/ Events, Winter

Wax It Yourself: Ski and Snowboard Maintenance

Woman is ironing skis with hot wax as a demonstration to a group of skiers and riders

Last Wednesday we had the pleasure of having one of our own ‘Babes’ walk us through a thorough and enlightening ski and snowboard ‘Waxing’ demonstration (Thanks Karey Ann!). As I’ve been progressing on my snow sliding journey I finally have built up the confidence to take my knowledge to the next level and learn how to properly love and care for my most prized possession. Turns out waxing your own snow gear is a lot less intimidating than I thought, so I’m psyched to give it a whirl now that we’re getting consistent snow dumps! If you’re keen on DIY (or WIY), here are our takeaways from last week’s demo:

  1. Starting with a ‘base cleaner’ (or a citrus based cleaner) is key. Apply some to a clean rag to wipe off any residue on your skis/board to provide you with a clean canvas.
  2. Afterward you’ll use a ‘plastic scraper’ to get rid of residue.
  3. Give your gear another wipe down with a ‘base cleaner’ and let it sit and evaporate.
  4. Grab some disposable gloves.
  5. Start heating up your ‘old clothes iron’ or ‘waxing iron’ on a low temperature (approximately 120F) and gradually increase the temperature – but not TOO hot! (Pro Tip: after waxing mark down what temperature setting worked best for your iron)
  6. We favored using ‘crayon wax’ during our demo as it’s less wasteful and less work!
  7. Heat the wax with the iron so that you’re able to rub it easily onto your skis/snowboard.
  8. Use the wax as a crayon and rub the entire surface of your skis/board with it.
  9. Next you’ll continue to ‘spread’ the wax by ironing the entire surface of your board where it was applied. Let it cool.
  10. Once cooled, use your scraper to scrape the wax from one end to the other and voila! You’re ready to cruise the slopes! 

Materials: 

  • Disposable gloves
  • Crayon wax (available at most Ski Shops)
  • Plastic scraper (available at most Ski Shops)
  • An old clothing iron or a ‘waxing iron’ (available at most Ski Shops)
  • ‘Citrus based cleaner’ or a ‘Base cleaner’ (available at most Ski Shops)
  • An old table or a frames (if you have ‘em)  to properly lay your skis/snowboard on