Fresh wax smells better than incense any day—just one of many reasons why you should regularly wax your skis.
A well-waxed ski runs more smoothly on any and every snow surface than non-waxed ski. While some novices may feel that a lack of waxing will help them from ‘going too fast,’ this is actually faulty logic. A waxed base glides better—making it easier to control and easier for you to maintain your balance and weight distribution. The Dude wouldn’t roll on a dusty lane—why would ski on an ashy ski base?
Waxing Tools:
- Waxing iron (a used one works but make sure it doesn’t have steam vents)
- Wax (all-temp or temp specific)
- Scraper
- Scrubber sponge (a basic kitchen sponge with a coarse scrubber side will work just fine)
- Base cleaner (optional)
- Vices or tuning stand (optional)
Steps:
- Plug in and turn on your wax iron. Give it plenty of time to get warm.
- Secure your brakes in an upright position with a strap, or large rubber band.
- Drip wax along ski base by pressing wax block firmly against the hot iron. Create a consistent drip pattern to ensure an even coating of the ski base.
- Use the hot iron to spread the dripped wax over the base. Be sure your iron work is edge-to-edge, aiming at a consistently-thick layer across the entire base of your ski.
- Allow wax to cool.
- Scrape off excess using a scraping flat. Scrape off wax according to your direction of travel: scrape from the tips to the tails; otherwise you’ll be skiing against the grain of your tune.
- Polish the scraped base with your scrubber sponge. Be firm, but gentle—you’re aiming for a gloss finish here.
Tips:
- If you smell anything but the sweet goodness that is wax scent while spreading the wax with your iron, stop, because you’re probably burning base material.
- Feel the base with your hand—wait until your wax is no longer warm to the touch, but don’t let it harden for too long or the too-hard wax will make for an inconsistent scrape.
- When scraping off excess wax, use your edges as a guide—try not to gouge troughs into your fresh wax job with inconsistent pressure from the scraper.
- Measure your scraping progress with your hand. Look for any thick spots and scrape them down. Smooth consistency is the goal.
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Tags: base repairs, DIY, do-it-yourself, gear repair, ski tuning, video