By: Karen Mandl

Ahh! Nordic skiing—the sensation of swiftly gliding over packed snow with winter’s wind whipping across your face, speeding through the woods and trekking across fields, climbing steep hills to get the gorgeous view at the top and finally flying down the other side with minimal effort. There is nothing I would rather do during a frigid, white Wisconsin winter than strap on my skis and hit the trails. But before I can lace up my ski boots, I have to wax my skis. Waxing is a less glamorous aspect of skiing, but it is still very important. For years, scientists have been developing products and procedures that will allow skiers to go as fast as possible. You can take advantage of their hard work by correctly waxing your skis to get the most from your skiing experience.

Why Wax Your Skis?

Waxing your skis helps you ski faster. A waxed ski glides better because its base is smoother than an unwaxed ski. Waxed bases also last longer because the risk of minor damage that disturbs the ski’s performance is reduced. Even skis that are not used are subject to oxidation through UV radiation and oxygen. Waxing also protects equipment during transport, particularly during the summer break.

Step One: Choosing the Wax

The science of waxing skis begins with picking the correct wax. The type of wax that is used depends on the type of snow, air or snow temperature and air humidity. New snow is sharp and pointed, allowing the finely grained crystals to penetrate into the wax. Because of this, friction is usually high with this type of snow. Old snow has lost its crystal structure. It can be damp and full of water or ice.

How snow crystals interact with each other depends on temperature. Warmer temperatures give wetter, stickier snow, while cooler temperatures give drier, more powdery snow. Each requires a different type of wax. When the air is humid, there is excess water on top of the snow. Using a wax with fluorocarbons in it helps the skis repel the water and glide over the snow faster.

To avoid having to make waxes for all possible conditions, it is recommended to mix different waxes to work for different conditions. For example, if the temperature was thought to be around 20½ F, a wax that has a temperature range of 9½ to 21½ F could be mixed with a wax of range 18½ to 28½ F. If you have to guess, it is better to have a too cold of wax on than too warm. Using too warm of a wax will make your skis stick to the snow. To store skis for the long summer, use a warm, nonfluorinated wax.

Step Two: Deciding on Procedure

Source: Karen Mandl

The wax is spread out evenly over the entire length of the ski with an iron.

There are two different types of waxing to go with the two different styles of Nordic skiing. There is glide waxing and kick waxing. Glide waxing is used in skate skiing. This wax is applied over the entire ski to smooth the base and give maximum glide. Kick waxing is used for the traditional classic skiing. Classic skiing involves two opposing forces: gliding forward and pushing backward. To get the backward kick, a sticky wax is rubbed into the area of the ski under the foot; the rest of the ski has glide wax. Ideally, only the gliding zones touch the snow when gliding to allow for maximum speed.

Step Three: Preparing to Wax

To wax skis, you need a vice to secure your ski into place, a hot iron to melt and spread the wax on the ski, a plexiglass scraper to take the wax off, a brush to polish the ski, a synthetic cork for kick wax and the wax itself. Cleaning the ski base with a base cleaner before waxing is recommended.

Step Four: Applying the Wax

Source: Karen Mandl

Dime sized drops of wax are dripped about every inch along the ski

Begin by securing the ski in a vice at about waist level. Allow the iron to heat up enough to melt the wax, but not so much that the iron will smoke. Use the iron to drip a dime-size drop of wax every inch or so on the base of the ski. Then spread the wax evenly throughout the entire length of the ski with the iron. Allow the wax and ski to cool to room temperature. This may take as long as 30 minutes.

Step Five: Removing the Wax

Using the corner of the plexiglass scraper, scrape the wax out of the central groove. To remove the wax from the rest of the ski, start from the tip and run the edge of the scraper at a 45½ angle down the entire length of the ski. The first few runs should scrape off a lot of wax; the final few runs should remove almost nothing. Next, aggressively sweep a nylon brush the length of the ski beginning at the tip. The brushing will remove another layer of wax and leave a polished shine.

Sufficient wax will remain in the base of the ski to fill in any small holes or scratches in the ski. This wax guarantees optimal gliding characteristics and base protection.

Source: Karen Mandl

Using the scraper at a 45 degree angle is the best way to remove the top coats of wax.

Step Six: Applying Kick Wax
(For Classic Skiing Only)

When applying kick wax for classic skiing, do not put glide wax in the zone underneath the foot called the “kick zone.” How large the kick zone is will depend on the weight of the skier and the flex in the ski. It is usually about a foot and a half to two feet long and begins about three or four inches above the toe of the boot. Crayon on three or four thin, even layers of hard kick wax, using a synthetic cork to rub each layer in separately.

Once you have your skis all set and ready for speed, you can sit back and wait for the snow to fall. With luck, Wisconsin’s whipping winter wind will bring with it an exciting ski season filled with days of speeding along beautiful trails on your waxed skis. I am looking forward to it already.

Author Bio: Karen Mandl is a third-year Food and Bioprocess Engineering student. She has been waxing skis for over eight years and currently waxes and races with the UW-Madison Nordic Ski Team.

Zachary Thorson