How do you wax your skis?

Just curious:

How do others wax their skis for touring or backcountry skiing? (Glide waxing; not kick waxing.) What wax(s) do you use? Do you wax before each tour? (Be honest.    ) Are there other things you do or check when you wax?

I've got my own peculiar ways that I may or may not have enough nerve to describe.  But I guess I could mention that my lazy person's wax job includes use of liquid wax, a heat gun, a cork and a wax brush. 

Larry

Swix CH8.

Hot wax with an old clothes iron, usually once every two trips.

Scrape.

Makes a big difference in most snow, and a huge difference in grabby snow.

I wax the bottoms... 

Scrape and strip any old wax with citrus solvent, clean up any edge burrs or base damage, run a wire brush lightly tip-to-tail, then hot wax with either CH8 or Toko Universal.  I usually let it cool on the bases overnight, then scrape it real good and brush it with the soft side of my brush, tip-to-tail.  If I'm feeling super-geeky, i'll store them with a spacer so the bases don't touch each other... Usually once a week, or every 2-3 ski days.

What do you do?  I geek out on this stuff and am really just learning the various ways to tune and maintain... 

Marcus

Since I've never gotten around to ordering a big block of bulk wax, I've been using the yellow Swix all-conditions Snowboard wax from REI. It's a bigger block and like 3 bucks cheaper than the stuff in the ski dept. Works well too. Could go even cheaper ... I once knew a guy back east that swore by canning paraffin from the grocery store

For an iron I have something that I believe was built just after electricity became available in the US. Every once in awhile, it electrocutes me, but otherwise, it gets the job done.  One nice feature is the ability to unplug the cord from the iron, and since it is ~20 pounds of solid iron, it stays hot long enough to wax a ski or two. Good workout, too.

I use Swix LF7, LF8, and LF10 separately or in combination depending on what I think the temps will be . . . this week I used LF8 and LF10 in approximately a 1:1 ratio. Iron on with one of several Value Village irons set on medium heat (middle of the "wool" setting usually works best) Scrape it thin and brush it out (just the nylon brush for wet snow, graduate to a horsehair brush if its colder and finer textured).

I drip the wax on very sparingly to minimize waste (LF is around $20 for the small block), usually wax every 2 to 3 days of skiing, or when the temperature changes dramatically.  I probably use about $40 worth of wax a year.

I touch up the edges before I wax, then prep the base with citrus solvent (Citrusolve or Goo-Gone), ScotchBrite, or 100 grit sandpaper on a sanding block followed by scraping with a sharp metal scraper, depending on the condition/cleanliness of the base. The sanding works as a home version of a base grind for all but the worst base damage; once in a while I will go to the SkiBuilders.com factory and use Kelvin's base grinder.

PS  I use CH (non-fluoro) series waxes on the rest of the family's skis . . .

PPS  I have never had a problem with fluoro waxes damaging my skin glue (BD Ascension) and I've been using them since before the day - the only skin manufacturer I know of who warns against using fluoro waxes is Colltex.

Hotwax using a small travel iron on low setting.  Often use candle wax (don't throw away those candles!), will last at least one trip and it feels good to get a 'free' wax and I can use lots and get sloppy.  The scented candles make the skis smell good. 

If I want two or three trips worth, I use Swix flourinated f4 glide wax.  I always carry the shoe polish bottle of swix glide wax in my ski bag.

I usually don't scrape, but have learned to spread it pretty thin.  I do scrape off the tip and tails, where accumulations tend to set in.

Used the swix purple cold wax - that stuff is bullet proof, doesn't wear off fore and aft, so I am saving that wax for real icey conditions and will definitely have to scrape it.

Most ski wax is hydrocarbon wax (same as paraffin, candle wax) with different hardness settings which I consider to be overpriced.  Don't assume ski wax is flourinated - look for it on the label.

The scented candles make the skis smell good.

One ball Jay red FWD wax has a nice cherry scent.
Smell the magic! ;D
(not florinated though).

I've been meaning to try their X-wax, which I've heard good things about.

any special waxes that excel for spring/summer glop?

(hmm, it looks like the swix website recommends their LF10 for warm days/corn snow). I'll have to check that out.

• Go smoother, if not faster

• More consistent control

• Protect bases

• Fun to drink beer and drip hot wax on things  ;D

• Geek out on maintenance of pretty much anything...

_{Clearly I suck at making lists, however...}

Why?
- go faster (no question here - have proven this to myself multiple ways); variant of this is less likely to face plant when transitioning into slush, some grooves in the base from a "structured" grind job or a cheapo 80 grit light home sanding before waxing seems to help for wet snow
- turn better (may be placebo effect, but seems easier to go from turn to turn when skis slide better)
- protect ski bases (no proof of this, just have believed what I've heard)

I don't. Skis sans wax makes rolling exits so much easier without skins. More than compensates for drawbacks for downhill skiing.

Marcus, try cleaning your bases by hot scraping. only use solvent if you really need to remove *all* wax, for example before patching a gouge.

Edit: CH-8 (Cascades universal wax), CH-10 if really warm, both ironed in. Have a small box of LF-4 in my pack for "emergencies."

Have you seen the magnificent machinery at the ski tune place, wow, a tune cost more than my skis, or even a nite lodging, but they do such a nice job. Compared to my belt sander with 120 grit. Also If the wax isn't flowing right, try wrapping a bounce fabric softner thing around the base of the iron,silky smooth and no static cling

Marcus, try cleaning your bases by hot scraping. only use solvent if you really need to remove *all* wax, for example before patching a gouge.

Good deal Doc, I'll try that tonight.  Thanks!

Skye -- interesting perspective... Don't know that it would have occurred to me to try that.  I'm making some short (8 inch) kicker skins from my next pair of wall-to-walls for those rolling exits...

m

I have to admit that last time I waxed was early March before a week up in the Selkirks, and since then I've enjoyed the grip on said "rolling exits" from the lack of fresh wax, especially as I explored some new routes (new to me) that involved, let's say, a little more rolling than usual on the exit. When I'm with AT skiers I find my free heel keeps me well ahead on little uphills (even just to get around tree wells) even if I have no grip at all, so I haven't had a big incentive to optimize for this part of the tours. But in any case when I'm skiing mostly up then down, I usually try to have fresh wax on w/in say the past 5 or so touring days. Lift skiing rips it off much faster, as does spring corn.

I generally try to keep my skis reasonably well waxed. I have experienced the unpredictable grabiness that can occur with dried out bases and it isn't fun. Also, if I'm doing a long tour that involves a bunch of XC type skiing it is a lot less tiring to have good glide.

I typically use just two types of hot wax, CF7 for winter and CF10 for summer, with decisions required about which one to use during the transition periods. I don't clean the bases with solvent very often because it doesn't usually seem necessary (pollen being an example). I hot wax with a Value Village iron, non-steam kind (holes bad), and I set it in the middle of Rayon. I sometimes sand the base before waxing, especially if I'm going to use solvent.

I usually carry a little bag of wax tricks. This has a chunk of CF10, a chunk of F4, and a little tub of Maxiglide, as well as small pieces of rag, a scraper, a cork (from a wine bottle), and a piece of scrubber pad. The Maxiglide also works well on the top of the ski and bindings to prevent the buildup of snow.

One useful trick I've discovered for skis with black bases is that they heat up quickly if aimed right at the sun. This allows me to do a "hot wax" in the field, as the skis usually get hot enough to easily melt the wax, which I rub in with fingers or rag, let cool, then scrape. I think this method is more durable than simply wiping Maxiglide on the bases when there are problems in the field.

This trick is also very useful for my Fischer Outtabounds waxless skis, which have a black base and a somewhat unusual (for fishscale skis) negative pattern. That is, the fishscale pattern is milled into the base of what otherwise would be regular skis; most other brands seem to have a positive pattern (sticks up) which is virtually impossible to hot wax. The problem with the negative pattern, however, is that if one hot waxes it, all of the little divots fill up with wax, and it is difficult to get it out. So even at home I usually stick the skis out in the sun and then lightly wipe a piece of wax over the fishscale area. When it melts, I smear the wax around and let it soak in, and then while still hot I use a rag to wipe the excess wax out of the divots. If I'm doing this I usually just go ahead and put some wax on the rest of the ski as well as a refresher, and that way I don't have to do an iron hot wax as often.

Larry, I've wondered about what happens to that wax in the bases as well. From the links you provided it sounds like it is best to let the skis cool slowly so as not to "squeeze the wax out" - never heard that before. Not sure I need to get one of those bags yet.

Ps for Greg: so do you use a heat bag after your super fancy wax jobs? Gotta have one I suppose to go with your new Trabs.   

Sorry, Larry, no Thermobag yet . . . but I do have 2 backup Value Village irons.

Wow, you guys are high tech!

I wax my skis with whatever cheap wax I have laying around (a chunk the size of a Cadbury bar lasts me several years) using a travel iron that I picked up decades ago. The iron has no temperature control - I just unplug it when it starts to smoke and I swipe it over my skis real fast.    In the winter I wax a handful of times - whenever the mood seizes me - the same criteria I use for washing the grime off my car.

In spring, I typically avoid waxing for the reason that Sky mentioned. A slightly dirty, dry base provides just enough "suckage" (a term my brother Carl coined) to facilitate low-angle, skins-off touring.

In my readings I came across a funny article by Oscar Pennyfeather in the 1935 American Ski Annual. The author consulted such authoritities on waxing as Longfellow, Shakespeare and Lord Byron. A few excerpts:

5. Choice of wax. The really well equipped skier is never without six different waxes to match the six recognized varieties of snow, viz: cream of wheat, talcum, spun sugar, bromo-seltzer, marshmallow, and Alaska baked pudding.

[...]

7. How to remove wax. (a) from the skis: let it wear off. (b) from hands, clothing, nose, back of sofa, rug: let it wear off.

[...]

9. Wax for conversation. This is the most important aspect of waxing, and to be employed successfully the following points should be kept in mind: (a) never admit anyone else's favorite wax is any good... (d) argue violently with your friends; they too like to think they know all about wax, and nobody but a curmudgeon would voluntarily spoil their fun with a show of indifference.

I'm with Sky and Lowell. I don't wax very often and never during the spring, but I don't treat my skis very well. If I see a 10-ft section of dirt/rock, I don't slow down.

I guess I would wax if I did more resort skiing. That's the only time it annoys me.