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May, 2025

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Do my new skis need to be waxed?

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mitchski
Posts: 126 - Karma: 94
Just bought some new Candide 3.0s, do they need to be waxed before skiing them or are they good to go?
7 years ago
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mattm7
Posts: 355 - Karma: 1,974
I too have wondered this, I assume new skis come waxed but I wax them anyway cause it couldn't hurt right?
7 years ago
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9742 - Karma: 65,784
from what i know and what ive heard, yes they are waxed but it's a wax job that is concerned with keeping the skis in good shape in storage, not performance

so yes, i wax skis before their first use. not NECESSARY but from what ive learned over the years it's def a good idea to do so
7 years ago
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.Morton
Posts: 443 - Karma: 1,559
^ Like said above, factory wax is pretty much just designed to prevent base burn while sitting in the factory/shop. You can probably still ski on them with no problems but they will perform nowhere near as good as with some actual wax
7 years ago
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r30FIS
Posts: 13 - Karma: 61
No, I would hot scrape them to start, there is a bunch of crap that gets into the bases when they are shipped. I am a bit of a snob and will check flatness and grind if needed, as well as setting base edge to what they need to be. I do not think you need to go this far, but a good cleaning and brushing should be done.
7 years ago
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Chunderface
Posts: 2564 - Karma: 10,042
After reading a lot about this exact thing, the consensus is a strong yes you should wax new skis.
7 years ago
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skiguy04
Posts: 1640 - Karma: 1,275
I would never wax em however I am recommending you do so
7 years ago
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lil.Boye
Posts: 2790 - Karma: 12,668
never waxed new skis, don't think it would hurt though. most skis come factory waxed
7 years ago
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SkiBoi420
Posts: 27 - Karma: 112
Wax that shit! I wax every new pair twice before riding them. Normal wax and graphite
7 years ago
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SkiABasin
Posts: 2 - Karma: 13
Yes, you should wax them.

Source: Spent many years locked in the basement of a ski shop smelling like wax.
7 years ago
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DominatorJacques
Posts: 11247 - Karma: 76,550
mitchskiJust bought some new Candide 3.0s, do they need to be waxed before skiing them or are they good to go?


Depends how into it you are.
If you are not into it, then just ski them.
If you are into it, then clean the bases with "Swix Glide Wax Cleaner" and wax them like crazy.
Let them cool for hours and run the iron over them again.
Do this as many times as you can.
If you had a hot box, that would be awesome too, but you don't, so just do as i said above.
Factory wax is just a roll on and not any good at all. Maybe for a day. Maybe.
The base will be full of all kinds of grinding debris etc. in the factory base wax.
Only a few ski makers make sure a ski comes out of the wrap ready to go.
IDK if ON3P is still doing it, but they were doing a total base prep. to their skis to include a soft wax hot boxing.
Even then, you should wax the crap out if them right out of the gate.
You can't wax a ski too much as long as you do it correctly and DO NOT overheat the base!

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/856726/Waxing-Skis-Basic-Waxing-With-An-Iron--amp--How-Long-It-Takes
Post grind cleaning....any new ski!
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/878250/Post-Stone-Grind-Ski-Cleaning-Prior-to-Waxing
7 years ago
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Non_State_Actor
Posts: 5097 - Karma: 18,669
If the answer to the question "Did you just complete waxing your skis?" is No, it's probably good to get them waxed. That said nobody on this site waxes they're skis as often as would be beneficial except Dominator Jacques probably.
7 years ago
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DominatorJacques
Posts: 11247 - Karma: 76,550
mystery3If the answer to the question "Did you just complete waxing your skis?" is No, it's probably good to get them waxed. That said nobody on this site waxes they're skis as often as would be beneficial except Dominator Jacques probably.

Ha ha. Not totally true. The best shredders are actually in the know!
I do what I can for those who are not.
I try to give my years of real experience to all the youngsters too.
All that can make or break you when the shit gets real.
7 years ago
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mattm7
Posts: 355 - Karma: 1,974
How often should I wax?
7 years ago
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DominatorJacques
Posts: 11247 - Karma: 76,550
mattm7How often should I wax?


That's the seven million dollar question!
7 years ago
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DominatorJacques
Posts: 11247 - Karma: 76,550
mattm7How often should I wax?

Really though, there are so many variables. It depends on so many factors.

For most folks waxing the ski after about 8 hours of use is good. After 6 hours would be better.
This assumes a good waxing job with the right wax for the snow condition and one that doesn't ski over 30mph for very long.

Anyway, you can't wax a ski too much, but each time before you ski them, they need to be scraped and brushed well.
All this takes time. How much time do you have?
7 years ago
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chicken
Posts: 6844 - Karma: 2,122
Not worth the time on the vast majority of skis.
7 years ago
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passeparici
Posts: 4 - Karma: 12
"Not worth the time on the vast majority of skis."
Not true ! Do it as often as you can, specially when the ski is new : the more you do it the better the ski will feel. If someone never do it they will not know that and will tell you it is not necessary to wax your ski.
7 years ago
2 0
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DominatorJacques
Posts: 11247 - Karma: 76,550
passeparici"Not worth the time on the vast majority of skis."
Not true ! Do it as often as you can, specially when the ski is new : the more you do it the better the ski will feel. If someone never do it they will not know that and will tell you it is not necessary to wax your ski.

^ Truth. When you don't wax enough, or at all, you have no reference.
Same goes for scraping and brushing after you wax!



https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/798663/Scraping--amp--Brushing-Skis-Final-Preparation-Of-Ski
7 years ago
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r30FIS
Posts: 13 - Karma: 61
Being a racer I have a very skewed perception of what needs done to a ski, still I do not think anyone in the know would ever say that waxing is not important. I do not care what type of skiing it is, a good tune for what you're doing will make the worlds of difference, there is ZERO downside to doing it and doing it right.
7 years ago
2 0
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chicken
Posts: 6844 - Karma: 2,122
passeparici"Not worth the time on the vast majority of skis."
Not true ! Do it as often as you can, specially when the ski is new : the more you do it the better the ski will feel. If someone never do it they will not know that and will tell you it is not necessary to wax your ski.


I'm talking about replacing the factory wax. Obviously you need to wax your skis frequently if you have sintered bases.

It's like seasoning a cast iron pan. Yeah you can get better than factory seasoning, but in my opinion it's a waste of time to re-season a brand new pan.
7 years ago
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chicken
Posts: 6844 - Karma: 2,122
I mean you could also spend 5 hours preparing a brand new ski. They are your skis. Do whatever you want. I just make sure the bases are flat and then go skiing.
7 years ago
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DominatorJacques
Posts: 11247 - Karma: 76,550
chickenI'm talking about replacing the factory wax. Obviously you need to wax your skis frequently if you have sintered bases.

It's like seasoning a cast iron pan. Yeah you can get better than factory seasoning, but in my opinion it's a waste of time to re-season a brand new pan.


Not true. Factory wax is usually a roll on and for storage of ski until sold. If you ski it like that, you are likely to burn the base. Once burned, wax won't penetrate there. The only way to fix that, is either by hand with sharp steel scraper, or a stone grind.
Never a waste of time.
7 years ago
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r30FIS
Posts: 13 - Karma: 61
Wait, so you're telling me you check for flatness, but do not clean the base from shipping.

chickenI mean you could also spend 5 hours preparing a brand new ski. They are your skis. Do whatever you want. I just make sure the bases are flat and then go skiing.
7 years ago
1 0
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chicken
Posts: 6844 - Karma: 2,122
r30FISWait, so you're telling me you check for flatness, but do not clean the base from shipping.


I dunno. I think the sealed plastic does a pretty good job. Skiing a railed ski sucks. Skiing factory wax doesn't
7 years ago
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