Here are some tips on preparing skis that hopefully will help you get to the next level as a ski technician.
1. When glide waxing skis for very cold conditions, it is essential to harden the base up. This is done by applying multiple layers of a very hard glide wax such as blue. These multiple layers are essential for fast skis in very cold dry aggressive snow where dry friction is a concern. This is important even for shorter races, as the goal is to make the base as hard as possible.
2. When waxing with a very hard glide wax, a common mistake is to not use enough heat. This results in an air pocket between the ski and the wax. A sure sign of this air pocket is if when the skis are scraped the wax ‘springs’ off the ski and goes all over the room. If the skis are ironed correctly, the wax should come off much like very fine sawdust. Another way of identifying improperly ironed cold wax is to look at the color. If the wax is dark, there is no air in there, if it is light, then there is air between the base and the wax and it needs to heated up again. Some people recommend scraping cold waxes when warm. This will result in a poorly prepared ski, although it is true that it is easier. A warm scrape takes the wax out of the most superficial layers of the ski base and also allows the scraper to dig into the soft warm base — all bad things for the long-term health and short-term gliding speed of the ski.
3. It is regularly recommended in wax clinics to use mountains of fluorocarbon powders or to ‘brush up’ the fluorocarbon powder after ironing for an extra good application job. After much testing and talking with wax chemists, we came to the conclusion that this must simply be an attempt to sell more expensive wax. If an appropriate amount of powder is applied and a very hot iron is used such that the necessary chemical reaction takes place, the job is done, period. There is no need to do anything else. You have certainly heard that it is not good for skis to apply fluorocarbons consecutively without multiple applications of hydrocarbon waxes in between? Why does this not apply to race day? Our experience is that to apply multiple layers or a mountain of fluorocarbon powder results in more of a mess to take off the ski and polish, less disposable income and slower skis in the short-term and long-term. Our recommendation is to simply do the job right the first time and sleep well. This recommendation is based on testing, experience, and in comparing notes with other World Cup technicians.
4. A Copper brush is a necessary element in every waxer’s kit. The Copper brush is the softest brush available. It does everything that any other metal brush does (remove wax, any hardened residue on the base, and dirt) except create structure which should be done with a stonegrinder or with structure tools. If a brush is creating structure on the base, it is certainly creating lots of hairs that will slow the ski down, especially in powder snow. This isn’t so important in Alpine skiing, but in Nordic skiing it is very important. The Copper brush should be used for general wax removal as well as especially after skiing and before waxing (every time), for cold wax removal (follow with nylon) and for removal of an HF wax in very dirty snow where it is critical to remove all paraffin based wax (HF waxes are paraffin based).
5. Rather than discarding old skis, specialize them. Have a pair stoneground for a particular condition such as cold and dry or for very wet. Then, when the conditions present themselves, there will be a good solution.
6. In dry climates such as the Rocky Mountains, or in especially dry conditions, aim “cold” when waxing. This means rather than waxing straight off the wax chart with a wax such as Red, mix Red and Blue (in especially dry snow). Wax charts are made with average humidity and climate in mind. 25F in New England produces a different type of snow than 25F in the high country of Colorado. This discrepancy needs to be accounted or when waxing.
7. In very dirty snow, the last ‘drip on wax’ needs to be brushed out very well. A Copper brush is excellent for this purpose. Otherwise, the dirt will stick to the paraffin resulting in slow (and dirty) skis.
8. One condition that is especially difficult when using kick wax is when snow temperatures are around 32F and there is new snow present. Often times Klister works in these conditions better than hard wax, but ices up. Carbon Silver Grip wax offers an excellent solution in these conditions – cover the klister with a thin layer of Silver hard wax which will result in faster glide and better kick (no icing).
9. Scraping technique is an integral and overlooked aspect of ski preparation. Make sure the scraper is not bending under the pressure of scraping the ski. Knees need to be bent to ensure even scraping strokes. The scraper needs to be held such that the waxer has complete control and the scraper is guided straight along the ski. We use one or both index fingers to guide my scraper so that it goes straight and remains flat. Remove wax with the scraper until the scraper barely comes into contact with the ski base. At this point, a brush should be used to remove the remaining wax.
10. Often times we apply a binder klister indoors and then wax outdoors in the cold, perhaps on the following day before a ski race. What sometimes happens in this scenario is that the binder klister is so hard and cold that the klister that gets applied over it never really adheres to it resulting in just binder klister on the base after a few kms. The solution is to warm up the binder klister so that the klister of the day bonds to it resulting in better durability.
11. When kick waxing on a day when good skis are desired, the kick zone should always be sanded. The idea is to have fast skis with good kick. Some people anticipate loosing their wax and, for this reason, apply their wax extra thick in the hope that after a while they will have perfect skis. The best solution is to sand the kick zone, apply a binder, and then the wax of the day. This results in good kick and glide for the entire ski. 180 grit sandpaper is generally appropriate.
12. There has been some confusion over Molybdenum and what it is used for. Basically every wax company now uses glide waxes with Molybdenum; it is clearly a better substance for ski waxing than Graphite in almost all scenarios. Molybdenum is best used for an underlying (or base layer on a microscopic level) layer to be followed by the wax of the day. This generally results in skis that are more static resistant, dirt resistant, more durable and faster. Generally Molybdenum is not used as a final layer because it does not glide as fast as straight HF waxes. The only time Molybdenum is recommended as a final layer (followed by a Fluorocarbon) is in dirty snow.
13. In general, when a kick wax is slipping, wax should be reapplied thicker or a change should be made to a softer wax. To wax longer, results in improved kick for a short while and slower skis. The bulk of the “kick” should come from the middle part of the ski. If this part is slipping, then it needs to be fixed. Waxing longer does not address this problem. Thicker or ‘warmer’ will.
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