How to wax your skis

In our last ski maintenance post, we looked at the equipment needed to get your skis nicely waxed up in preparation for jetting off to your heli ski accommodation, before hitting the great northern BC Mountains. Now let’s put the equipment to practice and discuss the best ways to wax your skis .

As discussed previously, you’ve assessed the weather and made some predictions on the snow conditions. This should have informed you to which wax you needed to buy. Just to recap, different waxes are available for different temperatures – spring snow wax and mid-winter snow wax will differ significantly in performance.

After securing your skis you’re ready to apply the wax. Hold the iron around 4-6 inches above the base of the skis and drip the molten wax continuously onto them. Many people initially seem to apply more then necessary. Only a fine layer is required, any more and you’re just wasting the wax. One recommendation is that a bar of 60-grams should be enough for around 5 waxes. Although if you have the worlds fattest skis, or one huge snowboard, then you’re going to require more than this!

As soon as the melted wax is applied, use the iron to move it all around over your bases. You are aiming for a nice even coating. Try not to keep the iron in one place for more than a second or two as this may cause damage to the base of your skis. Take your time, and as with most things, you’ll get better with practice. Taking the time to do a good job can be rewarding, and many people actually find it quite a relaxing process.

Let your skis cool for an hour or so after applying the wax. Overnight is fine, as long as they’re not left in too cold a place – scraping off the wax in this instance will be extremely difficult. Starting at the tip of your skis, begin scraping the wax off towards the tails. Hold the scraper at around a 45-degree angle and continue until no excess wax can be removed.

Lastly, we need to finish off by brushing down the skis. Here we want to start with our stiffest brush and afterwards go over with the softer one. Move the brush round in a small circular motion, applying a reasonable amount of pressure. Again, work from the tip to the tails until no more wax is coming off. Finally wipe them down with a clean paper towel and you’re all done.

If you can get into the habit of waxing your skis before and after each of your heli ski trips, and at the beginning and end of the season, not only will you notice the improvement throughout the year, but your bases should last a lot longer as well. Have fun waxing!

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