How to wax your skis

For kick waxing (classic skiing only), you can buy the three basic colors (green, blue and red) and they will work fine for all conditions. Just read the temperature ranges on the “tins” and wax accordingly; remember that if it is humid, you will have to move to a warmer wax. If you are getting to the top end of the range of a certain color, mix in some of the next warmer wax and it will create the appropriate mixture. To apply the wax, simply crayon a thin layer from your heel to a point about 12″ in front of your toe. Then cork it until you can’t see the wax anymore. Do this several times (up to five layers), most people don’t put on enough wax or put it on in thick gobs that can’t be smoothed.

Klister is used for kick wax when the classic tracks have become icy and normal hard wax no longer provides grip. Klister works quite well and, with the glazed tracks, makes for fast, fun classic skiing. Here’s how to successfully use klister. First, make sure the klister is warm and goey when you put it on the ski. Take the klister tube, close the face of the hole against the ski and spread a thin layer on either side of the groove. Make the length of the application a little shorter than you would hard wax. Finally, take the klister spreader that comes with the tube and smooth the klister in one continuous motion. Set the skis outside so the klister gets cold and you are ready to go. When the tracks are glazed but contain some fresh snow, simply crayon on the hard wax of the day over the frozen klister, but don’t cork it. The hard wax “protects” the klister from the fresh snow.

For glide waxing, there are a couple of ways to do it - you can make it as simple or complicated as you want. The simple method involves buying a mid-temperature glide wax (Rex blue or Swix violet are good) and crayoning the wax over the whole ski if skating (the area that is not kick waxed if striding), then corking it in with a clean cork (not the same cork you use for kick waxing) until you can’t see the wax, and then brushing the ski until it looks shiny. You can buy a brush for glide waxing for around $10 at any ski shop. The whole process only takes 5 minutes for both skis. The more complicated, but more durable method involves melting the wax onto the ski with an iron. There are a wide variety of glide waxes you can purchase to match the appropriate temperature and snow conditions. If you are interested in learning how to do this, call your local Nordic ski shop and they can give you step by step instructions.

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Tags: klister, recreational skier, skiing, waxing