Cross Country Ski
Waxing 101 (Steve Thatcher 11/24/01) Updated 11/18/06 in
blue
Ride and Glide Bike and
Ski Club
These instructions are for people looking for a simple approach
to ski waxing. Experienced waxers can take this for what
its worth. It s meant to give beginners answers and
specific instructions, not just generalizations. Once beginners
get more experience they can modify these approaches and upgrade
to optional tools and techniques as they see fit. If you have any
comments on what you see here or notice any inaccuracies or have
any major disagreements let me know. All comments accepted in the
spirit in which they are given.
1) Recommended tools
Thick plastic scraper : Pick up several of these
and keep them sharp using a file. Buy one at each shop or ski
area you visit and you have a good supply and reminder of your
travels. They get covered with wax and dull so have a spare.
File for sharpening scrapers : Use for
sharpening above scrapers. Lay the file on a flat surface and rub
the edge back and forth on the file. Try to keep it vertical
Nylon (white) brush : Stiff bristle brush for
general removal of waxes. Cost about $10-15 at a shop. A
vegetable brush works quite well. I used one for several years. I
still use it for brushing off loose wax particles and general
cleanup.
Horsehair brush : No cheap alternative. Same
cost as above. Used for final removal of wax from structure.
Especially on harder waxes. An indispensable brush. Wish I
hadnt waited so long to buy one.
You need an extra one if you are going
to apply pure fluoro waxes. You want to dedicate one for this purpose only
Brass brush : Used to open up the base pores and
for cleaning. A pot scrubbing brush from the hardware store
works. Again I used one for several years. Useful for removing
last bits of very hard waxes. A combo brush of mixed brass and
nylon is a good compromise.
Scotch brite (blue) : Used for polishing and
removing last bits of wax from ski. Dont buy green,
its too abrasive. Blue is available at hardware store.
White is very soft and used for final polishing. Its hard
to find outside a ski shop.
Foam cork : The above brushes are for glide wax.
A foam cork is used for spreading out kick wax on classic skis.
They cost about $4-5 but theres no substitute
Iron : If you dont want to shell out $75
or more for a wax iron you can use a clothes iron. Small travel
irons work good because they dont have steam holes. But you
have to be careful with them because of poor temperature control.
If you always keep the iron moving and use a thermomelt stick
(see next) you can wax just fine. A lot of people use old irons
found at garage sales. Splurge and get a good iron. It's safer.
Another alternative is to forego
hotwaxing and use pastewaxes. See below.
Thermomelt stick : An insurance policy when
using cheap irons to wax skis. Get one that melts at 200F so
you're well under the temperature that can damage skis.. Use it
to set you iron temperature. Cost about $10.
Ice scraper : Used to remove kick wax from kick
zone of classic skis. The angled edge works better for removing
old dirty built up kick wax than the straight edge of the plastic
scrapers. Plus you wont get kick wax all over your glide
wax scrapers and theyre cheap.
Mineral spirits : Used to remove last bits of
kick wax on classic skis. When you want to clean all the way down
to the base and start over this works fine. Commercial wax
removers were mineral spirits for years. Now they have citrus
based stuff that works good but is pricey. Dont use on
glide portions. Only on kick zone. This also works good for
cleaning scrapers, irons, and the tops and sides of skis.
Ski binders : Straps to hold skis together while
keeping bases from touching. Very handy way to control skis while
transporting and keeps bases from rubbing against each other.
Masking tape : Use to mask off kick zone on
classic skis when glide waxing tips and tails.
150 Grit sandpaper : Use to rough up kick zone
on classic skis before waxing. Also use to smooth out dinged
edges
General comments on tools: If you have big hands
buy the big brushes. Small hands but the small ones. Theyre
easier to control. In a pinch scotchbrite works for final removal
of wax if you dont have a horsehair brush. If you apply the
high tech fluoro waxes you may want to get two sets of brushes
and label one for fluoro only and keep it in a plastic bag. It
doesnt do much good to be brushing out your expensive
fluoro wax with a brush impregnated with hydrocarbon wax. Get a
cheap plastic tool box or tackle box to keep your tools and wax
in. Youll accumulate a big collection over the years so
dont go too small. Cover it with decals and youll
look like a pro!
The above tools are almost a necessity. I view it to be the
minimum required to get by. After you waxed a few skis you may
want to consider upgrading to the tools listed below.
2) Optional or upgrade tools
Wax iron : When I bought my first real wax iron it was amazing
how much easier waxing was. It did cost $80 but it almost seemed
worth it. They hold heat better and the bottoms are very flat so
they evenly heat the ski better than a clothes iron
Commercial wax remover : Toko makes a citrus gel
that works like magic to remove old kick wax and it smells a lot
better than mineral spirits. $12 for about 5 ozs however
but it goes along way.
Riling tool : A tool that puts linear grooves in
the bottom of your skis. These grooves break up suction when
skiing on warm wet snow. In these conditions structure does more
for ski speed than wax does. If you have a pattern stoneground in
your skis you can get by without this tool. Its expensive
$40-80. But when its really wet it allows you to add more
structure to what you already have. An advanced tool.
Groove tool : When you scrape glide wax off the
ski you need to remove it from the grove as well. You can do this
with the edge of most plastic scrapers. But Toko designed this
plastic shaped pencil that does the groove and edges very well.
Cant see how they can charge $6 for a pencil shaped piece
of plastic but they do. Makes a great stocking stuffer. I.E.
something you wouldnt buy yourself but if someone gives you
one youd be happy.
Thermo Pad:
A felt-like pad used for generating heat when applying pure fluoro waxes.
Also used for applying paste waxes. A real cork cork works well too.
Dedicate these for this purpose. DOn;y use them for regular wax.
Wax bench : You can wax your skis by suspending
then between two chairs. Then you hold the ski steady with one
hand and work with the other hand or get a friend to hold the ski
while you work with two hands. I did this for a year or so and
then made a form bench by tracing my ski on the side of a 2x6 and
cutting it out. It worked fine. The goal is to immobilize the ski
and support it so you can work on it with both hands and not have
it moving all over the place. The form benches are big and clunky
but they work great. Swix makes a 3 piece vise set that works
great too. Its small and portable and clamps to any table.
Its called the Cap Lock and sells for about $80.
Ski bag : Ski bags work great for storage and
transport. It keeps skis clean and you can put your poles in
there too and it is an ABSOLUTE must if you use a ski rack to
transport skis. DO NOT carry skis on top of your car unless they
are in a bag. Think about the salt spray and dirt that is flying
around out there when you drive. Put them inside if you
dont have a bag.
Dust mask : When you scrape the cold hard waxes
you create a lot of dust. If you dont want to breath in wax
particles use a mask. Also avoid breathing in wax vapors if you
mistakenly get the iron too hot and the wax smokes. I dont
think breathing in wax fumes is very good for your lungs. If you
use a lot of high fluoro waxes you may want to consider a
respirator mask. It has been proven that prolonged exposure to
fluorine fumes is very dangerous to your health. At least be sure
you have good ventilation.
.
3) Recommended waxes
There are lots of good waxes out there. This is a list of waxes
that you cant go wrong with. Some of them are universally
accepted as the standard.
Fastwax purple (base prep) : Used for prepping
new skis and newly stoneground skis. This stuff is supposed to
have smaller molecules so it get absorbed better. At least that
is what the manufacturer says.. See Swix yellow.
Medium - Rex Blue or Fastwax Blue (glide) : Rex
blue is one of those universal standards. Just about every skier
has a cake of this stuff. Its famous for it wide
temperature range. I train on this stuff quite a bit. When in
doubt put on Rex blue and go ski. This is a medium temperature
wax (14F - 30F) The Fastwax blue is good reviews, is inexpensive and it's a
local company.
Cold - Start Green or Fastwax White (glide) :
Start green is another one of those standard waxes. Universally
accepted as the best wax to use for cold conditions and cold
fresh snow (15F and below) Fastwax white is reported to be as
good or better and is easier to apply because its not so
hard. Start green is very hard and difficult to scrape off.
Warm - Swix yellow (glide) : Not much works when
it gets warm. This stuff is very soft and can be used as a base
prep wax as well. When its warm you need structure at a
minimum and for better glide you need to go to the fluoro stuff
in the next section or just be satisfied with slower skis. The
fluoro stuff is expensive.
Rex Orange Base binder (kick) : Put this stuff
on your kick zone first and your kick wax will stick better and
last longer
Swix Extra Blue (kick) : Heres another one
of those standard waxes. Sometimes called the Midwest universal
kick wax. Use a little when its cold, put it on thicker as
it warms up
Swix Extra Red (kick) : Use this when it get
warm or the track get glazed. If this doesnt work its
time to go to klister or waxless skis
4) Optional waxes
Think about these waxes for special conditions and racing or when
you want to get more serious about your waxing.
Paste wax
(glide) : If you don’t want to take the
time to hot wax your skis and the conditions are average then rub on or paste
waxes are supposed to work. They don’t last as long however. Fastwax
has just come out with their SlickPro line of pastewaxes. They appear to
be a good compromise for people who are casual skiers and want to save the cost
of an iron, a bench, and all the brushes ($100+)
Fastwax Tan (glide) : This is a high fluoro wax
used when its warm and/or humid. High fluoros are a waste
of money when it below 25F unless it very humid. The Fastwax line
is a lot cheaper than Swix or Toko. Tan is good up to 27F.
Another thing about fluoros is they last longer than
hydrocarbons. So I use them for races and important training days
or road trips where I want good skis. If it gets warmer there is
salmon and bronze. High fluoro waxes are usually applied over a
layer of conventional (hydrocarbon) wax. About $25-30 for 80 gms
(thats enough for 8-10 pairs of skis)
Pure fluoro : This stuff
can be expensive. Some brands run about $100 for 30 gms (about 4 pairs of skis) Its
used when it warm and sloppy and humid. The solid forms tend to be a little less
expensive and still work pretty good. The Birke calls for this stuff a lot
these day with the advent of global warming. It’s the only thing that works
under wet conditions. I have some. I use it for races, when appropriate
and for important workouts when needed. You have to learn how to apply it.
Applied wrong it can be slower than regular wax. See section below
under Glide Waxing for how to apply solid flourors.
Buy more colors of kick wax : If you want to
fine tune your kick waxing there are more colors to choose from.
Each color has a specific temperature range. There are also more
exotic (more expensive) kick waxes that are easier to spread out
and last longer. See next item
High tech kick waxes : Swix makes it VR Krystal
line (new) and Toko has its Carbon line. They are supposed
to last longer, repel dirt, and have less drag. One thing
Im sure of is that they have a smoother consistency which
make them easier to spread on the ski in a nice smooth layer.
Rex Power grip (kick) : This is a new approach
to kick wax. It claims to have extremely wide temperature ranges.
They only have 3 colors and the stuff seems to last for ever.
Its an elastomer. You put this stuff on your ski. The snow
bites into the wax. It deforms to give you grip and then it
returns to its original shape. Pretty neat stuff. A lot of
club members have tried it and they are getting good results.
Klister (kick) : This stuff is basically glue
(see wax theory below). If you have to race when its icy
its the only wax that works. It also works when its
well above freezing. If youre racing in these conditions
its the only way to go. Pick a brand and use it. . If
youre just out for a workout use waxless skis.
5) A little waxing theory
Dont worry this wont be too technical. Though the
glide wax section is a bit deep. Just a little conceptual
information so you understand what youre trying to
accomplish when you apply wax.
Kick : In kick waxing you are trying to develop
traction so you can push off the snow to propel yourself down the
track. You can get traction in two ways. One is to have the snow
dig into the bottom of the ski so you can push off. The other is
to have the ski stick to the snow so you can push off. The first
method is accomplished with regular kick waxes. The second is
accomplished with klisters. This second method is similar to the
way waxless skis work. They stick or dig into the snow to develop
traction for push off. For regular kick waxing we need the snow
crystals to dig into the wax to get traction. Cold dry snow has
hard sharp edges. Warm snow has softer rounded edges. We only
want the snow to dig into the wax enough to get us a platform to
push off of. If it digs in too much well get lots of
traction but too much drag as the snow crystals wont
release when we start gliding. So the colder and dryer the snow
is the harder wax we use. As the temperature rises and the
crystals get softer, rounder and wetter we use a softer wax.
Eventually the snow is so soft or wet that it wont dig into
what ever wax we put on the ski. Then we use klister. Klister is
basically glue. It causes the ski to stick to the snow surface
and that gives us the traction we need to push off. Klister is
used when its warm and wet and also when the trails are
icy. We put the wax or klister on the portion under the foot
called the wax pocket. It extends from the heel forward to about
12-18 inches in front of the toe. This is the area of the ski
that does not touch the snow when we have our weight evenly
distributed on both skis. We are gliding when in this position.
The camber of the ski is keeping the wax pocket from touching the
snow. When we kick or push off we shift all our weight to one
ski. This drives the wax pocket into contact with the snow and
develops the traction we discussed above. This all assumes that
the skis are not too stiff or too soft for your body weight. This
is known as ski fit.
Glide : Glide waxing is about adjusting the
physical properties of the ski base to allow it to glide as fast
as possible. Skis are slowed down by two factors: Friction and
Suction. Friction is determined by how hard the ski base is
relative to the snow surface and how much weight is on each part
of the ski. We will not talk about the weight aspect here. Proper
pressure distribution is what ski fit is all about. Suction is a
function of how much water is under the ski. Water develops due
to the friction of the ski gliding over the snow. It may also be
already present in the snow under warn conditions. The lower the
friction and the lower the suction the faster the ski glides.
Snow crystals will dig into the bottom of the ski and cause
friction which slows the ski down. We can make the ski base
harder by putting hard wax into the base. A ski base is porous.
It will absorb wax and its hardness will change depending
on the hardness of the wax we put in it. Wax manufacturers have
determined how hard a wax is needed for a given temperature. Thus
we select a wax for the expected snow temperature and apply it.
The colder the snow the harder the wax. The warmer the snow the
softer the wax. At temperatures above about 15F the skis are
gliding on a thin film of water. This water is created by the
friction of the ski melting the snow. This is wet friction. The
different waxes try to manage the production of water to produce
optimum glide. Too much water and you get suction and the ski
slows down. Too little water (dry friction) and the ski slows
down. Dry friction conditions are generally slower than wet
friction conditions. At temperatures below 15F you cant
make enough friction to create any water. Under these conditions
the smoother and harder the ski base the better the glide.
Thats why we put on hard wax, have minimal structure and
polish the bases when its very cold. So the simple rule is
hard waxes for cold temps, soft waxes for warm temps. The extra
water problems caused by warm or wet snow are handled by using
fluoro waxes which repel water, similar to the way water beads up
on a waxed car. By repelling water the suction is reduced. Ski
structure is more important than wax when dealing with wet snow.
6) Base prep
New skis or skis that have been just stoneground have no wax in
the base. They need to be waxed and scraped several times before
they will attain their glide speed potential. Melt the base prep
wax on your skis. Smooth out with an iron and let cool for 20-30
minutes. Scrape off and brush a moderate amount each time (see glide waxing) and repeat at
least 5 times. The 4th time use red wax
and the 5th time use blue wax. You are progressively trying to harden the
base. After the last time finish off the job by
thoroughly scraping and brushing. Next progress to a wax that you will ski on. Rex Blue
for average conditions. Prepare the skis as described in the
glide wax section. For the next several ski outings rewax after
each session. Be sure to get some green wax in the ski eventually as well. The skis get faster by waxing and skiing as apposed
to just waxing over and over again. Its also more fun. If
these are new skis and your only pair you may not want to take
them out in the early season. The snow cover can be marginal and
your new skis can get scratched up. Thats what rock skis
are for. A standard ploy for people getting into skiing is to buy
one or two steps down from the top and ski those for a year or
two. Then when youre ready to move up buy a top of the line
pair and use your old skis for rock skis. You can never have too
many pairs of skis. You should get
your skis base prepped even if you are going to use pastewaxes instead of
hardwaxes. It's good for the skis and the pastewax will adhere better and
last longer. But since you don't have an iron and all the tools, get or pay
someone to do it for you once.
7) Classic waxing
Classic skis have to be both kick waxed and glide waxed. See
skate waxing for this part. Everything described there applies
here. Put masking tape over the kick area when glide waxing
classic skis to keep glide wax off the wax pocket. How often you
glide wax your classic skis depends on how serious you are about
performance. If youre just a tourer you can probably get by
glide waxing with Rex Blue once or twice a year, especially if
theyre not high end race skis. For training you should do
it whenever there is a major change in the conditions or before
an important workouts or road trips. If youre racing
youll wax exactly like you do for skate skis. To tell the
truth when I didnt do classic races I only glide waxed
once, maybe twice a year. Remember however that wax does protect
your ski bases from oxidation and wear. The
new pastewaxes from Fastwax are a good option here for the non-racers.
In order to wax a classic ski you must know where the wax pocket
is. Its that portion of the ski that is off the snow when
your weight is evenly distributed on both skis. If you bought
your skis at a good ski shop they should have marked it for you.
If its not marked you can assume it runs from where your
heel is to about 12-18 inches in front of your toes. You can
measure it by standing on both skis on a smooth level surface as
if you were gliding and have a helper slide a piece of paper
forward until it stops. This is the front of your wax pocket.
Mark it with a magic marker on the sidewall. Assuming your skis
are fit for your weight you now know were the wax pocket is.
Clean off any old wax using an ice scraper. Then remove the rest
with mineral spirits or commercial wax remover and paper towels.
If you havent roughened the kick area before, use 150 grit
sand paper to roughen it. This makes the kick wax adhere to the
base better. Dont go beyond the marks that indicate you wax
pocket.
Base binder : Base binder wax will help your wax
last longer. In general wax sticks better to base binder than to
the ski base. Base binder is a special formulation of wax that
sticks to the ski base better than regular wax. Rub the binder
wax on the wax pocket and smooth it out with an iron to form a
thin layer. If you use your glide wax iron dont forget to
clean the base before using it to glide wax. Use light pressure
on your waxing cork for the final smoothing step. There should be
no clumps visible. You can work back and forth with the cork.
Kick wax : Select the wax appropriate for the
temperature and rub it on the ski for entire length of the wax
pocket. Kick wax works better in multiple thin layers instead of
one thick layer. Use the flat side of the foam cork and with
light pressure smooth out the wax so it becomes almost invisible.
Then put another layer on and cork again. Use a light touch you
dont want to mix the layers. Put on at least one more layer
and maybe more depending on how long you plan to ski. The end
result should look smooth and almost invisible. This is easier to
accomplish with the high tech waxes and with harder waxes. If
youre using a soft wax try putting it in the freezer for a
bit to harden it up so it wont clump when you rub it on.
Put the skis outside to cool off. They are warm. If you put them
on the snow they will melt the snow and ice up. Use ski binders
to keep the wax from getting all over everything and/or dirty.
Klister : Put klister on by rubbing diagonal
streaks of klister every inch or so along the wax pocket on each
side of the groove. Dont get any in the groove. Then with a
klister spreader (small plastic spatula) smooth the klister out
to cover the entire wax pocket. One layer is enough. It helps to
see someone apply klister at least once before you try it. Some
people spread out klister with the palm of their hand or fingers.
It supposedly works good but I dont know how you get it off
your hand when youre done. Again put the skis outside to
cool. Dont store skis with klister in a warm area. The
klister will melt and run down the ski. Use ski binders to keep
the wax from getting all over everything and/or dirty. Very
important with klister. Personally, if klister is required, I use
waxless skis.
8) Adjusting the wax while
skiing
When skiing on a freshly waxed classic ski the wax may not work
right away. It seems that it takes several kilometers of skiing
for the wax to setup and start working so give it a chance. If
after a few K you are still slipping rub on more wax of the same
type but a bit further forward, (2 inches) Smooth it out with a
cork. When classical skiing always carry extra wax of the day and
a cork. You may also want to bring the next warmer wax just in
case. If you are still slipping rewax with the next warmer wax.
Just take of the skis. Stick the tails in the snow. Get out your
wax. Hold the top of the ski with one hand and rub the wax on
with the other. steady the ski against your foot. Smooth it out
with a cork. Dont be too concerned with how pretty the wax
job is at this point. Just rub it on and cork it a bit.
Youll probably have to rub fairly hard because the wax and
ski are cold.
9) Skate waxing
There are several steps required in glide waxing. Ill list
them in order. You can jump in anywhere on the list where it
applies to your situation. All steps are not required everytime
you wax. We will begin by assuming you are about to wax a ski
that you have been skiing long enough that it needs re-waxing or
you wish to change waxes because of conditions. In general glide
wax lasts longer and works better if it applied in several
layers. Multiple layers of the same wax or multiple layers of
different temperature waxes starting from the coldest and
progressing on to the warmest. I will not cover the theory behind
layering. I dont really understand it. If youre
training one layer is enough. A long training day or road trip
use two layers. For a race as many as you can stand to do. Check
with the wax reports from the manufacturers.
1) Clean the ski : Brush the base with a brass
brush from tip to tail. This opens up the pores in the base and
removes any dirt that might be impregnated in the base. Many
people also do what is called purge waxing. A soft wax is melted
on to the base and ironed in and then is scraped off while still
warm ( see steps 2 and 3). This supposedly pulls old wax and dirt
out of the base. If you do this use a white nylon brush to remove
as much of the soft wax as possible before moving on. I only do
this before races, but thats me. You decide.
2) Add structure : If you dont have a
structure already stoneground into the base you can add structure
here by using a riling tool. If the weather is going to be around
freezing this is a good idea. If you dont have a riling
tool dont worry about it. Your skis will be slower than
they otherwise might be but so will most other peoples..
Its best to have this procedure demonstrated to you so
watch someone do it sometime. This
will even work if you plan on using pastewax in step 3. But remember one
of the reason for pastewax is simplicity, so maybe not.
3) Hot wax the ski : My favorite way to hotwax
and an easy way for beginners is to touch the bar of wax to the
bottom of the iron and then quickly rub the bar on the base of
the ski. You can cover about 2 inches of the ski per touch. Swirl
the bar on the iron a bit to get more wax to melt and smear it on
the ski base. As the bottom of the iron loads up with wax and
starts to drip do a little ironing several times down the ski to
capture the wax that's on the bottom of the iron. This method
isn't as messy and doesn't waste as much wax. Work your way down
the ski on both sides of the groove. Now start ironing the ski.
Keep the iron moving so as to spread out the wax and not to over
heat the ski. Dont let the wax smoke. If it smokes turn the
iron down. It will probably smoke a bit when touching the wax bar
to the iron, but will be ok when ironing the ski. Keep working
until the entire ski is coated with wax. It's fairly common for
the base to not be flat from edge to edge. The ski buldges down
the middle as it absorbs wax. You may have to iron each side if
the groove separately. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Clean
the wax out the groove with the edge of a scraper or a groove
pin. Run the scraper over the edge at a 45 degree angle to remove
the wax from the edge. Let cool for 20-30 mins. Waxing should be
done at room temperature. Do the other ski
3a) Alternative to hot waxing(Paste) : For those people who are casual skiers, especially those with entry level classic skis (and skate skis too) who would like to skip the ironing and scraping step (and the expense of the tools) There is a reasonable option. Realize that the wax job, though being easy, may not be as durable. If you have entry level skis the bases are not the same quality as middle in high end skis. These bases don't hold wax as well and some might say that hotwaxing an inexpensive ski is a waste of time. It doesn't do anything. I believe there is some truth to that. So your option is to use paste waxes. You will probably apply them more often than real glide waxes but it only taxes 5 minutes and hardly any tools. This method assumes Fastwax SlickPro. As in step 1, you should still clean the ski with a brash brush. After that apply the pastewax with the applicator that comes in the tin. Pick the color that matches the projected snow temperatures. Get Blue for sure and optionally Red and Green for warmer and colder conditions respectively. Check the temperature ranges on the tin. A simple thing is to just use Blue, sort of like Rex Blue, a universal. Most of the time it will be just fine. LEt the wax dry for 5 minutes and then vigorously scrub with a Thermo Pad. This is to create some heat to bond the wax to the ski. Really get into it. Rub hard and fast. If you have a bench great use it. But one of the reasons for going with this product is to avoid the cost of a bench. Brace the tail of the ski against you foot and buff the wax out. When done do a final brush with white fibertex. If you have a horsehair brush use it for this final buff. Otherwise the fibertex is fine. Paper towels work fine for this and in a pinch can even be a substitute for the Thermo Pad. You're done, skip to step 8 and go skiing. I would guess this wax job will last for 20-30K and then you should re-apply. You should have your skis hot waxed with Blue glide wax at the start of each season. Get a friend who has the equipment to do it or have a shop do it.
3b) Application of Pure Fluoros:
(solid form) Crayon on the solid fluoro on the ski. Completely
covering the base. Take a dedicated thermo pad or real cork and vigorously
scrub the applied wax. I like to apply a moderate temperature iron to help
the bonding along at this point, after you have done the initial spreading of
the wax. Then continue with more scrubbing for as long as you can tolerate
. (2-3 minutes). Let the wax cool for a few minutes, especially if you
used an iron. Then "brush up" the wax with a dedicated horsehair brush.
By brush up I mean lightly brush the wax but such that it stays on the ski base.
Don't brush it off. This starts the final brushing but leaves the residue
on the ski for one more pass with the thermo pad to ensure you have good
coverage. Let cool again for a few minutes and then with the dedicated
horsehair brush remove the excess wax. With pure fluoros you are creating
a "top coat" The wax does not penetrate the ski like regular glide waxes.
After you have cleaned off the excess wax, (you are removing the excess from the
structure as well) polish with a dedicated polishing brush or white
fibertex. Dedicated means for pure fluoros only. You don't want to
use a brush that's impregnated with hydrocarbon wax. All you'll be doing
is spreading hydrocarbon layer over your expensive wax job.
Store these tools in a ziplock bag to keep them uncontaminated
4) Scrape : After the ski has cooled scrape the
wax from the base with a sharp scraper. Start from the tip with
the scraper tilted away from you. Push the scraper down the ski
with your fingers on the top of the scraper and your thumbs at
the bottom. Make one pass and then come back and clean up what
you missed. Keep the scraper clean by scraping it with another
scraper. Just like ironing if the ski base isn't flat you may
have to do each side of the groove separately. The goal is to
remove all the wax from the surface. You ski on wax in the base
not on it. The scraper will not get all the wax off the base. The
remainder is removed by brushing.
5) Brush : Using a white nylon brush make short
(1-2 feet) firm strokes as you move from tip to tail. You should
see wax powder coming off the ski as you brush. Periodically
clean the brush by rubbing a scraper over it to remove the loose
wax particles. You may want to wear a dust mask depending on how
much wax dust you create. Make at least three passes with the
nylon brush. If the wax is a warm wax like Swix yellow you may be
done. Harder waxes need the horsehair brush to get the last bit
off. Use the same procedure as before. Youre done when you
dont see any more dust coming off the ski. Nylon bristles
are bigger and remove the bulk of the wax. The horsehair bristles
are smaller and stiffer and remove the rest of the wax. Horsehair
is good for removing the wax from the structure pattern.
6) Repeat step 2-4 as needed : Training?
youre done. Racing?, go back and do 1 -3 more layers
7) Final polish : Using white fibertex
(scothbrite) or blue if youre careful. Take long strokes
from tip to tail to polish the ski one more time. Stick the piece
of scothbrite to the bottom of the white nylon scraper and use
that to hold the sheet while you use it. Several passes should do
the trick. If youll be in real cold conditions polish until
its shiny.
8) Go Skiing
10) Ski Storage
At the end of the season or any time you will not be using a pair
of skis for an extended period. Do a complete glide wax job with
a single layer of wax but dont scrape it off. Store the
skis in a bag leaving the wax on the ski. This prevents the ski
base from oxidizing and come next year all you have to do is
scrape off the wax, brush and go skiing.