Waxing Guide

What types of wax are there? Why do you need wax?

The first step on the path toward Waxing Enlightenment is understanding that there are two basic categories of wax, kick wax and glide wax.

Glide wax makes you, well, glide more effectively across the snow. The better the glide wax job on your skis, the faster they will run. And Friction has much less to say about it. Everybody uses glide waxes: snowboarders and alpine, cross-country and telemark skiers. It comes in a liquid or paste rub-on form, solid block form (that is typically melted into the ski base with a waxing iron) and appears as expensive high-end powders for racers. An un-glide-waxed ski base is dry, often white in appearance, and is sluggish through turns and in speed. Keeping your boards saturated with glide wax is much like keeping your bicycle chain lubricated with oil—both you and your equipment work better.

A paste wax, a liquid wax and a block of solid (iron-in) wax

Kick wax is typically used only by Nordic (or "cross-country") skiers. It does the complete opposite of glide wax; it allows the skis to “grip” the snow. Nordic skiers need grip just like a hiker needs tread on her boots, because they must be able to climb and traverse flats in addition to sliding downhill like their alpine friends. Kick wax comes in solid block form, and the skier crayons it on to the middle third of the base and buffs it in with a cork. The kick wax job only contacts the snow when a Nordic ski is fully weighted, so in this way the skis are able to kick and glide. “Waxless” Nordic skis are a popular choice because they have a tread-like pattern on the base that provides grip, eliminating the need for kick wax.

Tins of kick wax

All kick waxes and most glide waxes are temperature-specific, meaning that they have a certain functional snow-temperature range. You’d use a different glide wax for warm spring snow than you would for deep and dry February powder because the chemical properties of the snow are very different. The rub-on waxes are generally temperature universal for convenience and iron-in block forms also come in a universal warm and a universal cold.

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Bike: Johnny's 10 Bike Tips Local MTB Rides Ski & Board: How-To Waxing Guide Winter Ski/Board F.A.Q. 06-07 Ski Gallery		Waxing Guide back to FAQ What types of wax are there? Why do you need wax? The first step on the path toward Waxing Enlightenment is understanding that there are two basic categories of wax, kick wax and glide wax. Glide wax makes you, well, glide more effectively across the snow. The better the glide wax job on your skis, the faster they will run. And Friction has much less to say about it. Everybody uses glide waxes: snowboarders and alpine, cross-country and telemark skiers. It comes in a liquid or paste rub-on form, solid block form (that is typically melted into the ski base with a waxing iron) and appears as expensive high-end powders for racers. An un-glide-waxed ski base is dry, often white in appearance, and is sluggish through turns and in speed. Keeping your boards saturated with glide wax is much like keeping your bicycle chain lubricated with oil—both you and your equipment work better. A paste wax, a liquid wax and a block of solid (iron-in) wax Kick wax is typically used only by Nordic (or "cross-country") skiers. It does the complete opposite of glide wax; it allows the skis to “grip” the snow. Nordic skiers need grip just like a hiker needs tread on her boots, because they must be able to climb and traverse flats in addition to sliding downhill like their alpine friends. Kick wax comes in solid block form, and the skier crayons it on to the middle third of the base and buffs it in with a cork. The kick wax job only contacts the snow when a Nordic ski is fully weighted, so in this way the skis are able to kick and glide. “Waxless” Nordic skis are a popular choice because they have a tread-like pattern on the base that provides grip, eliminating the need for kick wax. Tins of kick wax All kick waxes and most glide waxes are temperature-specific, meaning that they have a certain functional snow-temperature range. You’d use a different glide wax for warm spring snow than you would for deep and dry February powder because the chemical properties of the snow are very different. The rub-on waxes are generally temperature universal for convenience and iron-in block forms also come in a universal warm and a universal cold. back to FAQ