•• Waxing Your Skis •• by Kero

How to Wax Skis
by KerokeroCola
Note: All images in this guide are the sole property of myself and www.Sythe.org

Skiing is one of my favorite pastimes. After all, I live in Alaska; I have to find something to do with all of this snow! However, people ski all over the world—and probably near your home, too. Learning to properly care for your skis is a must, whether they are alpine (downhill) skis or nordic (cross-country) skis.

Waxing your skis provides the glide that any skier desires. More glide means more speed and less effort for you. A healthy-waxed ski is also protected against rocks, ice shards, and other particles from damaging your ski as you slide over them. This guide will teach you how to apply the wax onto your own skis—saving you time and money from having to go to the local ski store and getting it done. I'll start with the materials you need and follow on with the proper waxing technique.

What You Need:

You will need the following equipment to begin waxing your skis:




1 – Ski Wax: This is to wax your skis. Ski wax comes in different hardness levels based on how cold it is outside. Colder outside means softer wax. Use the right wax for your temperature.

2 – Waxing Iron: This is to melt the wax and bond it with the plastic of your ski. Waxing irons often have an adjustment knob for temperature. Consult the manual of your iron and/or the wax container to see which temperature for use. The basic rule of thumb is the colder it is outside, the colder your iron should be.

3 – Ski Bench and Clamps: This holds your ski down; you will have to exert moderate force on your ski when you scrape it, so this keeps the ski in place and easily accessible. The set up I have here is three detachable clamps that I have set up on my work bench in my garage. You can also buy an actual ski table with clamps already on it, though these can be more expensive and take up a lot of space. Also, make sure you get a bench that fits your binding type.

4 – Ski Brush: This brushes off the wax after you are done melting it onto the ski and scraping off the bulk. Ski brushes also “polish” the ski facing, allowing optimal glide. Most people buy several grades of brush: a coarse for the first coat, a medium for a second coat, and a fine for the fine polishing.

5 – Groove Scraper: This is straightforward: it removes the wax from the groove of your ski. Some alpine skis do not have a groove; if yours do not, do not worry about getting a groove scraper.

6 – Wax Scraper: Also straightforward, this piece of plexiglass scrapes off the wax that is left after you melt the wax onto the ski.


Step 1. Setting up your wax bench:

(Remember to plug in your iron--it takes a few minutes to warm up.)

Attach your ski into the wax bench as if you were attaching a normal binding to the boot. Make sure that the side positioning clamps are almost as far apart as the length of the ski. If you are right handed, position it so that the tip of the ski is to your left and the tail is to your right. If you are a lefty, flip the directions.




Step 2. Crayon on the wax

You need to apply the wax to the ski. Take the wax and press it lightly against the surface of the hot iron for a few seconds to soften it. Then rub it vigorously against the ski as if you were drawing on it with a crayon. When it gets too cold to adhere to the ski, just warm it up and repeat. Do this until the entire ski is coated in a light layer of wax. (This method is actually called “crayoning the ski”.)




Step 3. Melt the wax onto the ski

Once the ski is fully crayoned, use the iron and lightly press against the surface of the ski. Iron from the tip to the tail, and then repeat the coat again. It's important to completely melt the wax, but avoid burning the ski. To avoid burns, make sure you are moving just slowly enough for the wax to melt, and use the appropriate iron setting for your wax.




Step 4. Scrape off the excess wax

Take the scraper and position it like in the following picture. The goal in scraping the wax is to “pull” the wax towards you, not “plow” it like a snowplow. Use moderate-to-heavy force to ensure that all of the excess wax is out of the ski. If you have any wax left over, you could experience some drag and friction when you take your skis out on the snow. Note in the following picture that I am scraping the wax from the tip to the tail:




Step 5. Scrape out the groove of the ski

The groove is used to help push show away, and it helps balance. Having wax in your groove can mess up your balance as well as contribute to friction. Use the groove scraper, similar as before in a “pulling” motion, to remove the excess wax from the groove. Note again that the direction is always from the tip of the ski to the tail.




Step 6. Brush your ski to polish it

Brushing your ski is the final step to the waxing process. Use a coarse-haired brush at first to remove any excess wax that was missed by the scraper. Then, follow it with a medium-haired brush. Use a fine-haired brush last to polish off the ski and give yourself the smoothest surface possible for gliding on the snow. Note, again, to always start from the tip and finish at the tail.




Tips & Conclusion

That's it for my guide! Although waxing your skis is pretty simple and straightforward, it's necessary in maintaining quality skis. Be careful while waxing your skis not to add any chips! This is especially important when using the plexiglass scraper, so always use it in the position I showed, work slowly!, and use both hands if you are inexperienced. Also, be sure and keep your skis in good shape. You should wax your skis at least every week if you ski daily--I usually wax mine after 3-5 uses, just to be safe.

That's all there is to it. Now go wax those skis and hit the slopes/trails!

 

Very nice, good job in using images. I'm bad about not doing that :l

 

If you look at my pure store, you'll notice I stray away from text as much as possible. I'm one of those staunch believers in keeping text at a minimum and images at a maximum.