What does an iron have to do with skiing?
“I myself am a skier,“ I thought to myself and tried for the very first time to wax my skis by myself. What else you need (apart from an old iron) and how I went about it, is here for you to read about now.
- An old iron (not a steam iron, as otherwise the wax runs into it)
- Scraper (if necessary then an ice scraper will do)
- Waxing brush (with nylon bristles)
- Ski wax (hot wax)
- 2 strong rubber bands (to hold the binding brakes in place)
- A cloth
- Work bench (or any other device to which you can fix your skis to)
Scraper, waxing brush and wax can be bought from any well-stocked sports shops or on the Internet. Amazon sells a starter set including a waxing iron for €50 onwards.
- Bring skis to room temperature, so that they can really absorb the wax.
- Fix the skis well, with the bottom surface of the ski facing upwards.
- Take off the old wax: For me, this step was null and void as there was no old wax left on the ski. Usually, one would take the brush and would go back and forth, applying a light pressure to the surface of the ski.
- Remove any dirt from the surface: small particles of dirt, dust and old bits of wax are best removed with a cloth.
- Heat up the iron. It is important not to let it get too hot! Between setting 1 and 2 is more than enough. That is a temperature of about 120-130 °C.
- Put the wax over the whole surface of the ski: I decided to use hot wax, as it penetrates deeper into the surface of the ski and therefore is more durable. As you hold the stick of wax against the iron, it melts and drips onto the surface.
- Ironing: either using the wax or the iron spread the wax and iron the surface from front to back until all pores have been filled up with a sufficient amount of wax. But be careful: As when ironing your clothes, be careful not to spend too long on one spot as you could damage the surface.
- Let the wax set for at least half an hour. Tip: The wax can also be left on over the summer, thus protecting the surface of the ski. What else can you do which is good for your ski?
- Pull off the wax: Use the scraper to pull the wax off the ski (if possible don’t push). Always start at the front and pull off towards the back.
- Polish the ski with the nylon bristles brush until you have a nice even coating.
Do you already have some experience with waxing your skis? Then share your tips and tricks with us!
