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Waxing skis?

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masta_LE3B
Posts: 3397 - Karma: 62
alright im just wonderin how many people actually wax there skis, i have never waxed my skis and they do fine, but i was wondering if waxin them once in awhile or all the time helps much, thanks and im looking fo educated answers, no "bobby" answers 
Sep 6 2008 1:47AM
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
i wax mine usually twice a season, and after i wax them i can definitely feel the difference, you slide faster for sure.
Sep 6 2008 1:51AM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
i wax a lot... but im also an ex-racer... so i hate that sticky feeling i get on the bottome of my skis... the only problem i ever have with waxing so much is inconsistency on jumps that i hit all the time... my speed is never the same cause im always waxing and such..
Sep 6 2008 2:06AM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 150
I like good fast bases, and I care for my skis quite well so I wax mine every 5-7 days of skiing..Often we get a lot of dirt mixed in with the snow where i'm from too, so I do it a bit more often than some..
If you care about speed and/or the condition of your bases then frequent waxing is a good idea..

Oh, and:
Click for larger image

Sep 6 2008 2:11AM
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A_Davis
Posts: 601 - Karma: 21
I wax like every 10 skiing days. I dont like the sticky feeling. I also wax like the night before a like super cold day or a super warm day if i hear about it on the tv. I just like knowing my skis are all nice and fast. i also run a gummy stone down the edges every once in awhile to get rid of little burs.
Sep 6 2008 2:16AM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
i wax about every time i ski.
but last season i worked in a shop and i have my own iron and wax so its really simple and cheap
Sep 6 2008 2:20AM
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KeithB.
Posts: 608 - Karma: 12
I'm a big fan of waxing. I work in a shop and take every available oportunity possible to iron in some wax on the ol' sticks. As our friend above mentioned, consistency is a key factor when sending it, so stay on top of your bases and let the wax flow like wine. Learn as much as you dare. When all the other guys are searching for speed to clear shit, it will be one less thing you have to think about when it's your turn, as long as your wax is dialed. If you are more into skiing some fresh then trust me, there is nothing finer for rocketting through the deep than some righteously waxed boards. For any of those missing the point, I loved them waxed up juicy cinamon sticks mmmmm.
Sep 6 2008 2:43AM
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little_boo
Posts: 1303 - Karma: 231
i wax my skis quite often, about evey half dozen times i ski them. i cant stand dry bases...

one really good wax at the beginning of the season too.
Sep 6 2008 2:44AM
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aurora.
Posts: 1169 - Karma: 104
there was a thread on this in gear talk....but whatever, typical bobby....i do my race skis like once a week......and depending whether i have time or not i do my chronics at the same time....

if you ever want me to wax your skis or do your edges i've got a bench in my garage and all my high quality race tuning and waxing stuff....i do random fairbanks people's skis...mostly all the old geezers that ski at moose....they usually pay me $20.... buuut.....id maybe charge you like $10 bucks becuase wax aint cheap son....
Sep 6 2008 3:04AM
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masta_LE3B
Posts: 3397 - Karma: 62
i know how to wax skis, well atleast cross sountry ones, but thanks ways, although i would like to find out what and how to use a "burr thingy", cause iv allways just used a big file to ruff it up then a medium file to take out the chunks and then a small file to smooth it all out. but iv herd that once you wax your skis you allways have to wax them other wise they get super slow, is that true?
Sep 6 2008 3:48AM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 150
skis should always have wax in the base..without it they will get slow
Sep 6 2008 4:03AM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
this man speaks the truth...
Sep 6 2008 4:22AM
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GreenStezz
Posts: 3570 - Karma: 717
i wax every morning in the spring (May), living in mammoth come spring time its hard to even clear the jumps.............
Sep 6 2008 7:38AM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7812 - Karma: 21,819
I wax every 1-2 weeks. More often in the spring, because my skis get extremely sticky. It's like a layer of sticky grease that builds up on the bottom of my skis, but it only happened since I came to Marble Mountain. so i have to use a ton of goo-gone(cheaper alternative to base cleaner) and then wax 'um good with the red TOKO. if you keep your skis waxed, they slide more smoothly, so the skis just perform better in every condition. also the wax will reduce the friction between the snow and your ski base, so your bases last longer.
Sep 6 2008 8:26AM
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GuerillaInDaMist
Posts: 546 - Karma: 47
if the snow is really dirty try hot waxing helps a shit load. just pick up some of the cheapest wax u can find and scrap it right after ur done ironing it in. ull find all this dirt in your wax and this means faster skis
Sep 6 2008 4:02PM
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JQ89
Posts: 432 - Karma: 10
yeah i usually wax mine a few times a season, after the last time i go skiing i put a big coat on and dont scrape it off until winter time
Sep 6 2008 4:47PM
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GURT
Posts: 373 - Karma: 60
i waxed my skis like every 4-7 days and i gave them a full tune up like every 10-20 days but that is only because i worked in a shop.
Sep 6 2008 6:34PM
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gregor
Posts: 1069 - Karma: 83
Like every three days on the snow. 
Defintely worthwhile, keeps your bases in good condition and makes you faster than everyone else.  Tracks and roads are no problem with properly waxed skis.


Sep 6 2008 6:44PM
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Calb3rt
Posts: 6005 - Karma: 2,203
waxing skis is not hard at all. just go down to value village and get an old iron and then snag some wax and a scraper from beaver sports and your set. wax on, wax off. its not that difficult bobby.
Sep 6 2008 6:48PM
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Avifarer
Posts: 5926 - Karma: 598
I didnt wax my skis at all last year but i'll probably buy a wax kit when i go get my skis tuned at the beginning of the seas.
One question though, how badly can you screw up waxing? And if you screw up can it f up your skis up forev?
Sep 6 2008 7:19PM
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masta_LE3B
Posts: 3397 - Karma: 62
like i said before i know how to wax
Sep 6 2008 7:19PM
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grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175

rather easy, makes a mess though, and it helps maintain your bases and keep them looking better and preforming better for a longer period of time

Sep 6 2008 7:28PM
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Calb3rt
Posts: 6005 - Karma: 2,203
then why ask such a stupid question. of course it helps or people would not do it.
Sep 6 2008 7:35PM
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masta_LE3B
Posts: 3397 - Karma: 62
well i was tryin to figure out who waxes and who doesnt, i thought it be more than just me a josh , and i was also tryin to figure out how often to wax and if one waxing makis it so that you allways have to wax other wise there way slow
Sep 6 2008 8:32PM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 150
You can screw it up very badly.

e.g. If the iron is too hot you can overheat the bases which can cause major delam.
If the wax starts smoking, it's a sign the iron needs to be turned down a bit.
Sep 6 2008 8:45PM
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cool.
Posts: 3457 - Karma: 1,724
you can definetelly screw it up, id ask someone you know who does it a lot, but its worth it, id do it like every 10 days or so, kinda depends on what kind of snow your skiing on too
Sep 6 2008 8:50PM
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Tucks
Posts: 2120 - Karma: 161
I typically wax every 2-3 days Check SWIX sport and they have videos on how to wax better
Sep 6 2008 9:08PM
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Franny
Posts: 3980 - Karma: 77
I wax before the base starts to oxidize.
Sep 6 2008 9:13PM
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-Nick-
Posts: 1479 - Karma: 24
is that when they turn all white?
Sep 6 2008 9:23PM
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Jwalk
Posts: 4647 - Karma: 134
personally i enjoy waxing my skis and do it when i feel i need it
Sep 6 2008 9:27PM
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Where-am-I
Posts: 1635 - Karma: 281
i wax mine myself alot then i get them waxed at a shop about twice a season
Sep 6 2008 9:31PM
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mattster
Posts: 4120 - Karma: 41
it makes you go faster.

what i wondered was whether or not to scrape them, cause i've heard different things, basically that the abrasion of the snow on your skis will scrape everything in 2 runs or so anyways, so there was no point to scraping.
Sep 6 2008 9:36PM
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TheWorst
Posts: 7883 - Karma: 17
I'd just go to the shops and get them waxed if I didn't really know what I was doing... I mean I get them waxed like 5ish times a year so thats like 50$ usually or like 28 beers if you cut a deal with the techs. I mean I've worked in a ski shop known for there tune ups and I learned from like the best person, did racers skis and shit, but good materials are gonna cost you at least like 150$. In the long run it might be better but if you dont really know what your doing then just go to the shop. I know what I'm doing and I still go to the shop. Last year I actually got all my waxes for free (thanks comor) cause I had a dance off with one of the girls that worked there :)
Sep 6 2008 9:39PM
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JordanClarke
Posts: 998 - Karma: 1,922
it helps soo much. depending on how much i ski i keep mine waxed quite a bit, and i can tell a huggge difference
Sep 6 2008 10:57PM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
normally i wax every 2-4 days of hard skiing or if i feel like it just needs one or if its gunna be a sick day like a pow day or something so usually like once to twice a week
Sep 6 2008 11:11PM
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BcPowderHunter
Posts: 275 - Karma: 13
once every week or two
Sep 7 2008 12:27AM
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jasontheredhead
Posts: 955 - Karma: 243
i wax mine when my bases get that white chalky look
Sep 7 2008 12:29AM
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1080ski
Posts: 4424 - Karma: 191
me too but i only wax like 3 times a season
Sep 7 2008 12:29AM
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
wow, everyone here is saying they wax their skis all the time. i guess maybe i should start waxing mine more often too considering i ski pretty much every weekend of the season.
Sep 7 2008 12:30AM
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HPskier
Posts: 1072 - Karma: 30
haha brilliant
Sep 7 2008 12:32AM
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TheWorst
Posts: 7883 - Karma: 17
yup, and thats when you should wax them. Guys, if your not like competing all the time you shouldnt have to wax them once every 2-3 times. Your bases are like sponges, they can only absorb so much wax, so just wax them when there feeling either slow or when they get a whitish look to them
Sep 7 2008 1:41AM
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gregor
Posts: 1069 - Karma: 83
You should always scrape with a plastic scraper after a hot wax.
It makes you fast from the start but its mainly to have an even smoothness across the whole ski.  Bases lose their wax more in the centre than tips and tails so you'll find they stay rough when the middle starts to dry out.  Also someone told me that bases lose their wax quicker if not scraped, I have no scientific knowledge to back this up though.

If you're a keen bean, wax, then scrape while the wax is hot.  This draws all the shit out of the base.  Then hot wax again and do a cool scrape after 20 mins or so.  You should do this if your skis are brand new or you haven't waxed in ages. 

If they're white and rough to touch, get them ground (or metal scrape and texture them yourself) then do the above.  A rough base is sign of real damage.

On the other hand, if you don't really care so much, forget everything I've just said!
Sep 17 2008 11:34AM
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SEABURN
Posts: 4859 - Karma: 2,751
every 3 days of skiing, and new texture every two weeks
Sep 17 2008 12:00PM
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B.Aussie
Posts: 5852 - Karma: 4,531

I used to be racer so I'd wax my skiis everynight. But now I wax them about once a week or when they strat to get dehydrated and slow.

I run a little tuning buisness at my local mountain tuning about 10sets of skiis a week.  It's amazing how many compelty dehyrdrated skiis come in.  I wonder how some of the skiis actually go.

Waxing should be a part of your ski preperation. There's no point getting top end skiis if you don't keep them in top condition.

Sep 22 2008 8:10AM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 150
the man speaks truth.
Sep 22 2008 8:21AM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
Almost everytime i go out, of course having a shop job makes this a lot cheaper.

Scraping is essential.  SOme people like to just ski the wax off but in reality this is counter productive.  Scraping slices the wax flush with the pores, where as skiing it off pulls the chunks off and out of the pores thus removing too much wax.
Sep 22 2008 9:17AM
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Funnel
Posts: 7814 - Karma: 1,513
I wax my skis every 10 times or so.  You will feel a difference for sure.  You've gotten so used to the slow bases that's why you can't feel a difference.
Sep 22 2008 9:58AM
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ECgoggletan
Posts: 254 - Karma: 10
i have my own little iron and i usually wax at least once a week
i really dont mind doing it  its actually real satisfying  and it keeps your stuff in good shape
Sep 22 2008 10:40AM
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Jibberino
Posts: 2089 - Karma: 1,346
Well you obviously never skied crazy spring/summer slush, cuz then you'd know why people wax!
Sep 22 2008 10:57AM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
i usually prep the shit out of them when i get them new and then maybe like three times a year after that. which is pretty bad. i ski a lot i shoul wax them like twice a month or so.
Sep 22 2008 11:11AM
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moonofendor
Posts: 1484 - Karma: 14
i love waxing mi skis. especially after a really good night i'll get home at like 3 and wax the shit outta them. sometimes it gets alitlle crazy, but its always worth it the next day. oh and if anyone works in a shop just gank one of the bricks of wax the shop has, that shit lasts. i got a half brick last season, and i'm still using it.
Sep 22 2008 5:30PM
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