How To Glide Wax Skis at Home


Be honest! When’s the last time you waxed your skis? Nobody likes adding another maintenance task to their list of chores, but waxing is a crucial part of owning a pair of skis. Most skiers are comfortable with kick wax, but they seem to get a little intimidated with glide wax. You don’t have to get intimidated with a little bit of practice glide waxing can be a relaxing chore.

Everything You Need to Know To Glide Wax Skis at Home

Equipment Needed to Glide Wax Skis

You really don’t need all that much equipment to get into glide waxing. Your biggest expense will probably be your waxing table. If you’re new to waxing I would highly advise you to take a class at your local ski store. The only problem is that most ski stores are ridiculously overpriced on equipment.  It’s hard to say how much you’ll actually need to buy because you’ll probably find that you already have a lot of the tools.

Regardless of what you already have in your garage your best bet is probably going to be buying a complete ski and wax tuning kit.  The two most popular kits are going to be the Demon Complete Tun and Wax Kit and the Racewax Complete Ski and Snowboard Kit.  Personally I would choose the racewax kit because it has the file guide which makes things a little bit easier, but it’s also more expensive.(another kit also includes a vice) They have everything you need to start waxing and tuning up your skis.  The only other you’ll need is a bench and possibly vise.   My all in price was a few hundred bucks most of the cost was the bench.

What You Need:

Wax Bench:  You can use just about any type of workbench or table, but keep in mind waxing is a dirty process.You’re going to have to be extremely careful unless you want to leave behind a ton of wax. Personally I would recommend just sucking it up and getting a Swix Economy Waxing Table.  At first I tried use my garage workbench, but I got wax everywhere and it was a serious pain in the butt to clean. They aren’t entirely necessary but you might want to buy set of ski vices as well to make things easier. If you don’t have the vice your skis are going to slip and slide while you’re scraping them.

Wax Iron: Whether or not you need a real waxing iron is a matter of much debate in the ski community. A lot of the old-school skiers claim that you can use any old $5 iron that you find at Goodwill. Personally I think you’re better off getting a real wax iron like this Swix Economy Waxing Iron. Yes you can use a cheap iron, but you risk damaging your skis.

Scraper: The scraper is used to brush off all the excess wax before final cleaning.  You’ll probably also want a scraper sharpener to sharpen your plexiglass scraper.

Structure Brush:  Brushing has two functions; the brushes some of the wax out of the base and adds the structure that you need after the waxing. Most of the time you’re going to need three different brushes. Use the metal and nylon brush to remove the wax and the horsehair brush to give it structure.  You can buy the brushes separately, but I would recommend getting this Racewax Brush Set on Amazon.  You might just save a little cash and you know your getting the right gear.

Corks and Polishing Blocks: Use the cork and polishing blocks to bring the final look out of your skis.  The cork will generate heat through friction and help get the wax into the base.  Polishing block are the finishing touch to any well waxed ski.

Don’t Be Afraid to Try Glide Waxing.

Take comfort in the fact that everybody’s afraid to start glide waxing. It really isn’t all that expensive to pay a shop to professionally wax your skis, but those little payments eventually add up. Don’t worry waxing is really easy to learn and you’ll get really good results in no time.These are the most common reasons most people don’t learn how to wax their own skis.

  1. Take On a New Chore:  Nobody wants to take on new work and waxing sounds like it would be really time-consuming. In all honesty it does take a little bit of time, but it’s actually really fun and relaxing. Just turn on a little bit of music and before you know it your skis look brand-new again. You’ll be so excited that you make it a point to get out on your skis as soon as possible.
  2. It Costs To Much:  Startup costs really aren’t all that bad especially if your local ski area has a wax room. Unfortunately if you don’t have access to a wax room you’ll need to buy a waxing bench, ski form, waxing iron, a variety of waxes and a few other specialty tools. It really isn’t all that much when it comes down to it.
  3. Fear of the hot iron: the first time you press a hot iron into your ski chills run down your spine. Everybody worries that they’re going to ruin their skis, but very few people do. Just make sure you buy a waxing iron that has a temperature gauge and set it according to the box. If you don’t have a temperature gauge set it on low and slowly increase the temp and stop before your wax starts to smoke. Most ski stores host learned the wax demos to give you a few tips.
  4. Fear of Using The Scraper: After your wax sets and you let it cool you’re going to have to scrape it off with a sharp edged scraper. Resist your temptation to leave wax on the ski. You’re going to want to get the base down is shiny and smooth as possible. You’re going to have to be quite firm with the scraper but try not to gouge out the base.

How To Choose Glide Wax For Cross Country Skis

If you check out any major ski wax company you can find a dizzying amount of glide waxes on the market. Not only are there a ton of different manufacturers, you can also choose between sprays, gels, powders,blocks and even liquids. After trying most of these products with varying levels of success I’ve come to the conclusion that you should stick to the basics. Just a plain old block of glide wax is going to be your best bet.

Honestly there is no one best glide wax, personally I’ve been using Swix LF8 which is a good all around wax. The wax is optimized to work best between 25 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit. I really like how Swix numbers their waxes to specify hardness. The higher the number on the box the higher the temperature it’s meant for.  Unless you’re a profession skier you probably would never tell the difference between two similar waxes.

What Do The Different Ski Wax Temperatures Mean?

All ski waxes have their own set of designated temperatures. This is the recommended temperature that you should use the wax in. Wax meant for warmer outside temperatures is going to be softer and easier to apply. Likewise cold temperature wax is going to be a little bit harder and more difficult to apply. Personally I think the Low Fluoro Swix Wax is the best glide wax for the average skier.  It doesn’t cost a fortune and one block should last you all year.  If you’re looking into becoming a professional skier you might want to try some different waxes but for most people one wax should be fine.

What are Fluorocarbons?

Looking at different waxes you probably seem the term fluorocarbon a bunch of times. Most of the time a company will sell multiple grades of wax depending on how many fluorocarbons are in the wax. As the fluorocarbons increase the price of the wax will as well. As you increase the fluoros your skis are going to glide faster. It’s like the difference between sliding on a hardwood floor and one that’s been waxed.

Most people are going to want to use a glide wax that has either “no fluoros” or “lowfluoros”.  Low fluoro wax will get you moving a little bit faster, but I don’t think the price difference is worth it for most people.  The only time you should use a high fluoro wax is if you’re getting into competitive races.  Manufacturers also sell powders that are supposedly pure fluorocarbons that go over the wax and you need specialized equipment to apply.

Seven Steps to Apply Skiing Glide Wax

The following seven steps should set you in the right direction.  Continue reading below for more detailed instructions.

  1. Turn on your iron and wait for it to heat up. Make sure you look at your waxes box to find the correct temperature range for your iron. Setting your iron too low won’t melt the wax and too high will burn it ruining your finish. Most waxing irons come with the temperature dial to easily adjust the temperature to where you need it.
  2. Before you can wax your skis you need to make sure that their clean. In less you took your skis through some really funky terrain it shouldn’t be that difficult to clean them. Just clean the ski by brushing it a few times using the metal brush and wipe off all the excess dust using the shop cloth.
  3. Once the ski is clean melt your wax onto the ski by applying it to the iron and melting it over top of the ski. The video below should give you a good idea of how to do this. The best way to do this is to melt the wax to the base and melt it over a long bead lengthwise. A little a little bit of wax really goes a long way, I normally walk the wax back and forth one time over the length of my ski.
  4. Once you’ve melted the wax onto the ski you’re going to need to iron it in. Simply work the iron across the ski in a sweeping motion going back and forth and evenly blending the wax. If you don’t have enough wax to get all the way across the ski simply melt down a little more. This isn’t chemistry class,it’s actually pretty simple. After a minute or so working the iron you’re all done with it.  Quickly wipe it down with a shop rag before the wax dries on the iron.
  5. Scrape off all the excess wax from the groove using your special groove scraper or regular scraper.  Hard waxes can be scraped off while they’re still warm and soft waxes should be allowed to cool 10-15 minutes.  Scrape length wise down your ski getting off all the excess wax.  Scrape from the tip of the ski down to the tail to guarantee even strokes.  Too little scraping means you’ll have to brush endlessly and to much will effect the base layer.  Again a little scraping will go a long way.
  6. Once most of the wax has been scraped off you’re going to need to bring out your brushes.  Again brush the skis from tip to tail first using the metal brush.  Brush with the metal brush until the base structure appears and then switch to the hard nylon brush to further set the base.  There’s no finite number of brush strokes to get it right.  Expect at least 10 strokes, but it’ll probably be closer to 20 before it looks right.
  7. Finish cleaning up your skis using a horse hair brush.With the horse hair brush you should quickly start to see the finished product.  After you feel comfortable with the finish polish the base with a cloth and move on to your second ski.  If you have any other questions comment below and check out the video I linked to.

How To Tell if You Need to Wax?

If you’re new to skiing you might not even know whether or not you should wax. The easiest way to tell is to look at the dry base searching for visible white areas and fine hair-like scratches. If you see the signs you know you should immediately wax or base.

Remember that you can never wax to frequently and if you think you made a mistake just start over and try again. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing a little bit of wax is always going to be better than none at all.

How To Clean Your Skis Before Waxing

Before you clean your skis it’s best to attach them to your waxing table using a proper ski vice. If you don’t have a vice simply use blocks of wood to support your tips and tail while keeping the skis level.You’re probably going to drip wax off of the skis so make sure your table has something covering it or it’s a dedicated waxing table.

Before you start waxing your skis you need to have a clean base to apply it to. Make sure the base is flat and even in the edges aren’t high.If your edges are high make sure you fix them before waxing the base.

You’re going to want to clean your base using a minimally invasive citrus cleaner like orange blast. It should be used to clean off all the dirt and grime that’s built up on the bottom of your skis. Use cleaner sparingly and allow it to completely dry before waxing. The more cleaner you use the more wax your ripoff so use it sparingly a little goes a long way.

How To Iron Your Skis

Ironing your skis really isn’t all that difficult if you follow these steps.

  1. Set your skis up in the vice bottoms up and make sure it’s securely supported at the tip and tail. If you don’t have a vice you can use wooden blocks to support your base. Make sure that your skis are going to move while you’re using the iron. If your skis have breaks pull them up and strap them down when using a rubber band. Make sure that the brakes are kept out of the way so that your wax can go on smoothly.
  2. Applying wax is easy just hold it over your skis and put a hot iron to it. Trip lots of wax along the length of your skis applying liberally. Press the wax to your iron and it should instantly start dripping. Immediately move your iron along the length of your skis trying to get wax spread evenly throughout. Most of the time you’ll need two passes along the length of the skis to get enough wax, but smaller skis might only need one. You can very quickly waste a lot of wax in this step so try and use the iron quickly.
  3. Next you’re going to want to put the iron along the base of the skis so that you can melt the wax drippings evenly throughout your skis. Try and spread it out evenly so that it can penetrate the entire surface of your ski bottoms. Make sure your iron is moving at all times so you don’t damage the skis and move it a few inches per second. If you notice areas with very little wax just quickly dab another drop on and go over it with your iron smoothly and evenly. After your waxes been applied simply leave it alone so that it can cool down. Normally I will go and watch TV for 15 to 20 minutes and come back and it’s cool to the touch. If you touch the wax too early you can damage the finish so make sure you wait longer than you think.

How To Scrape The Wax Off Skis

  1. You’re going to want to use your scraper to scrape off all of the excess wax. You don’t want to have a lot of wax on your skis because that’s just going to slow you down. At the end of your waxing all you should see is a slight oily shine on the bottom of your skis. Just remember that your wax should always be inside of your base and not on top of it.
  2. To thin out your wax layer you need to scrape off all the excess wax. You can use either a plastic scraper or steel scraper to get your wax off. Steel scrapers are better left to the more experienced so beginners should simply choose a plastic scraper.
  3. To remove the wax angle your scraper facing the same direction you’re trying to scrape. Always move from the tip of your skis to the tail slowly removing wax. The edge of your skis should look almost completely free of wax and the base should have just a little bit more on it. Most beginners leave way too much wax on their skis which will cause friction. Scrape your edges using a special edge notch tool or the corner of your scraper.

Brush Your Skis After Scraping

After you finish scraping you’re going to need to start brushing. I would highly recommend one of the starter kits that include all the brushes you’re going to need. You’re going to need a brass brush, nylon brush and a horse hair brush for the finishing work. Remember that it’s just like sandpaper you have to start with the roughest texture and work your way to the smoothest brush.

Brush from the tip of your skis to the tail using a smooth sweeping motion. Keep brushing until the bass looks uniform and oily. It’s hard to over brush I would recommend using about 20 strong strokes with each brush. You can definitely under brush, but it’s going to be hard to brush too much. After about 5 to 10 minutes you should be done and have a great-looking set of skis.

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