Wax your skis

Some basic equipment, wax, a bit of knowledge and some effort will result in fast skis and more fun for you and/or your child.

Tools

• Waxing iron (Swix or Toko). Clothes irons are not recommended.
• Scrapers: A thin steel and thicker plastic scraper, a plastic scraper to clean out the groove, a steel paint scraper with a handle
• Brushes: A good coarse nylon brush (Swix or Toko)
• Corks: One for warm, one for cold wax
• Wax remover: Vauhti, Toko, Swix
• Fiberlene cloth (expensive) and/or Canadian Tire synthetic rags (cheap and work as well) for cleaning ski bases
• Something to support the ski while waxing: ski form (homemade, Vauhti, Black and Decker Workmate, etc.)

Wax

• Hard grip wax: A range of waxes from one manufacturer (Rode, Swix, Toko, Vauhti). For temperature of +1 to –20 will require about 5 waxes.
• Klister grip wax: Universal klister
• Glide Wax: A range of waxes from one manufacturer: Swix CH waxes for example: yellow (+2 to +10), red (+1 to- 5), blue (-5to-12), green (below-12) are inexpensive and can be bought in bulk

Glide Wax Application

• Make sure the base is clean
• When skiing on warm dirty snow (as in spring) the base will pick up a lot of dirt. Clean with wax remover and fiberlene. Let the wax remover evaporate before applying glide wax.
• Choose the appropriate glide wax based on the weather report and snow temperature
• The temperature ranges of grip waxes are based on snow temperature and not air temperature. But as long the air temperature is within the temperature range of the selected wax then you will be okay.
• Set the iron to the appropriate temperature. Too hot and the wax of the day will smoke, too cold and the wax will not melt.
• Drip the wax onto the base by holding the wax to the iron over the base (not touching). Alternatively you can rub the glide wax onto the base (like a grip wax). You may need to warm the wax on the base of the iron to do this.
• You do not need a whole lot of wax as most will be scraped off afterwards
• Iron the wax into the base
• No need to iron forever, just enough to ensure that the wax has melted into the base.
• Keep the iron moving at all times and make sure that there is always wax between the iron and the base
• Let the skis cool down before scraping
• Warm waxes take very little time to cool down and can be scraped almost immediately.
• Scrape the base with the thick plastic scraper
• This is where a ski form comes in handy to hold the ski tightly in place and provide support from one end of the base to the other.
• Remember long smooth strokes with the scraper held close to perpendicular to the ski
• Work from tip to tail
• Apply even pressure
• Keep the edge of the scraper sharp (using a flat sharpening stone)
• Use the rounded groove scraper to clean out the groove
• Warm wax (e.g. +1 to +10) is easily scraped and may require just two passes. Cold wax is very hard and brittle and requires a sharp scraper and multiple passes
• Scraping is finished when you can look at the base of the skis under a bright light and not see any clumps of wax, just the texture of the base.
• Brush the base
• Brushing is very important to remove little bits of loose wax, expose the texture of the base and to polish the wax. 
• When a ski is properly scraped and brushed the base will be shiny and have the texture of the base

Glide Wax Tips

• Glide Waxing should be done in a well-ventilated area.
• The fumes from smoking wax are quite dangerous and should be avoided at all cost (with a good iron this should not be a problem).
• Keep plastic scrapers sharp with a whetstone.
• When skis are stored for long periods they should have some soft glide wax melted into the base (and not scraped) to keep the base from drying out.
• Ski should always be held together with straps and be carried in ski bags.
• Bases that have become dried out or uneven can be rejuvenated by having the skis stone ground

Grip Wax Application

• Know where the wax pocket is on the skis
  • This can be determined by knowing the weight of the skier and bringing the skis to a ski store to have them tested
  • The wax pocket is the portion of the ski that does not come in contact with the snow when half of a skiers weight is put on the skis (as in gliding with two feet on the skis).
  • When approximately 70% of the skiers weight is placed on the ski the wax pocket should be completely flattened
  • A good wax pocket for a child is one that extends from approximately 20 cm in front of the toes to the heel of the foot.
• Remove the existing grip wax
  • Use a steel scraper (or a steel paint scraper) to remove most of the grip wax and fibrelene and wax remover to get the last bits off of the base (and sometimes the sides and top of the ski!).
  • Let the wax remover evaporate before putting the fresh grip wax on.
  • You can roughen the base in the wax pocket with 100 grit sand paper before applying grip wax to improve adhesion (durability)
• Select the wax of the day.
  • This is based on the snow temperature
  • Better a wax that is too cold than one that is too warm
  • Colder wax is easily covered whereas warmer wax not always easily covered
  • Fresh snow has larger crystals and will require slightly softer (warmer) wax than older snow in similar temperatures.
• Apply and cork in the wax
  • Apply multiple thin layers 
  • Crayon a thin layer then rub the wax with the cork until it is smooth and evenly applied. You need to generate friction with the cork. Push down and rub vigorously (its easier to apply wax when the ski is warm).
  • There is generally no need for more than three thin layers for any race or training session unless the snow is very abrasive (icy).
  • For a long outing (such as the Canadian Ski Marathon) or for icy conditions a base binder wax should be applied before the wax of the day.
  • Base binders are very durable and sticky wax that greatly increase the longevity of the grip wax that is applied on top. They are usually rubbed on, then heated with an iron and covered with layers of grip wax after it has cooled.
  • For warm and/or icy conditions the best solution may be klister. Klister is squeezed on to the base like toothpaste. It can be smoothed with a scraper or with a thumb (it may need to be heated with a heat gun or hair dryer first if it is being applied in cold temperatures). It is generally applied in a shorter thicker layer than regular grip waxes. If it provides too much grip regular hard waxes can be applied on top. Klister should be removed from the ski as soon as possible after skiing as it sticks to everything and can make a mess of ski bags, clothing etc.
• Test the wax
  • Kids need to ski at least five minutes (and ten minutes is better) in the tracks with a wax before they inevitably tell you that they need more grip.
  • You can increase grip by going to a warmer wax, lengthening the portion of the ski where the grip wax is applied (further towards the tip) or putting a thicker layer of wax on.
  • Lengthening the layer of grip wax is a solution as long as you can do this without extending into the glide zone. If you already have put grip wax on the whole wax pocket and they are still not getting enough grip then it is time to go to a warmer wax. Putting a thicker layer is the last choice and the least effective solution.

Classic Waxing Tips

• Ski ability (technical skill), ski stiffness (in relation to the child’s weight) and confidence are the three variables that can affect how a wax works for a skier.
• This means that a wax that will work perfectly for one child will not be grippy enough for another.
• Kids should learn to select and apply their own grip wax by the time they are twelve years old.
• When re-applying new wax while out on the trail. Rub the base with a cork to heat the base and remove some of the moisture before applying the new wax. This will make it easier to apply.