heavily rusted edges

Hello,
 I'm a long time lurker and looking for some advice.  I just dug a ski out of the snow that has been there since January.  Needless to say it has some gnarly rust on it.  I started tuning the edges but it isn't really doing the trick.  How have those of you who have lost skis dealt with this heavy rust?  Are they just going to need  to see a machine?
Thanks

One ski
This calls for a photo...

Last August, I found a fairly new Salomon ski at Crystal, about a 140 cm kids ski. It really wasn't in very bad shape. It also had a ski boot attached without the liner. Hmmm.... Anyway, I just left it at the office door at the lodge.

Sounds like your ski has been out there for years. If you are desperate, I have a pair of 180cm Winter Magic Kazama's from about 1978, Saloman 747 bindings, that you can have for free! ...real nice edges too.

Wow! How did you ever remember the spot? I would keep the spots of rust as a momento of its determination to reunite with its rightfull soulmate

i think i should clarify. it is my ski that i lost in january and i shouldn't have said i "dug" it up cuz i didn't literally have to dig for it (except for the6 hours i spent that perfect blower day in january!). i have been hiking up periodically waiting for it to resurface and it finally did. now i'm trying to whip it back into shape but it has some stubborn rust on it.

Try filing it with a flat file, tip to tail, holding the file with two hands. It should clean up. Detune tip and tail a few inches or so if your ski feels a bit hooky (depends on you ski style and preference).

Ski techs have plastic devices on a flat file to give the one degree bevel. One can flex the file with both hands to get some bevel (old technique).

Bottom line is, if it is sharp enough to peel your fingernail, good to go. Even if pitted, no big deal. A trick for better hold on icy snow is to file tail to tip to get some small roughness forward; extrapolating from this, perhaps a slightly pitted but sharpened edge would do well.

If you feel uncomfortable starting out with a file, then start with a small whetstone with some light oil.and carefully, lightly work the edges, not to shape but to smooth and feel for any pushed up metal bumps.  Any nicks with pushed up metal can be smoothed down with the whetstone.  Don't worry about making the edge perfect or trying to get rid of all rust spotting.

I use a tuner tool with an adjustable plastic guide.  I use a sharpie to color the edge metal.  Then I start with a wide angle setting, make a few runs, and lower the angle until the coloring starts to get removed by the file in an even manner. 

I go for adequate edges. Edges don't need to be super sharp unless you are racing on ice.