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Line Anthem 08/09 waxjob

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TheGrudge
Posts: 113 - Karma: 10
Since last year I had these skis. Theyre the first ones Im not just having taken care of entirely by the shop.

Last year I only got in one week, and after that I didnt wax my skis before I put them away in my room. I took them out last week and waxed them before we left, but didnt scrape them thinking any additional protection is good to have, i suppose, even though a thin layer of wax really wont do shit. So I arrived, scraped them, went skiing for two days and on the 2nd day they already felt slow as shit. Any flat part is a true bitch, and the bases look dull and dry. So I waxed them again the day before yesterday, after letting them dry for a couple hours and going over the bases with a cloth so they werent humid when I did the waxing. By the end of yesterday they felt reasonably fine, but today it was the same thing: really slow.

I think I do an ok job on the waxing, the wax itself isnt cheap as fuck (12 euro for a fairly small block of wax, 0 to -4 degrees celsius, but I cant imagine the wax temp being the cause really)

Last year I didnt do any proper skiing as I was with friends who'd never ski'd before so I was spending all of my time with them, this year I'm taking a course to work on my technique so we're doing some more intensive alpine skiing (no park as its a full day of skiing).

so I'm just wondering...
Am I doing something wrong? Is this just the way it is with non-race bases (I presume the anthems dont have racebases anyway, id be surprised if they did) and do I need to suck it up? Do I have the wrong wax after all?

Thanks!
Mar 3 2010 11:17AM
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TheGreen
Posts: 504 - Karma: 41
did you hot wax or did you just rub the wax on your skis?
Mar 3 2010 1:15PM
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TheGrudge
Posts: 113 - Karma: 10
I hotwaxed it using yellow Toko wax, might not be ideal for these temperatures but I can't imagine it making THAT much of a difference, not to mention the entire effect of the wax being gone in no time. Arent these waxjobs supposed to last a week or maybe half a week at least?

I stumbled upon the sticky in these forums earlier, and Im doing it pretty much exactly like the video, including the tips mentioned underneath it.
Mar 3 2010 2:06PM
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TheGreen
Posts: 504 - Karma: 41
well if you hotwaxed following all the correct steps I don't see what could be wrong...
Mar 3 2010 9:42PM
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TheGrudge
Posts: 113 - Karma: 10
Im not sure I get it either. Waxed them again last night, they felt sweet all morning despite the temps probably being colder than recommended for the wax, and after i put them away outside when we went into the lodge for lunch for like an hour they looked really dry and were slow once again... pretty annoying
Mar 4 2010 11:06AM
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El_Barto.
Posts: 11630 - Karma: 24,474
i dont think your alone. i have heard of others having similar problems with their anthems not holding wax
Mar 4 2010 11:14AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
consider getting a stonegrind; my friends board got all hairy and white after a while and no matter how often you waxed or scraped it, it would still dry out.

then he got his base grinded again and it was all ok !
Mar 4 2010 11:20AM
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Mt_Baker_Man
Posts: 2012 - Karma: 105
You should strip the wax off with a base cleaner, then get something called "base prep"

http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Toko-Base-Prep-Gray/TOK0005M.html?CMP_ID=SH_FRO001&CMP_SKU=TOK0005&mv_pc=r126

Use that, it works amazingly. Also, after you hot wax, make sure you let the wax dry, scrape it, then buff it with a cloth. (MAKE SURE YOU SCRAPE). If you still have problems, its your skis.

BTW: using the wrong temp wax could be a problem too.
Mar 4 2010 11:25AM
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TheGrudge
Posts: 113 - Karma: 10
I'll use the baseprep and get them done at the shop (I suppose they will know what a stonegrind is, im not entirely sure myself... feel free to explain :D) when I get home, only one day left this trip anyway sadly :( I'll just suck it up

And yea I do scrape and what not, they just dont hold the wax it seems. I can perfectly imagine feeling a bit of difference between types of wax when the temperatures get more extreme, but nothing like this. We've had bluebird and really cold weather and ive experienced it in both so I dont think its the type of wax

Thanks for the help anyway
Mar 4 2010 11:57AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
wrong temp wax shouldnt be such a big difference....

i ride half red, half yellow toko wax all year long and i can say that i'll outrun at least 90% of all the skiers on a flat part...

also: my friend, when he waxed his board for the first time, he completely sucked at it; he just spread the wax out and tought it was ok...

you really need to take your time to let the base warm up and absorb the wax, then let it cool down and scrape + brush....

(this is my own oppinion) wax does make skis faster; but it'll last only for some runs, after that the superficial wax is worn off and you'll be skiing on your raw base material...
However wax will contribute to your base's durability; it will keep the base smooth and saturated with wax.

so if you're having trouble going fast; start off with a good base with a nice smooth structure in it (definately no hairy spots, this will slow you down like nothing else !! ) , and then, if you're still going slow, look into special waxes...

FYI
**stone grind = renewing the base structure (structuur in uw base brengen... )
If you look very carefully at your base, you'll see very tiny grooves running down it.

what a stonegrind does is: 1) flatten out your base
2) scrape off a very tiny part of your base to freshen it up
3) put new grooves into your base
Mar 4 2010 12:29PM
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TheGrudge
Posts: 113 - Karma: 10
as far as waxing technique goes: I realize the layer of wax on top of my bases isnt the important part and wont make you faster (if it doesnt make you slower to begin with?), so I do know I need to scrape and what not. When I use my iron, I sort of let it rest on the base and move it slowly back to front, takes about a minute to do the entire ski. thats after I dripped the wax on it of course. I dont use brushes, mostly because the shop guy said he doesnt think its worth it and didnt sell any at the time. perhaps ill pick some up from another place...

theres no hair or anything on the bases, ive hardly gotten to use them. before this week they werent worth having taken care of by the shop, but by the end of the week ill probably send them in to get them stonegrinded (i know what you mean now, ive seen it on my dads skis, the machine he uses creates some sort of pattern consisting of boxes, hard to explain). I dont think the structure isnt the problem though as the grooves are still somewhat visible


bit off topic: how many weeks do you get in each year, God (and damn you making me address you like that!) thats not including the days you ski indoor as I assume you do that a lot as well?
Mar 4 2010 2:08PM
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dubaiski
Posts: 961 - Karma: 37
this. I had the same problem with my invaders before i used a base cleaner
Mar 4 2010 2:41PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
brushing will make you faster; it's one of the most crucial things if you want very fast skis!
but nonetheless a waxed + scraped ski should still be fast!
(try using a scotchbrite pad after scraping, it works even better than a brush! )

i think a stonegrind will cure your problems; i've had some old skis that got overheated( according to my shoptech) and closed up the pores; he stonegrinded them and they were as good as new!

off topic

normally like 4weeks and maybe some weekends but this year i've had some bad grades + ankle injury
so i'm currently on 1,5week and still planning for a weekend + 1 or 2 week instructing...

excluded the indoor skiing :D

PS: wie zijde gij? ik ben Fré, kzit ook op skisluts.be als blogger (magnus) :D 't ski-wereldje is klein in belgie dus mss kennen we elkaar al :)

Grtz!
Mar 5 2010 8:40AM
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cct_222
Posts: 1526 - Karma: 141
yea my anthems dont hold wax for shit either, within like 4 full days of skiing after a fresh wax my bases are bone dry and slowwwww, and since waxing can add up to be pricey, id usually hit my bases with some rub on wax for the time until i re waxed my bases
Mar 5 2010 9:07AM
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TheGreen
Posts: 504 - Karma: 41
waxing ... pricey? Maybe I'm doing it the wrong way, but I bought a 30$ block of wax and after hot waxing my skis once a my friend's snowboard's once, I used a bout 3% of it...
Mar 14 2010 12:52PM
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BigJew
Posts: 6974 - Karma: 79
Don't bother with the temperature specific expensive waxes on park skis.

Just get a big brick of the all temperature (usually soapy green color) wax and wax them after every weekend.
Mar 14 2010 1:49PM
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