Do-It-Yourself Ski Wax

Temperature, humidity and age of snow are all factors that affect a skier's gear performance. Waxing your skis regularly helps battle the elements, gives a smooth ride and prevents a dry base. California Ski Company suggests waxing every one to 10 ski days, depending on snow conditions. A tell-tale sign that it's time to wax is a fuzzy feel to the base of your skis. Avid skiers could save a few dollars by waxing their gear themselves using a simple cleaning, waxing and buffing process with basic household, hardware store and ski shop items.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper towel
  • Base cleaner
  • Ski wax
  • Ski iron
  • Wax scraper
  • Stiff bristled brush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place room temperature skis (base up) on a stable, flat surface.

    • 2

      Apply base cleaner to paper towels, and wipe along grain of skis to remove dirt and old wax. Let skis dry completely.

    • 3

      Apply ski wax by holding hot iron to wax bar about 5 to 7 inches above skis. Drip melted ski wax along the ski base covering 40 percent of the ski in wax. Iron along the grain of the ski from tail to tip in long strokes until ski base is completely and evenly coated in wax; let wax cool.

    • 4

      Remove excess cooled wax using a scraper and starting at the tail of the ski. Scrape back and forth at a 45-degree angle along the grain of the ski in long strokes.

    • 5

      Brush the ski base from tip to tail along the grain with a stiff bristled brush to remove leftover excess wax. Continue in long strokes until you cannot remove any more ski wax.

    • 6

      Wipe down the ski with clean paper towels to remove any final debris.