepee
Thanks again for a very interesting and informative afternoon on Saturday. Your instruction was excellent and even though there was a lot to take in, your approach has made all the steps easy to follow.

 

sproggski
This is an unabashed rave post to congratulate spyderjon on an excellent and informative session yesterday. Having bought my first pair of skis last season, I was against the idea of letting a shop butcher them in the grinding machines and I was also interested in "how it all works".

 

The lesson (three hours!) started with the basics and improving the edges from the factory defaults. We then moved onto waxing and base repairs, Jon demonstrating everything on one ski and me then repeating on the other.

 

I had been really nervous about filing edges and burning the base but a little confidence and the correct tools made a huge difference, even with me having ten thumbs as far as most manual work is concerned. I think I'd have been all over the place trying to follow a written guide, especialy when cutting back the sidewalls.

 

So I now have perfectly hand tuned skis for next month (well, one of them at least!) , the peace of mind that a shop hasn't ground off half of the bases and enough knowledge to keep them in good nick before and during a week away.

 

I can heartily recommend Jon to any of you - you'll also find his goods for sale are better priced than most (no, I'm not on commission, just a very happy customer).

 

Paul Clark
I've always been a bit suspicious of people who get excited about dripping hot wax all over the place, but after spending Saturday afternoon with 'Spyderjon' Coster, I think I'm developing a serious wax fetish!

 

Honestly, is there anything that man doesn't know about tuning skis?

 

My edges are now gleaming, and my inner geek is nourished. Better yet, I have new geeky toys to play with! Only thing is to make sure my wife doesn't catch me with the wax iron out, in case she has the idea this could be a transferable skill!

Seriously, having taken the plunge to buy some skis, it is great to feel I now know how to look after them, and won't have to resort to taking them to the local ski shop for butchering when they need a service. Perhaps I could have figured out some of the right steps from books and articles, but there's nothing to beat learning hands-on from a pro.

 

Thanks Jon, for a really valuable and enjoyable day.

 

Lower
"Had a visit to Spyderjon this weekend with a friend for Jon to fit bindings to both our skis. What a fantastic service and Jon is a total enthusiast. Four perfectly mounted bindings sets and i've learnt huge amounts about the construction of skis. Thanks again to Jon. We shall be visiting him again for some tuning tuition once the skis have seen some use! "

 

Frosty The Snowman
"Spyderjon, I could not find my razor this morning so shaved with the Fischers you serviced recently instead. Awesome job."

 

jmdohanlon
"I spent a very enjoyable morning with Jon a couple of weeks back. I learnt loads about the 'how to' side of things, nicely supplemented by tea and biccies (the carrot cookies were very nice!). All done in a light and humerous way." When friends took a look at my skis after this they were impressed with how much smoother the bases were and the edges noticably sharper than after a shop tune. I now have orders to tune their skis too, so will be able to recoup some of the investment I made in edge guides etc."

BGA
"Just a quick post to tell those snowHeads who haven't partaken of the Spyderjon ski tuning experience that they should definitely give it a go. Very informative and enjoyable morning, skis looking better than ever and looking forward to playing about with them next season now that I have a clear idea of what I'm doing. And a fine bacon sandwich to boot! "

 

Achilles
"spyderjon is the best ski technician I have ever come across. Real anorak (in the nicest way) when it comes to the care of skis - and meticulous in what he does. Problem is that you feel guilty if you haven't looked after your skis as advised whilst they have been in your care. Seriously, he's highly recommended."

 

veeeight
"spyderjon, Nice terminolgy section!"

 

Fenland Skier                                                                                       
"Absolutely, a day well spent indeed. Before I went I was expecting ski maintainence to be a black art and not something I'd trust myself to do but after having Spyderjon spend so much time showing us how to do it not only have I changed my mind but I've also bought some kit to let me do it myself. Big thanks to Jon for showing us the ropes and to Debs for the refreshments and Skye for the warm welcome."                                                

Charlatanefc                                                                                                
"Went round to Spyderjon's today with NickC and Fenland Skier, for what I thought was gonna be a thorough service on my skis. Not only were my ski's expertly serviced by hand, we had a lesson on how to do it for ourselves, making it easy even for an empty-head like me! Ended up buying a few bits and pieces, to do my own edges etc... while I'm away. So........ thanks to Jon for the excellent service and advice, and to his better half for looking after us with cups of tea and bacon butties! Highly recommended, thanks Jon!"

"Didn't want to start an unnecessary new thread but wanted to make a quick post recommending Spyderjon for ski servicing and tools. Jon supplied me with a wax iron/wax/brushes about a month ago and yesterday I visited him to get a 2degree side angle setup on 2 pairs of skis. Yesterday I also picked up the tools to maintain a good edge myself now Jon's set them up correctly. Jon's willingness to give advice/help and his enthusiasm are unbeatable and I'd recommend anyone considering waxing/tuning their own skis to get in touch with him. Thanks again for your time yesterday Spyderjon and please thank Debs for the coffee and cake."

Kramer                                                                                                          
"Big thanks to Spyderjon for doing an excellent job of sorting out my missions after I'd done a good job of breaking them in in Whistler. Once again a huge recommendation."

uktrialmonster                                                                                      
"Another big thanks to Spyderjon for helping me start out on home tuning. I had a very interesting, educational and, most importantly, a fun morning of tuition and came away with all the kit and basic knowledge required to look after my new skis. Highly recommended for anyone looking to service their own skis. Seeing it all done first hand makes a huge difference to reading and even watching videos."

"Ah, now I can speak with true knowledge having just spent a morning with Spyderjon, who is a man who knows his shizzle. Totally enjoyable, absorbing and astonishingly fast when Jon is doing it. And that's despite putting in about six more stages than any other ski tech I've watched. It's one of the most satisfying things I've done in skiing for a while and will make the season go on all the way through the summer. And that's just filling the holes in my touring rig.......A hand tune is a thing of wonder for sure and the finish was immaculate."

rob@rar>;                                                                                                         
"For anyone who uses a diamond stone to keep their edges in good shape I can recommend Jon's cutting fluid (Easicut) for lubricating your stone. I thought it was much better than water as it allows the stone to glide freely over the edge of the ski."

PaulS                                                                                                    
"Spyderjon, thanks for the DVD, it was an excellent reminder."

NickC                                                                                                                
"I had a tuning lesson today with Spyderjon, and brought some kit. I can also recommend the time and effort as Jon gives very clear instructions and tells you what kit you need. He does not try and sell any of it, He lets you decide how much to spend and gives good tips on how to save money. I now have the dilemma that I got some new toys to play with but cannot try them on my expertly edged and waxed skis as I don't want to screw them up. I will just have to wait until Jan........Thanks a lot to Jon & Debs for an interesting morning plus the coffee and bacon bap."

Flying Mushroom                                                                                
"Spyderjon, Thanks for a great day at your tuning bench yesterday Jon!
I'd like to echo all that AxsMan has said above - you really cant better learning from someone directly and I now feel confident that, with a little practice on an old (and now defunct) pair of ski's, I'll soon be competent at hand tuning and finishing my own skis. I didn't think it would be so enjoyable and therapeutic too! For anyone considering a trip to Nottingham to visit Jon, can I say 'Go for It!' ... What a great guy and I learnt so much! Please thank Deb for all the coffees (and the Bacon Buttie at lunchtime) and I hope to catch up soon (with a further order of goodies for my new tuning kitbox)."

AxsMan                                                                                                        
"Just got back from a morning spent with Spyderjon, learning how to edge and wax my skis. Now there are four pairs plus two snowboards in the family I thought it was time to invest in the kit and save hassle and cost of taking them into a shop. Jon is not just a professional, he's an enthusiast and talking to him has made me wish I'd got into DIY tuning years ago. His video is very useful as is his how-to guide, but you can't beat learning from the horses mouth (so to speak). We had a great morning, and I now feel confidently able to tune my edges (and base if necessary), do a hot wax scrape and apply wax as required. We worked on my Rossi B2's so I got a 'free' tune out the deal as well as the instruction. Thanks Jon, for your generosity both with your time and the coffee and bikkies! And thanks too to Deb for supplying the latter. Hope Sky (the young Rottweiler) calms down soon for your kitchen's sake (Actually she was a big slobbery love puppy, and gorgeous with it!). If anyone is even considering doing their own tuning speak to Jon and learn the right way from scratch. If you don't want to do it yourself then don't trust your prize possessions to the machines, get them to Jon for a hand crafted finish, You'll be glad you did."

Hairy Boy                                                                                                 
"New to diy waxing, speak to Spyderon. I did and he sorted me out with some great gear (no hard sell) and lots of free advice. Just done my 1st wax on my new ski's and because of the advice I'd had it was a doddle. 3 hot scrapes then a 4th which I left to cool before scraping - done with SKS hot scrape wax. Brass brushed between applications. Final wax with Polar X wax - scraped off before it cooled too hard (goes rock hard when cold). Good brass brushing from tip to tail. Finished off with a clean paint brush. A job well done. The DVD and Jon's tuning guide used together make the process virtually idiot proof and I've got a real sense of satisfaction from doing it myself."

Philip Stanton                                                                                               
"Jon gave me an excellent lesson and it's well worth the trip and time if anyone is thinking of doing their own maintenance."

Kramer                                                                                                       
"I have to say it was a pleasure to sit with Jon jabbering on about skiing whilst getting to watch a craftsman at work. The amount of care and attention that Jon puts into tuning make him cheap at twice the price if you ask me. Plus you get tea and biscuits as well! Overall, a huge recommendation for The Piste Office."