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theabortionator
April, 2025

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When you're tuning skis what is the cork for?

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Skibumsmith
Posts: 5467 - Karma: 12,350
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15 years ago
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CMYK
Posts: 1101 - Karma: 345
rub it down afterwords to make it nice and smooooooottthhh
15 years ago
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ChrisSkisChronic
Posts: 1128 - Karma: 230
It gives the wax a grain, which creates less resistance
15 years ago
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Skibumsmith
Posts: 5467 - Karma: 12,350
ok thanks i should buy one
15 years ago
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.jesus.
Posts: 2288 - Karma: 22
this^ and hows that headband holding up?
15 years ago
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cool.
Posts: 3457 - Karma: 1,725
^^^ what they said. it's used for overlays, like at the top of a race course some people put on overlays and then use a cork. not gunna do too much if your just waxing with things like base prep, ch, lf, or even hf (assuming you use swix). as i said its used for overlays like rub-on cera-f and shit
15 years ago
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.peter
Posts: 1222 - Karma: 63
Honestly, you don't really need one if you're using hot wax and an iron.
If you're using cheeper rub on solid wax you need one
and if you're using spray or other liquid wax you don't (usually).
15 years ago
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BMskier
Posts: 3363 - Karma: 365

this.

the cork is really used to create friction and heat to act like an iron when using the cheaper rup on type waxes.

15 years ago
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6744 - Karma: 11,755
this.
15 years ago
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Jordan
Posts: 4079 - Karma: 2,122
that.
15 years ago
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,903
The cork buffs the wax on your base making it smoother and more consistent quicker.  Primarily used for race tunes where the skis have to be fast right out of the gate.  It also takes more of the wax off so it doesn't last as long.  Basically a race wax job would be hot wax, scrape with plastic scraper and then buff with cork. 

Bottom line is that it is a waste of money for anything other than race setups.  All you need to do is hot wax and scrape with a plastic scraper.  Metal scrapers are used to scrape Petex.  If you use a metal scraper on wax it will just shorten the life of your wax job by taking too much off.  Seriously, you do not need to buy a cork. 
15 years ago
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Fischer-Addicted
Posts: 1064 - Karma: 30
its for waxing your skis, really wax just fills in the small cracks and such so when your corking it, try to create a good bit of friction to heat the wax a bit. almost as good as a hot wax then
15 years ago
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Skibumsmith
Posts: 5467 - Karma: 12,350
ok then i won't worry about it

the headband is holding up great
15 years ago
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freezed
Posts: 12973 - Karma: 500
hot wax, scrape, cork?

more like scrape, brush, hot wax, hot scrape, hot wax, scrape, brush, finer brush, brillo pad (not including overlay waxes or pastes or whatnot)

haha, at least that was what i did when i raced. :P that's all pretty irrelevant on this site though, so you are right, don't worry about getting a cork!
15 years ago
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,903
LOL. Actually it was Petex, scrape, side file for side bevel, big fucking flat file putting all of my skinny little 120lbs on it for base bevel.  Once every finger was bleeding so that your bases were red, then it was time to break out the fine file to hone, just so you could take emery paper to and detune.  Then it was hotwax, with some wacked out mixture that your coach heard that one of the US ski team coaches had a vision about in a New Mexico sweat lodge.  Then scrape, brush, finer brush, green scrubbing pad, then cork.  By then it was 2:00 AM and you had time to go home and grab a few hours of sleep before climbing into a van to drive to a really awesome ski area that you got to enjoy by spending the whole day on a groomed icy run.  Then when you got home you got to listen to your friends talk about all the sick parties you missed that weekend.  God I miss it!!!

Actually missed a step.  Somewhere in there you had to use mineral spirits to get the blood off your bases before you could wax. 
15 years ago
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Skibumsmith
Posts: 5467 - Karma: 12,350
nailed it
the best part is standing in the start area in nothing but your speed suit while its freezing cold and your friends are skiing powder.
15 years ago
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.Max.
Posts: 2930 - Karma: 701
those? or too much
15 years ago
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