Waxing Guide

How do I "hot wax" my alpine skis, snowboard or Nordic skis for glide?

Congratulations! This simply the most fun you will have with wax, ever. There are a few things you need before you can begin the process. Create a work space that is both heated and provides adequate ventilation. To inhale clouds of burning wax fumes is to veer sharply from the road to wellness, so at least keep a window open. Some device is needed to hold your skis or snowboard while you toil; a dedicated bench mounted with tuning vises is the most direct solution. Be a little afraid of $2.00 yard sale irons. The temp on a clothing iron often swings wildly between heating cycles , which leads inevitably to smoking wax and the potential for damaged ski bases. Specific waxing irons have accurate gauges with a range designed for wax, are lightweight and possess flat heating plates. The last tools you'll require are a plastic scraper (plus a groove scraper for Nordic skis) and a nylon brush. Of course you need the block of glide wax you selected.

Clean the bases. Start with clean ski bases at room temperature. Base cleaner on a rag is all you need for the quick version; apply sparingly and wipe like you're cleaning a counter. See the following section for tips on doing a more thorough cleaning.

Mask the kick zone (if necessary). Put masking tape over the kick zone of classic cross-country skis to protect it from dripping wax, whether you belong to the waxless or waxable clan. Glide wax interferes with the binding ability of kick wax, and it takes the patience of a monk to clean out the waxless crown pattern should it become blanketed. Don't get any glide wax in your kick zone. Alpine skis, snowboards and skate skis only possess glide zones, so you'll be waxing the whole entire base in those cases and can obviously forgo the masking tape solution.

Warm the iron. Set your iron to the melting temperature suggested on the wax package. Too low a temp and the wax won't melt and be absorbed properly, too high and it will burn and smoke and make you generally unhappy. Again, take our sage advice and purchase a dedicated waxing iron. Briskly wipe the iron surface as wax remaining from previous jobs liquefies so as not to mix different types. Let the iron warm for at least 10 minutes.

Melt & drip the wax. Holding the iron above the ski base, use your other hand to press the wax block against the heated surface. Moving steadily from tip to tail, drip beads of wax onto the ski base. It aids accuracy to tilt the iron and guide the molten stream off one of the corners. Droplets should be a tad smaller than dime-sized and be spaced roughly 1 to 1.5 centimeters apart. Don't break out the ruler here and measure drop diameter, just keep on drippin'. Usually about three passes is enough, but exceedingly fat skis and all snowboards will need more to achieve adequate coverage. Fill in any bare spots you notice. Congrats, now your base is covered with dots of wax.

Iron the wax in. Make an initial quick pass or two with the iron to smooth out the dropplets and pave the way for supreme wax absorbtion. Now move the iron in one continuous motion from tip to tail, melting everything together into a single happy layer. Moving it back and forth causes uneven heating that can damage the base. You will notice a molten trail chasing the iron, hardening as the wax cools; this trail should be roughly between 2 and 4 inches long if the temperature is set correctly and you are moving the iron at an appropriate speed. Don't apply downward pressure to the iron, just let it surf along on the wax as it liquefies. It should take between 15 and 20 seconds to iron the length of the ski. Do two or three passes. Remember that you should never touch a hot iron to a bare ski base. Wax acts as an insulating shield, and this is why we recommend that beginners err on the side of too many drips rather than too few. It means more time scraping the excess, but its best to just avoid the risk of scorching and "sealing" your bases until you have more experience.

Have a beer / let bases cool. Let your boards cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes to ensure maximum wax penetration before scraping. Note: If you're waxing with a cold, hard wax like Swix CH6 and below, do yourself a favor and scrape it while it is still warm from the iron, and then let your freshly scraped bases cool to room temp. If you let CH6 or CH4 fully cool and harden, you'l feel like breaking out a hammer and chisel to get it off. Anything above CH6, let the waxed bases cool to room temp. If you begin to rewax bases that are still warm, they can reach critical temperatures more quickly and become damaged. So take a deserved break. Start in on that sixer, but don't get too far gone if you're going to melt more wax.

Reheat the cooled wax into the base again (optional). If time permits, repeat the "Iron wax in / Have a beer / Let bases cool" process another 1 to 2 times (and quaff another 2-4 beers) before finally scraping. You've already dripped the wax, heated it and let it cool, and now you've got a nice smooth layer of wax just begging for another pass with the iron. You have no excuses! This will ensure that your bases are fully saturated with wax and your labour of love will have the most staying power. To repeat ourselves, it's important to let the bases cool to room temp between each reheating of the wax.

Scrape the wax off. Make sure you have a sharp plastic scraper with square edges. Purchase a scraper sharpening tool or flatten it on a file when it becomes dull. Hold the scraper properly. Support the middle with your thumbs and wrap your fingers around the edges. Angle the top of the scraper toward the tip of the ski and, using slight downward pressure and a long smooth stroke, pull the scraper down the length of the ski from tip to tail towards you. The goal is to peel of thin layers without gouging the base or altering its structure. Don't over scrape. Rely on brushing to get the rest of it off. And don't forget to scrape the central groove on Nordic skis.

Brush remaining wax away. Begin brushing with a nylon brush. This removes the larger particles of wax from the ski and exposes the base structure (those tiny little channels that help break suction). Keep brushing until not much wax comes off the ski. If you have one, it's nice to finish with a fine-bristled horsehair brush that pulls the smaller dust-sized wax bits out of your base. Finally, if you so desire, polish the base with a cork to give it that nice fast Charlie sheen. You are now ready to glide, after you clean up the mess you made. Hopefully nobody yells at you, but you deserve it if you used your mother's clothing iron.

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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 How do I "hot wax" my alpine skis, snowboard or Nordic skis for glide? Congratulations! This simply the most fun you will have with wax, ever. There are a few things you need before you can begin the process. Create a work space that is both heated and provides adequate ventilation. To inhale clouds of burning wax fumes is to veer sharply from the road to wellness, so at least keep a window open. Some device is needed to hold your skis or snowboard while you toil; a dedicated bench mounted with tuning vises is the most direct solution. Be a little afraid of $2.00 yard sale irons. The temp on a clothing iron often swings wildly between heating cycles , which leads inevitably to smoking wax and the potential for damaged ski bases. Specific waxing irons have accurate gauges with a range designed for wax, are lightweight and possess flat heating plates. The last tools you'll require are a plastic scraper (plus a groove scraper for Nordic skis) and a nylon brush. Of course you need the block of glide wax you selected. Clean the bases. Start with clean ski bases at room temperature. Base cleaner on a rag is all you need for the quick version; apply sparingly and wipe like you're cleaning a counter. See the following section for tips on doing a more thorough cleaning. Mask the kick zone (if necessary). Put masking tape over the kick zone of classic cross-country skis to protect it from dripping wax, whether you belong to the waxless or waxable clan. Glide wax interferes with the binding ability of kick wax, and it takes the patience of a monk to clean out the waxless crown pattern should it become blanketed. Don't get any glide wax in your kick zone. Alpine skis, snowboards and skate skis only possess glide zones, so you'll be waxing the whole entire base in those cases and can obviously forgo the masking tape solution. Warm the iron. Set your iron to the melting temperature suggested on the wax package. Too low a temp and the wax won't melt and be absorbed properly, too high and it will burn and smoke and make you generally unhappy. Again, take our sage advice and purchase a dedicated waxing iron. Briskly wipe the iron surface as wax remaining from previous jobs liquefies so as not to mix different types. Let the iron warm for at least 10 minutes. Melt & drip the wax. Holding the iron above the ski base, use your other hand to press the wax block against the heated surface. Moving steadily from tip to tail, drip beads of wax onto the ski base. It aids accuracy to tilt the iron and guide the molten stream off one of the corners. Droplets should be a tad smaller than dime-sized and be spaced roughly 1 to 1.5 centimeters apart. Don't break out the ruler here and measure drop diameter, just keep on drippin'. Usually about three passes is enough, but exceedingly fat skis and all snowboards will need more to achieve adequate coverage. Fill in any bare spots you notice. Congrats, now your base is covered with dots of wax. Iron the wax in. Make an initial quick pass or two with the iron to smooth out the dropplets and pave the way for supreme wax absorbtion. Now move the iron in one continuous motion from tip to tail, melting everything together into a single happy layer. Moving it back and forth causes uneven heating that can damage the base. You will notice a molten trail chasing the iron, hardening as the wax cools; this trail should be roughly between 2 and 4 inches long if the temperature is set correctly and you are moving the iron at an appropriate speed. Don't apply downward pressure to the iron, just let it surf along on the wax as it liquefies. It should take between 15 and 20 seconds to iron the length of the ski. Do two or three passes. Remember that you should never touch a hot iron to a bare ski base. Wax acts as an insulating shield, and this is why we recommend that beginners err on the side of too many drips rather than too few. It means more time scraping the excess, but its best to just avoid the risk of scorching and "sealing" your bases until you have more experience. Have a beer / let bases cool. Let your boards cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes to ensure maximum wax penetration before scraping. Note: If you're waxing with a cold, hard wax like Swix CH6 and below, do yourself a favor and scrape it while it is still warm from the iron, and then let your freshly scraped bases cool to room temp. If you let CH6 or CH4 fully cool and harden, you'l feel like breaking out a hammer and chisel to get it off. Anything above CH6, let the waxed bases cool to room temp. If you begin to rewax bases that are still warm, they can reach critical temperatures more quickly and become damaged. So take a deserved break. Start in on that sixer, but don't get too far gone if you're going to melt more wax. Reheat the cooled wax into the base again (optional). If time permits, repeat the "Iron wax in / Have a beer / Let bases cool" process another 1 to 2 times (and quaff another 2-4 beers) before finally scraping. You've already dripped the wax, heated it and let it cool, and now you've got a nice smooth layer of wax just begging for another pass with the iron. You have no excuses! This will ensure that your bases are fully saturated with wax and your labour of love will have the most staying power. To repeat ourselves, it's important to let the bases cool to room temp between each reheating of the wax. Scrape the wax off. Make sure you have a sharp plastic scraper with square edges. Purchase a scraper sharpening tool or flatten it on a file when it becomes dull. Hold the scraper properly. Support the middle with your thumbs and wrap your fingers around the edges. Angle the top of the scraper toward the tip of the ski and, using slight downward pressure and a long smooth stroke, pull the scraper down the length of the ski from tip to tail towards you. The goal is to peel of thin layers without gouging the base or altering its structure. Don't over scrape. Rely on brushing to get the rest of it off. And don't forget to scrape the central groove on Nordic skis. Brush remaining wax away. Begin brushing with a nylon brush. This removes the larger particles of wax from the ski and exposes the base structure (those tiny little channels that help break suction). Keep brushing until not much wax comes off the ski. If you have one, it's nice to finish with a fine-bristled horsehair brush that pulls the smaller dust-sized wax bits out of your base. Finally, if you so desire, polish the base with a cork to give it that nice fast Charlie sheen. You are now ready to glide, after you clean up the mess you made. Hopefully nobody yells at you, but you deserve it if you used your mother's clothing iron. back to FAQ