How to Wax Your Skis

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When skis slide on snow they create friction. As the bases of your skis engage with the snow below, friction between the two converts kinetic energy into heat. And given heat’s propensity for returning frozen water back to it’s normal, liquidy self, a layer of water develops. Though short lived, it is this watery bridge between bases and snow that allows your skis to slide.

That being said, this layer of water can also be a speed thief. If too much water builds up, it creates suction, which disrupts your skis’ ability to glide fore and aft and side to side. This is where structure on your skis’ bases comes in.

Think of structure as a channel system. When matched appropriately to snow conditions and temperatures, the structure on your bases helps funnel the friction-produced water from under the ski and out to the edges where it is released. It is this shedding process that eliminates suction, enabling your skis to slide forward along the snow.

Which brings us to wax—the hydrophobic lube for structure. Wax, when used in conjunction with base structure, facilitates the expulsion of water and enhances glide. Wax also provides an added level of flexibility in terms of moisture management in varied temperatures, humidity levels, and snow conditions.

When talking about wax, it is always good to remember this symbiotic relationship between structure and wax. Think of it this way: a ski with structure and no wax will glide, albeit not optimally. A ski with wax and no structure, however, will go nowhere. (So before you go all-in on HF waxes and powders, just remember that it’s not the only factor when it comes to glide.)

Glide wax comes in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. From “universal” waxes to highly fluorinated and temperature-specific race waxes. If you’re unsure of which wax to purchase, check out our How To Choose Ski Wax page for a complete rundown on choosing the right wax. Once you have a solid wax collection in place, you’re ready to get down to science.

Choosing a wax requires an understanding of how environmental factors related to snow and air will impact the wax’s ability to shed water. These factors are snow temperature, snow humidity, snow age and condition, air temperature, and air humidity.

Now, unless you’re waxing for race day, you’re probably not going to hike the hill with a snow thermometer. Snow humidity can also be a fast-changing and fickle measurement to work with. Realistically, the condition of the snow and the predicted air temperature (range) are the two most important factors for recreational waxers to focus on.

• Glide wax
• Waxing iron
• Sturdy rubber bands
• Plastic/plexi scraper
• Nylon brush (optional)
• Microfiber/fiberlene cloth

Set Your Iron Temperature

Before hot-waxing your skis, it’s important to understand the significance of the manufacturer’s recommended iron temperature for applying a given wax. All waxes that call for iron application are designed to melt at a specific temperature.

Always set your iron to the proper temperature for the wax you’re applying, and give it plenty of time to reach (and hold at) that temperature. Conversely, if your iron is already heated up and you’re switching to a wax that calls for a lower temperature, give the iron plenty of time to cool down before diving back in.

To find the recommended iron temperature, look on the box your wax came in, and be aware that most brands list it in celsius. If your iron reads in fahrenheit, you’ll need to convert accordingly.

Band Brakes

In order to run an iron unimpeded down your ski, you’ll need the binding’s brake arms to be held out of the way. To do this, set your ski “right side up” on your vices and use your hand to press down on and engage the brakes (the piece the heel of your boot stands on). Once the brake arms are up and fully above the base of the ski, secure a heavy-duty rubber band (or strap) to each brake’s arms, and wrap it up and over the heel piece of the binding. Make sure the band is secure and not liable to come undone while you have a hot iron in hand!

Clean/Debur Edges

Before you run your expensive wax iron (or hand, for that matter) down the length of your ski, you’ll want to make sure that the edges are free of base-edge burs or hangers. These sharp protrusions will score your iron’s metal plate, which can lead to nasty scratches to your skis’ bases during future waxing. Using a gummy stone (or file, if need be), carefully knock down anything you find, making sure not to overly round off the edge.

Clean Ski Bases

While your iron continues to heat up to temperature, it’s a great time to clean and prep your bases. First, you’ll want to remove as much old wax as possible by gently scraping your skis using a plastic scraper. This gets rid of any unwanted wax build-up, especially on the tip and tail of your skis, while smoothing down hairs that may have developed on your bases from contact with coarse snow. Then, use a nylon brush to pull any leftover wax out of the structure of your skis. Make a few passes tip-to-tail to make sure you get as much of the old wax out as you can. And finally, use a piece of fiberlene cloth to wipe down the bases and pick up any last remnants of wax dust and debris. If your last wax job involved the use of high-fluorination waxes and/or powders, this is where you may want to use a base cleaner to ensure full removal of excess additives.

Tape Sidewalls

While this step is optional, it will save you a lot of hassle when it comes time to remove the wax. As the wax melts under the iron (see below), any excess wax that’s pushed over the edges will drip down your sidewalls and adhere. On skinnier skis, where your binding’s toe lug extends beyond the edge, excess wax also has a tendency to find its way into moving components, which is at best annoying to remove, at worst a safety hazard (those components need to move in order to properly release your boot).

Using a low-adhesive tape (think masking or painter’s), apply the tape along the sidewall, making sure not to let any stick up above the (base side) edge that will interfere with the iron. It’s easiest to perform this task with the ski base side up and already secured in your vises.

Melt (Drip) Wax On To Skis

Using your clean and fully heated iron, which should be set to the appropriate temperature, you’re ready to drip the wax you’ve selected onto your ski bases. As you’re dripping wax on your bases, move the iron slowly from the tip to the tail, ensuring the wax doesn’t overheat, which will burn your bases (if the wax starts to smoke as you melt it, your iron is too hot). The amount of wax you drip on your skis will depend on the width and length of your skis, but as a general rule, you’ll want to apply enough to cover your skis with a thin layer of wax, but not so much that scraping it becomes a cumbersome task.

Iron In Wax

Once you’ve dripped wax on your skis, you’ll use your iron to make 3-4 slow passes from tip-to-tail, melting the wax as evenly as possible. Keep the iron moving at all times—moving too fast prevents even distribution of the wax and limits absorption, while moving too slowly can burn your bases. A good indicator for the right iron speed is to keep a 3-4 inch “trail” of wet wax behind your iron.

Set Aside To Cool

After ironing, take a step back to let the wax cool and fully solidify, while making sure that you covered the entirety of both bases. Scraping off the wax before it fully cools will actually result in more wax being pulled out of the structure of your bases (“hot scraping” is in fact a method intentionally used to deep clean bases). How long your skis will take to cool is obviously relative, so the best way to tell if they’re ready to scrape is to just wait until the bases feel like they’re down to room temperature.

Clear Wax from Edges & Sidewalls

Use a groove- or multi-purpose scraper to clear all wax from the edges of the ski (as well as any that has found its way onto your sidewalls or tip/tail protectors). Making sure your edges are clear will result in faster, cleaner scraping.

Scrape Skis

Using a plexi (plastic) scraper tilted forward at a slight angle, scrape your skis working from tip to tail. Long, evenly-pressure strokes work best and will ensure that you do the most thorough job with the least effort.

Brush Skis

Once you’ve used a plexi scraper to remove all of the surface level wax, it’s time to get down into the structure and unclog those all-important water channels. Start with a stiff nylon brush (noting its intended direction) and work tip to tail until you no longer see much of any wax dust appearing. Repeat with your soft nylon brush for a finishing polish.

Fiberlene

Use a piece of Fiberlene cloth to wipe down your bases and collect any excess wax debris that the soft nylon brush left behind.

Strap

Strap your skis together at both contact points (tip and tail). On top of making skis generally easier to manage, straps are also vital to preventing base damage during transport.