Summer Ski Care
Posted by Dave Johnson on May 26th 2008 in Team Communication
Summer Ski Care
First published in SkiPost Reprinted by Permission
The question of the end of the season is always, “How should I care for my skis before I put them away?” This is what SWIX recommends you do for your skis for those few months when they are being ignored.
For classical skis one should use a wax remover and fiberlene to thoroughly clean all kick-wax and klister from the kick zone, sidewalls and tops of the ski.
Next, the glide zones must be cleaned. You clean the glide zone of a classical ski (tips and tails) the same way you clean the whole base of a skate ski. This is done using a soft wax such as Swix CH-10.
With your iron at a low temperature (so as not to over-heat the base) drip a generous amount of CH-10 on the entire base.
Next, slowly heat the wax and the base by walking the iron from tip to tail. A generous amount of wax is used as a protective layer so the base is not exposed to too much heat. Walk your iron in a slow continuous motion from tip to tail as many times as it takes (about 5 slow passes) until the whole base is covered in a molten, liquid layer of CH-10. This simple method allows for superior wax absorption, and the heat from the iron will open up the pores in the base allowing the dirt, grime and filth hidden therein to rise up into the molten wax. While the wax is still molten, take a sharp plastic scraper and scrape the liquid mess off your ski.
Next, while the base is still warm, use fiberlene to wipe off the remaining wax. Let the ski cool a little bit.
As the base cools, the pores squeeze a little more wax and dirt out.
Gently scrape the base again and brush with a medium bronze brush.
The next step is applying the summer layer of wax to the base.
A thick layer of CH-8 or Base Prep will protect the base and will not melt as easily in the summer heat as something as soft CH-10. If you use CH-10 it might be good to check the skis in the middle of the summer to make sure the wax is still thickly covering the base.
You do not need to apply any wax on the kick zones of your classical skis, but if you feel compelled to do so, use a hard kick wax such as Swix Special Blue - don’t glide wax your kick zone as that will make it harder to get kick wax to stick come next winter.
With a layer of wax on the base, store your skis in as cool a place as you can find. You do this for the sake of the base and also for the sake of the glue that holds the binding-plate down. In very warm conditions even the glue that holds the ski together can be affected by summer heat. To avoid softening the camber of your skis, store your skis with your ski-ties loosely fastened. Skis should not spend the whole summer strapped tightly together, especially in hot conditions. If you take the time to care for your skis, they will run fast for you next winter.
