realskiers

Digging deep back into the memory bank......

My very first memory of what is now base beveling was as stated by Sidehill, and, it was shown in either ski or Skiing mag as a "racer secret" to make edge changes quicker. Put two wraps of tape around a flat file, put the tape side over one edge and the other was slightly beveled. I can't recall if this produced a 1/4" wide grind of the base.

To be clear, this was not done by a grinding machine, which only got the ski back to flat.
Today, there are dedicated tools replacing the tape, and, for sure, they do not cut back the side edge to the point where it removes the polymer base.

Edit:
I remembered an Epic post that included CAD drawings to show the amount of material removed in base beveling...find it here. Interesting for technicrats, all others, have a good cup of coffee.

http://www.epicski.com/t/49730/base-grind-needed-or-not-for-small-change