Heli Ski Waxing Gear and Tips

So you’re preparing for that late spring heli skiing adventure and have begun to tune up your skis. Maybe you’ve read our last post and filled in any holes from your last trip with P-Tex? Next step is to wax them up, then sharpen, and then off you go. If you’ve invested a small fortune on a set of powder guns, or new all-mountain skis, then you owe it to them to keep them in great condition. Regular waxing and servicing is going to do this, so why not gear yourself up and get the correct gear for the job?

Waxing actually protects your skis (or board), as well as improving their performance, and letting you glide a lot smoother. Extremely cold snow can even damage skis, as snow crystals become sharper when the temperature plummets. A lot of skiing can take its toll on the base of your skis, but a cold temperature wax will protect from this.

Wax, as you’ve probably guessed, comes in different forms for different conditions. As with the above example, if you’re planning on spending a week or so heli skiing in the middle of winter in northern BC, then a cold wax is a must. Try to find out, before you buy the wax, what the temperature and snow conditions are likely to be where you’re going.

Next, a good ski waxing iron is going to be a worthwhile purchase. You may at first think, “I’ll just use a regular iron”, which will suffice for the job if you’re short on time. However, don’t try to iron your clothes with the same one after – you may end up ruining some favorite shirts! A specific ski iron, on the other hand, is going to save a lot of trouble, and avoid you burning the wax, as it is able to maintain a consistent temperature.

A vise always comes in handy when tuning up your skis. There’s no need to go out and get a professional set-up, anything that will securely hold the skis in place will be fine. Trying to wax, scrape, or especially sharpen edges with the skis flying around is near impossible, and no fun at all.

Next, you’ll also need a scraping device. Pretty much anything with an edge will do the job; we’ve found a car windscreen scraper will even work. But again, get a decent ski specific scraping device and it’ll probably outlast your skis, and it won’t break the bank.

Lastly, invest in a ski waxing brush. Many different types are available – the most commonly used are either steel or nylon. Unless you’re setting up a professional waxing business, then we’d recommend just getting the nylon variety to begin with, or a brush that combines the two in one.

With all this new gear purchased, and skis locked down, look out for our next post, where we’ll be showing you how to use all your new toys.

Tags: Heli Skiing, Heliskiing, Heli Ski, Heliski, Heli Skiing Tour, Heli Skiing Holiday, Heli Skiing BC, Heli Skiing Resorts, Heli Skiing Lodges