Waxing

Waxing Skis

Why do I need to wax "waxless" skis?

Classic skis typically need two types of wax – kick wax (also called grip wax) and glide wax. When the skier pushes down to flatten the ski against the snow, the kick wax applied to the underside center of the ski "grips" the snow and provides the friction skiers need to push themselves forward.  The glide wax on the tips and tails of the skis enables the skis to glide across the snow. 

“Waxless” skis have fish scales or skins on the middle section on the underside of the ski to grip the snow, thus eliminating the need for kick wax. However, skis still need glide wax! If you can't glide properly (or at all), you work too hard, compromise your technique and exhaust yourself. Bottom line? Skiing isn't much fun without glide wax. 

Glide wax helps to preserve the bases by keeping them moisturized and free of dirt. As a “moisturizer,” ski wax prevents oxidation (ashen-looking color) of the ski base fibers. The wax also serves as a- very thin protective layer by minimizing scratches to the base from debris on the snow. 

Cross-country ski manufacturers probably thought “waxless skis” was more marketable than “fish scale skis,” but the result has been a whole lot of confusion for those new to the sport.

Glide waxes

There are two main options for glide waxing - cold wax (also know as liquid wax) and hot wax. Cold wax doesn't need to be heated to be applied. They usually come in the form of a liquid you rub on with a sponge applicator or spray on. "Hot" wax (also know as "hard wax" or "iron-on wax") comes in block and powder form and you must iron it on.

Liquid Wax

Most liquid waxes come in a bottle with a dobber. You squeeze the liquid wax onto the base of the ski and then use dobber on the bottle to spread the wax evenly across the base. The wax dries in just a few minutes. 

Liquid wax is a great alternative if you don't have the equipment or knowledge to hot wax your skis.  Liquid wax is also a good option for quickly waxing your skis in between hot waxes, particularly if the snow conditions have changed or you have run out of time to hot wax them. 

The disadvantage to liquid wax is that they aren't as durable as hard wax and need to be applied more often,  as little as every two or three times you ski or as often as every time you ski. It depends upon how far you ski and the snow conditions. 

For more information on how to apply liquid wax, read Pioneer Midwest's Liquid Glide Wax Tutorial. 

Hot Wax

Ironing on hot wax requires equipment and a space that can withstand getting wax shavings everywhere. You can also pay a ski shop to wax your skis.  REI in Roseville or Finn Sisu both offer waxing services. 

Cleaning Skis

Before you wax skis, I recommend that you clean them.  A liquid glide cleaner, such as Rex Glide Cleaner UHW 170ml,  can help remove dirt, grime and old wax buildup  from the bases (without stripping the skis entirely of all the wax in the base). 

1. Use a fiber cloth or shop towel that will not fall apart with the addition of moisture and apply the glide cleaner evenly.  

2. Let it dry for at least three to five minutes. Rex glide cleaner has paraffin in it that replaces the paraffin in your base as you clean. The longer you let it dry, the longer the wax has to set up and bond with your base.  

3. Brush out the glide cleaner with a medium bristled brush. (I admit to not doing this every time, but it's recommended.)

Waxing Recommendations

Skiers have varying opinions about best practices for waxing skis, but the following recommendations are made with beginner skiers in mind, including those who are using fish scale skis, don't want to spend a lot of extra money on waxing and/or don't have the necessary waxing equipment.  

Fish Scale Skis  

If you have fish scale skis, using only liquid wax is fine. I recommend the following two liquid waxes:

• Rex Liquid Glider Blue 60ml  - This is a "universal" wax and will work in a broad range of temperatures and snow types. 

• Rex G41 Pink/Green Liquid 60ml - Recommended for skiing at Battle Creek (machine-made snow) or in really cold temperatures

When to reapply? You will need to reapply liquid wax after every 2-5 times skiing, depending upon snow conditions (machine-made snow is more abrasive and tears the wax from your base much faster) and how far you ski each outing. If you're unsure if they need to be rewaxed, err on the side of waxing more often as opposed to less often. 

Skin Skis or Waxable Skis

With skin skis or waxable skis you will ideally wax your skis regularly with a combination of iron-on and liquid waxes. If it is not possible to regularly hot wax your skis, you can also solely use liquid glide waxes, but I highly recommend that you apply a hot wax at the beginning of the season, and then consider a second hot wax after 100 kilometers. Hot waxing provides enhanced durability and can increase the performance of liquid waxes when used as a base. 

You have two options for hot waxing your skis:

Pay a ski shop to wax them

The cost for a "universal hot wax" is $25 at Finn Sisu and $32/$40 (member/non-member price) at REI. 

Plan ahead and don't wait to wax your skis the day before the first practice. At the beginning of the season when everyone is getting their skis waxed, you can expect as long as a five-day turnaround time. Once the season is underway, it may only take a day or two. 

Once your skis have a hot wax, I recommend applying a liquid wax to the bases (either Rex Liquid Glider Blue 60ml  or Rex G41 Pink/Green Liquid 60ml, depending upon the conditions).

Wax them yourself

Waxing skis yourself requires you to invest in a number of tools, the most expensive being an iron and a ski profile (clamps to a table or waxing bench and holds the ski in place). You will also need brushes, scrapers and of course wax. If you're curious about what equipment is needed to wax your own skis and how to do it, read Pioneer Midwest's Iron-On Glide Wax Tutorial.

When choosing wax, pick a brand and then choose a cold temp wax, medium temp wax and warmer temp wax from that line.  For instance, if you're buying Swix wax, good options would be their "green" cold temp wax, their "blue" medium temp wax and their "red" warmer temp wax from the Swix Pro series. Rex and Rode also have reliable hot wax lines.

In addition to the hot wax, I also recommend applying a liquid wax to the bases (either Rex Liquid Glider Blue 60ml  or Rex G41 Pink/Green Liquid 60ml, depending upon the conditions).

When to rewax? Although the frequency of hot waxing depends on use and snow conditions, a good rule of thumb is that you should wax your skis at the beginning of the season and then every 50 kilometers thereafter, or the night before a race (so you can wax to the snow conditions). But no matter what, once the base of your skis begins to look dry and have an ashen/whitish appearance to them, they need another hot wax treatment. 

Caring for Skin Skis

If you have skin skis, it’s important to regularly care for the skins to maintain the best grip and glide. 

Skin Cleaner 

When you ski on a high-traffic course like Battle Creek, the snow is dirtier and your skins can pick up dirt, road salt, tree sap and kick wax from other skiers. The buildup of debris will impact both your kick and glide. You’ll know if you need to clean your skins if you start to get an inconsistent grip. Sometimes you will even be able to see a little bit of goop in the skin.

Skin cleaner works just like it sounds. I use Rex Skin Cleaner (other brands sell it too) and apply a splash to a microfiber cloth or industrial paper towel and scrub the skins. Let it dry for five minutes. It's as easy as demonstrated in this video by Rex. 

Ideally you should clean your skins each time you ski, but I know that's not the reality for most of us.  If you clean them when you notice an inconsistent kick or before using skin care, (see below) that is better than nothing. 

Skin Care

Skins icing up can also contribute to your skis not getting a good grip. This usually occurs with fresh snow or with really wet snow when temps are at or above freezing. Snow and ice will embed in your skins, which causes more snow and ice to adhere to your skis causing a thin film or clumping to occur.

Skin care products are designed to keep dirt and moisture from building up on your skins. I use Rex Skin Care Spray.  After you've applied skin cleaner and let it dry, (see above) spray  the skins with the skin care and massage it into the hairs. Let the skins dry before skiing.

Skin Replacement

After several hundred kilometers of consistent use, you may begin to see some wear on your skins. This type of wear is typical and usually starts at the ends of the skins. To extend the life of your skins, stay off ice and dirt. You will know it is time to change your skins when you can no longer get grip. You will also see a lot of the hair missing.