Waxing your own skis

So, apparently, I need to relearn how to wax downhill skis. I had a light tune up done last weekend, picked my skis up last Sunday and skied on them. When I brought my skis in yesterday after skiing, the wax was gone off the edges of the skis. I took my skis back to the repair shop and had a great chat with the guys there. I didn't think I skied that hard, but whatever.

Back in the dark ages when I was in college, I used to tune up and wax my downhills. I have cross country skis and know how to wax them. What are your tips for waxing downhills????

Thanks!

WP

Everything I do gear- wise is haphazard and half- assed so I’m not going to provoke the real pros here by describing my own methods and practices but I will say that waxing is super easy and direct you here :
https://forum.nyskiblog.com/DIY-ski-tuning-stoke-thread-td2061045.html
You got some reading to do...

Perfect. Thanks!

WP

wonderpony wrote

When I brought my skis in yesterday after skiing, the wax was gone off the edges of the skis.

Waxing isn't for the edges, it's for the bases. When you wax you scrape any wax off the edges, and any that remains gets scrubbed off on your first run anyway.

https://www.racewax.com/tuning-tips/

Wax the edges when you store them for the off season to prevent rust.

I meant that the parts of the base close to the base were grey, not the actual edges. I do have at least that many smarts.  And, I have done my skis before, including ptex, but it's been a long, long time.  The dinosaurs were roaming the earth last time I did my own skis.

I had another nice chat with the guy at the shop this morning. He showed me the edging tool he would recommend, told me what angle to set it for, and handed me some skis with shiny bottoms. They don't look like that anymore. Off to spend some money...

WP

If the wax is wearing off the base unevenly it may be time for a base grind. Ski bases can become convex or concave over time and can be checked with the edge of your your scraper, a base grind can bring them back to true

WP --- all the guys who work in the shop there are very knowledgeable and more than willing to help you. Don't hesitate to stop in and ask questions.

I already have, Camp.  Eric was super helpful.  I think that he spent half an hour with me yesterday and another ten minutes today.  My/our goal is to keep my bases from drying out.  After 8 lovely runs today, I need to wax again.

I picked up an old iron from re-use yesterday and will be ordering some base wax and a moonflex polishing stone shortly.  He told me to set it to 88 degrees.  I will hit my edges first, then hot wax, let it cool, and then go over it again as per his suggestion.  Who knew that I skied as hard as I do?

WP

After several hours of reading, I have settle on this.  https://www.racewax.com/racewax-quick-tune-ski-snowboard-wax-tuning-kit/  My goal is to just maintain my skis, and then take them to the shop every 10 times or so for some real help.

My brain hurts.  

WP

racewax is good people, don't hestitate to reach out to him of you have any questions

wonderpony wrote

I already have, Camp.  Eric was super helpful.  I think that he spent half an hour with me yesterday and another ten minutes today.  My/our goal is to keep my bases from drying out.  After 8 lovely runs today, I need to wax again.

If you play golf he'd be a good one to get lessons from.

Sorry.  As a horse person, a golf course just looks like a waste of good galloping space.  Elm Tree, between Cortland and Dryden also has a nice bank up/bank down by route 13.  But, it is wasted as golf.  :p

Meanwhile, Eric was super nice and very enthusiastic and informative.  (And, he didn't try to sell me anything.) The world needs more people like him.  :)

WP

Will do, Gorgonzola!  Thanks!

wonderpony wrote

As a horse person, a golf course just looks like a waste of good galloping space.

Sigworthy!

If your base gets grey and looks velvety the snow has burned the base.  It tends to happen more out in the section close to the edge where the bevel is put in
It happens when we have very cold abrasive snow and you had no wax or a soft warm temp wax on the skis.  Colder temp waxes are much harder which protects the base.  

It's here!  It's here!  I am so excited!  I had a flashback to 30 years ago when I used to do this.  The edger looks pretty much the same.  I remember doing ptex.  I remember enjoying tuning my skis.  :)

WP