If you have a quality set of skis, you’ll want to look after them properly so that they last for various skiing holidays in Andorra. One of the ways you can protect your skis is by skis waxing. This is a process that puts a protective coat of wax on the skis to help them last longer and to provide optimal performance on the Andorra ski slopes. This guide will explain exactly why and how to wax skis at home.
Skis waxing: How often should I wax my skis? Do you need to wax new skis?
The answer to the question of ‘How many times should I wax my skis?’ will depend on how much you use them. In general, waxing your skis after every five full days of skiing is recommended, as well as doing so before embarking for your next holiday at a ski resort and after purchasing new ones.
Many people wonder ‘How do I know if my skis need wax?’ and the truth is that it can be hard to tell just by looking at them, but you can never wax your skis too much so don’t get overstressed about how often to wax skis.
Skis waxing six-step process: Instructions for how to wax skis at home
Even many ardent skiers don’t know the answers to the ski waxing questions, like ‘Where do you put wax on skis?’ or ‘How long does it take to wax skis?’, so don’t worry if you’re also a bit lost with the subject of skis waxing.
Here, you have a six-step guide on how to wax skis, which all in all should take around 15 minutes, not including the cooling stage.
- Assemble the skis waxing tools: First of all, make sure you have the correct tools for how to wax skis. You’ll need a ski wax or ski wax alternative, as well as rubbing alcohol, a plastic scraper, brushes, a ski waxing iron and clean towels. You will also need a vice, whether a proper one or an improved one.
- Clean the base of your skis: Start by preparing the base for the wax, scraping off any dirt and using rubbing alcohol to clean the base.
- Spread the wax down your ski: To start the actual waxing part, rub some wax on the iron once it gets just a little bit hot and then let the wax drip off the iron all along the ski. Then, run the iron along the whole ski in an even manner to leave a trail of molten wax behind the iron.
- Leave the ski to cool: Next, once you have an even coating down the whole ski, you should leave it to cool. This usually takes around one hour.
- Scrape off excess wax: Once the ski has cooled, use a plastic scraper at a 45 degree angle to scrape off the excess wax. Use long overlapping strokes with firm and even pressure. Once you no longer get any wax scrapings, that’s when you’re done.
- Brush the whole ski: Using a nylon brush, you should then perform multiple tip-to-tail passes along the ski to get rid of any wax dust. You can’t brush too much, so keep going until it looks the way you want it.
Other tips for how to wax skis at home
Now that you know the basics for how do you wax skis at home, there are a few extra skis waxing tips worth keeping in mind when carrying out the process. One is that it’s a good idea to always work in the same direction, from tip to tail or vice-versa. Whichever way you work, stay consistent as this will allow you to wax your skis in the smoothest way possible.
As for how to wax skis without an iron, this is possible if you have a rub-on ski wax alternative, but it is recommended that you do so with an iron for the best results. Another thing to keep in mind is that you should use a specific ski wax iron, rather than your usual clothes iron. That’s because the wax will stay on the iron and this would then ruin your clothes if you go back to using the clothes iron at a later date.