|
Waxing
The club has produced a (very)
home-made video, an intro to XC ski waxing for new parents. This goes over the basics of what to do and
complements the presentations made by waxmeisters to new parents and the
article below. The video (which is now
available, DVD-R format only) will be distributed at cost to club parents,
upon request, starting fall ’06.
Click here for photos and description Rob Bradlee Waxing Article The article below is an excellent
introduction to XC ski waxing written by Rob Bradlee, our local wax guru and
also the local Toko company rep. A few
notes: ·
This might seem a little offputting to new ski
parents. ·
- JS |
Guide to Ski Maintenance for BKL Skiers
by Rob Bradlee
2003 - 2004 (updated 12/05)
Questions or comments: rbradlee@yahoo.com 6. Preparing the bases
of new skis 7. Annotated List of Ski Catalogs and stores 1. Introduction
Proper ski maintenance is a key part of what we want to
teach kids in the BKL program. Ski
maintenance means learning to select and apply both glide waxes for skating
and kick waxes for classical skiing.
While the coaches work hard to teach this subject to the children, we
expect the parents to help in the process by providing some simple equipment
and wax, learning the process themselves, and helping the skier to arrive at
practice with properly prepared skis.
Each child should learn how to wax his or her own skis by the time of
graduation from the BKL program. The goal of this guide is to introduce the basics of
waxing in a simplified manner so that it stays easy and fun, but still
effective. Proper maintenance and
preparation of the skis will greatly increase your child's enjoyment of
skiing and prolong the useful life of their skis. 2. Tools you need
You may have seen hard-core adult racers carrying around
huge wax boxes. Fortunately, for BKL
skiing you don't need that much gear.
You only need a few simple tools and some basic waxes to wax
skis. Many of the tools can be bought
at a hardware store. Fancier versions
are available from ski catalogs that are listed later in the guide. Here's a list of what you need to work on
your skis: ·
Electric Iron ·
Nylon Brush. ·
Thick plastic scraper. ·
Klister spreader. ·
Base cleaner (wax remover). ·
Paper towels. ·
Synthetic cork. ·
Basic set of glide and kick wax. Let's look at these in detail: Electric Iron
The least expensive choice for this is to buy an old iron
at a yard sale or from a thrift shop.
Ideally, it should NOT have any steam holes, but you can use one with
holes if that's all you can find.
Another choice is to spend more money and buy a Swix or Toko ski iron
from one of the catalogs. You'll use
the iron for applying both glide and kick wax. Nylon Brush
You can buy a scrub brush with stiff nylon bristles from a
store or buy one specifically made for skiing from the catalogues. You will use the brush for cleaning glide
wax off the bottom of the ski after scraping. Thick Plastic
Scraper
These are only available from a ski store or
catalogue. They are rectangular and
about 1/8 inch thick with sharp edges.
You'll use this scraper for taking off excess glide wax after you iron
it on. Klister spreader. These come inside the boxes that hold tubes of
klister. You should be buying klister,
so you'll get one of these as part the deal.
You use these both for spreading klister and to clean glide wax out of
the groove of the ski. Paper towels. You'll need these for cleaning wax from skis and tools. Synthetic cork. You use the cork to smooth out kick wax. These are available at ski stores and in
catalogs. Wax Cleaner
The non-heat way to clean off old kick wax is with a
solvent available at ski stores or catalogs.
I recommend Toko GelClean for this task. (I work for Toko, but objective skiers
agree this a great product). Be
careful - while environmentally friendly it's still highly flammable. Optional
Equipment
There is some optional equipment that is not absolutely
necessary but that you might like to have: Form bench to hold a
ski You need to put the skis someplace to work on them. You can put them across two sawhorses or
even the backs of two chairs. To make
your life much easier you can buy or build a "form bench" or buy
some ski vises to hold the ski. The
ski catalogs have various benches and vises you can buy. See the NENSA web page (www.nensa.net)
for directions on how to build a form bench. Heat gun. At the hardware store you can buy a heat gun for about $40
(they are sold for stripping paint).
They plug into an electric outlet and blow out a stream of very hot air.
This is a great tool for heating up klister when you put it on the ski. You also need it to heat up kick wax for
cleaning it off the ski. In a pinch
you can substitute a hair dryer which will do a less effective but adequate
job. 3. How to glide wax.
Why glide wax? Glide waxing is very important to have a fast and enjoyable ski. You don't need to glide wax every time you
ski, but it should be done frequently.
(Once per season is NOT acceptable).
It is very hard to learn proper skate technique on a ski that drags on
the snow instead of gliding freely. Which Skis Need Glide Wax Some skiers have two pairs of skis, one for skating and one for
classic. Many BKL skiers have a pair
of "combi" skis. All of
these skis need to have glide wax applied.
The only difference is where you put the glide wax. For your classical skis or when preparing
your combi skis for classical then you only glide wax the tips and tails of
the ski. For skate skis or preparing
your combi skis for skating you glide wax the whole ski. What Wax Do I need? You only need a simple set of paraffin (hydrocarbon) glide waxes. For example the Toko World Loppet series
which just has three waxes. To start
out you can use just the yellow and red waxes. ·
Blue
For below 22
degrees F ·
Red 14-30 F ·
Yellow 30+ F You’ll notice I’ve overlapped the temperature ranges. In the overlap temperatures you can mix the
two waxes together. Classical Glide Wax Area For classical skiing you only apply glide wax to the tip and tail
sections of the base. The tail is the
region from where the heel of the boot hits the ski to the back end of the
ski. The tip region starts about a boot
length in front of the binding and goes to the front end of the ski. Skate Glide Wax Area For skate skis we glide wax the entire length of the ski base. How To Glide Wax ·
Based
on predicted air temperature range, select the appropriate wax from your
set. (When in doubt choose too cold a
wax rather than too warm). E.g. it’s going to be in the upper 20’s so use
red. ·
Press
the bar of wax against your warm electric iron. ·
As
the wax melts let drops fall on the ski base. ·
Put
a drop every inch or so. ·
Cover
the parts of the ski base you want to wax. ·
Then
move the iron over the wax from tip to tail. ·
Iron
just 3 or 4 times down the ski, and always keep the iron moving. ·
Let
cool for at least 30 minutes. ·
Scrape
off the wax with plastic scraper. ·
Clean
out the groove with the klister spreader. ·
Brush
with nylon brush from tip to tail. Only turn the iron warm enough to melt the wax, but don't let the wax
smoke. Also, always keep the iron
moving. Too much heat will damage the
base of the ski. The bigger and thicker the iron the more steady the heat
will be. 4. How to kick wax.
Kick waxing can seem like a mysterious and complicated process, but it
really is quite simple. You only need
to make two determinations to pick the right wax: ·
Is
it new or old snow? ·
What
are the air and snow temperatures? Use klister for old snow and use stick wax for new snow. The temperature determines which color of
wax to use. (The Toko colors from cold
to warm go green, blue, purple, red, yellow, silver). To reiterate, here is how you choose between stick and klister. Stick
wax is used for powdery snow that hasn't "transformed" from snow
crystals (sharp) into little ice balls (dull). After the snow has thawed and frozen a few
times it is transformed and you need to use klister. Manmade snow at Weston starts out
transformed so you almost always need klister for it. When it it fresh and cold you can get away
with stick wax, but it tends to wear off quickly. A thin layer of klister under the stick wax
will make the wax much more durable. Where Do I Put Kick Wax? Unlike glide wax, you only apply kick wax "under the
foot". This means you only should
apply it from the end of your heel forward an equal distance in front of your
binding. Too much kick wax can be
really slow so it's best to start with too short a wax job and lengthen it if
you don't get good kick. So at first
you might want to start in the middle of your foot and go forward to just a
few inches in front of your binding. How Do I Put On Stick Wax? Stick wax looks like a very fat short crayon, and you put it on just
like using a crayon. Choosing the
right wax usually is just as simple as looking at the outside air temperature
and picking the appropriate wax based on the temperature numbers found on the
side of the wax stick. Toko wax
temperatures are for snow temperature.
Usually snow and air temperature are close, but sometimes differ so
for truly accurate waxing you can put a small thermometer right in the snow
and take its temperature. Note also
that snow temperature can never go above 32 F (it just melts!). Start with a colder wax if in doubt and
then add a warmer wax if the first choice proves too slippery. Use a synthetic cork (much better than real cork) to smooth the stick
wax. You want maximum surface area so
polish vigorously until the wax is smooth and shiny. Putting on several thin layers is easier
and makes the wax last longer. The Toko Carbon waxes are: ·
Green Base binder wax to put under all
others ·
Mint < 14 F ·
Blue 14 to 26 F ·
Viola 26 to 30 F ·
Red 29 to 31 F ·
Yellow 30 to 32 F ·
Silver
32+ F (great for wet new snow) How Do I Put On Klister Wax? Klister comes in a tube like toothpaste and has the consistency (and
stickiness) of honey. Picking the
right klister works the same way. You
probably can start your collection with just a couple of klisters like
Multiviola and Orange. Many beginner skiers are terribly afraid of klister, but with
patience, practice, and the right tools it is easy to handle. The reward is that it can provide the best
kick and glide of any wax when properly applied. It is easiest to apply indoors, but can be
done outside (especially in warm weather). Use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the tube of klister by holding
the tube by one end and waving the other end around in the heat. Be careful. Now squeeze a little klister onto the bottom of the ski. The best approach is to put little chevrons
(diagonal lines) on each side of the groove. The closer you put the chevrons
the more wax you get and the farther apart the less. Start out putting them far apart (at least
an inch) because in most conditions a THIN layer of klister is all you need. Once you have the klister squeezed onto the ski put the cap back on
the klister tube. Don't skip this
step. Otherwise klister will leak out
onto whatever you put the tube down on and you will have a mess on your
hands. (It's a good idea to put the
tube in a ziplock bag when storing it for longer periods of time). Having secured your klister tube in a safe place, you can use your
iron to smooth out the klister. You
only need a very low heat to do this.
After spreading out the klister use a paper towel to wipe off the
iron. If you have to wax outside with
a propane torch use it to heat the klister by waving it quickly over the wax
on the ski. The klister doesn't have
to become entirely liquid, just soft enough for spreading. Use the little klister spreader to spread
out the klister with long smooth strokes. The goal is to get a thin but
consistent layer of wax on the bottom of the ski. In many cases you are now ready to ski. Be sure however to let the skis cool to the
outside temperature. If you put the
skis down on the snow while the klister is still warm it will ice up and you
will do a “face plant” when you start to ski. If the snow is fairly fine-grained (especially freshly made man-made
snow) you may want to cover the klister with stick wax. This prevents ice building up in the
klister. After the ski has completely
cooled you can crayon hard wax right over the klister. (It isn't easy but it
can be done). Cork the hard wax smooth
with an old cork. This will keep the
klister from icing up and grabbing on the fine-grained snow. How do I Remove The Klister? You can use the same klister job for multiple days if the conditions
don't change, but at some point you'll want to get it off. First, you can heat up the klister with
your heat gun or torch. Try to scrape
off as much as you can with the klister spreader and grab the blobs of
klister with a paper towel. You can continue
to heat the klister and wipe it off with more paper towels. If you don't want to use heat to wipe the klister off or if you can't
get it all off this way you can also use a wax cleaner like Toko
GelClean. Wax cleaners dissolve the
wax and let you scrub it off with a paper towel. The wax cleaner is also handy for getting
klister off the sides and tops of the skis.
You can also use it to clean off your boots, floor, and any other
place that klister ends up by accident. If you are putting on stick wax after cleaning off the klister you
don't have to worry about getting it all off.
A little sticky residue will help hold the stick wax on the ski. If you are switching to all glide wax for
skating then you will want to do a "clean wax" on the ski. (See the "Extras" section). 5.
Extras
There are some advanced techniques you might want to use after you
learn the basics. One is the
"clean wax" process that you use to remove dirt from the ski
base. This is especially useful after
skiing at Weston. After clean waxing,
you can "race wax" to apply the right wax for enjoyable skiing. Clean wax: ·
Iron
in a soft (warm temp) wax like World Loppet Yellow. ·
Scrape
off the wax with plastic scraper while the wax is still warm (and mostly
liquid). ·
Clean
out the groove with the klister spreader. ·
Brush
with nylon brush from tip to tail. As you can see this is the same as regular waxing except that you
scrape the wax off right away. The
liquid wax will float the dirt off the ski base and the dirt will be scraped
away. Copper Brush A Toko copper brush is an excellent tool for cleaning out the pores of
the ski base in between wax jobs. It
is soft enough that it will not damage the ski base, but stiff enough to
really clean the ski well. 6.
Preparing the bases of new skis
New skis can have dirt and dust on them and tend to be
“dried out” from sitting in inventory.
The following procedure is designed to saturate the bases with wax to
prepare them for accepting wax in the future.
7. Annotated List of Ski Catalogs and stores
Weston Ski Track and Fast Splits both sell waxes. Fast Splits is located in Arlington and
Newton. Their web page is www.fastsplits.com. I suggest you call and order all of these catalogues. Even if you don't buy from them you will
learn a lot just by looking through the selection of item they offer. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Akers Ski P.O. Box 280 Andover, ME 04216 (207) 392-4582 This shop has good prices and good service, but a limited selection
and black and white catalog. Always
worth looking at esp. for their off-season deals. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Eagle River Nordic P.O. Box 936 Eagle River, WI 54521 (800) 423-9730 orders comes with $5-off coupon (715) 479-2208 tech info Higher prices but great selection and a beautiful catalogue. Definitely order just to look at what they
offer. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= New Moon Ski Shop P.O. Box 591 Highway 63 North Hayward, WI 54843 (715) 634-8685
$2 gets catalog and $5-off coupon Another great catalog with more reasonable prices. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Reliable Racing 630 Glen Street Queensbury, NY 12804 (800) 223-4448 8. Other Waxing Info
Links
|
|
Updated 9/03/06 |