I just came back from an enjoyable outing however our skiis performed abominably due I am sure to the poor wax job.
I would like to know how to properly wax skiis. I know waxs vary with temp. how does one properly determine this? Do u remove the old wax each time? How is the best way to do that? What is klister? Is it different than wax? How do u apply either? On what part of the ski? any websites to suggest?
Have a look at the wax and prep section.
You might also try:
http://www.ernordic.com/waxbook.htm (Somewhat advanced).
or, failing these, there’s no shame in using no wax skis.
Personally, I avoid skiing when the conditions call for Kleister. It’s generally used in above freezing conditions. Besides, it tends to get everywhere, no matter how careful you are.
How you wax depends partly on the composition of your skis. If you have a plastic base then you only need your kick wax in the “pocket” area under your foot and no wax anywhere else. If you have the more traditional wooden skis then you should have a smooth thin coating of parafin on the entire underside first, and then your kick wax in the pocket. To remove old wax, get one of those handy scrapers that have a blade on one end, a cork block on the other and a lid that fits over the blade end so you don’t get wax in your pockets/pouch. If you follow the Swix or ernordic links above you’ll see that one can get really obsessive about using exactly the right wax for the precise snow conditions. I don’t bother myself, I use the Jack Rabbit Johansen waxes - one for dry snow and one for wet. These come in a cardboard package that you peel away as you use up the wax. I apply the wax from side to side as if it was a big fat crayon and then smooth it out with the cork end of the scraper. Always start with less, then add more of you need it - also note that the wax does scrape off as you ski. The pocket area on your ski will be from roughly a few inches ahead of your toes to about the same distance behind your heel. The idea is that because of the arch of the ski, when you stand balanced on both skis, this pocket is up in the air and so you get a good glide, but when you kick back on one side, the arch flattens, the wax grips the snow and you get traction. Put wax outside the pocket and you get less glide, put on too little and you don’t get the traction when you kick.
I use Swix Extra Blue wax for most conditions and clean it off after every five outings or so. The Extra Blue is almost the only wax I need. Use a propane torch with a very low flame and wipe with a rag, doing a few inches at a time. Be careful not to set the rag on fire.