Wax me!

[Brettski]

OK, the year before last we finished up at Mt. Snow. Place was jamm'n with the reggae festival going on (ya mon).

It was bluebird, 65 degrees, and I tuned up at the mountain (what a rip). The skiis didn't grab at all (or what I remember). I was at Jay, they weren't doing any tuning (Jay was pretty desolate) and I felt the ski's grab.

The difference, winter was (or what was left) and spring wax.

Is the difference really that great...or am I having a flashback....

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

A must for spring conditions. I'd rewax after each trip to Tuckerman, even though I skie only a couple of runs. I'm putting an inverter in my truck so I can wax in the parking lot

 

[thetrailboss]

I wax pretty much every 2-3 outings depending on the conditions...for softer snow in the spring I still wax because a waxed and tuned ski is less likely to sustain any damage from rocks, etc.

 

[riverc0il]

aside from visits to the shop, i never wax though i really should. especially considering it helps sustain the bases from minor damage that adds up (oops).

 

[bvibert]

aside from visits to the shop, i never wax though i really should. especially considering it helps sustain the bases from minor damage that adds up (oops).

Glad I'm not the only one...

 

[thetrailboss]

As discussed this spring in the Gear Forum, waxing is a crucial part of ski maintenance and one that anybody can learn and do...I do my own and it costs a fraction of what it would cost to do at the shop. I've saved enough money to buy some decent ski tuning equipment including edgers, stones, brushes, scrapers, and a nice iron. For what it costs to do a couple tunes at a shop, you can get a good setup.

Tuning my equipment has made it possible for me to ski the 40-45 days a season...imagine if I was paying $30 a tune every 2-3 days...that's about $450 in tuning So it pays to do it...best part is my skis are always sharp, waxed, and perform best...as seen at one of lessons at Sunday River when we had a 'wax race' on a run out to see who could go the furthest without pushing as a result of wax and tuned skis...guess who won? :wink:

One of the things we should do is a ski tuning workshop as suggested in the forums before...

Trust me, once you get into tuning your stuff and skiing regularly on TUNED equipment, you won't go back :beer:

 

[vtskibum]

things change

I used to get my skis tuned/waxed every 7 - 10 days of skiing and dealt with what the shop put on until I started working at a shop....

now I pretty much wax every couple of ski days unless a storm is coming or spring skiing is upon us then I was before each outing. Not only does it help preserve the bases better and minimize damage but it definitely makes a difference in ski behavior (if you choose the right wax)

 

[BeanoNYC]

Any of you ski techies want to give me some advice on stripping off my storage wax? Guy at the shop said just use a scraper (metal) and a scotch brite pad...... good enough or dare I do something else.

 

[dmc]

Always carry a stick of wax in you pack on a warm sloppy day...
When you feel yourself start sticking... Dry your bases off and make a few criss crosses on the base using the stick wax..
It keeps you base from creating suction with the wet snow...

 

[smootharc]

With today's waxing technology....

....and ease of application and use, well, if you don't remember the past, then you don't know how good you have it.

Definitely a "quickie" waxer here, at the very least....

 

[tree_skier]

With today's bases waxing for the recreational skier is more for base care then performance. A properly cared for base will do well in corn without a fresh coat of wax, however the stuff the appears after the corn the right wax still helps :beer:

 

[Vortex]

Tree_Skier is ski maint director of the Az racing team. lol Wax skies????? at the end of the season when I bring them to the shop for a tune down. Maybe I'll rub a bit on in really wet snow conditions.. ie fresh wet snow or spring skiing.

 

[vtskibum]

removal

Any of you ski techies want to give me some advice on stripping off my storage wax? Guy at the shop said just use a scraper (metal) and a scotch brite pad...... good enough or dare I do something else.

I usually just ski it off though if you want to take it off I recommend a plastic wax scrapper rather than metal. Most any ski shop will have these. One would mostly use a scotch brite pad for buffing the ski base which for the most part "makes it look good"

 

[ctenidae]

I'm in the "Once a year" camp, too (glad to see I'm not alone). Pre-season tune up, then ski 'em like they're stolen.

 

[Brettski]

to be fair, I got a tune once last year.

That said, the difficultied I had on a warm spring day, where evidence enough to me to tak matters in to my own hands.

OK, now stop it, I didn't mean that.