This is just a simple look at the steps involved in hot waxing your skis/snowboard. It is a simple process with a few inexpensive but special tools. You can find a list of what tools you will need (here). Once you have gathered them together into a tune up kit, waxing your skis or snowboard will be quick and fast.
Eight basic steps to waxing your own skis / snowboard.
- Make sure that the skis / snowboards is at room temp. Room temperature bases absorb wax better than stone cold bases. So bring them inside and allow them to warm up.
- Clean any dust or dirt off the base with a damp towel and dry the base.
- Place a strong rubber band on ski breaks moving them up and out of the way. Or you can use a heavy duty twist tie.
- Select the temperature specific wax you want and sparingly melt the wax dripping onto bases. Melt enough wax to completely “wet out” the base but not too much. Any excess wax will be wasted and scraped away.
- Let the wax cool down to room temperature. This is important to give the wax time to lock into the base.
- Scrape off excess wax with a plastic scraper. Scrape in long smooth strokes tip to tail. Do this until the plastic scraper is no longer effectively removing wax.
- Brush out the remaining wax from tip to tail with long strokes. Start with your stiffest brush. Then use a medium stiffness brush. Then use the softest brush. If you only have one brush that will work just fine too.
- Clean up your tune equipment. I use a special bench to catch the wax scrapings to make clean up easy. But a small drop cloth or a large towel works good. Small bench top sawhorses or boxes to hold the ski/snowboard and small tool box to keep all waxes, iron, and scrapers together.
Once you have a kit put together it becomes easier to hot wax your ride. When it is quick and easy to hot wax you will do it more often. Once you see how much it improves your glide you will love it!
Find out more about ski and snowboard wax and waxing tools on our Frequently Asked Questions Page.
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