Waxing 101 for Classic & Skate

Where to Get Waxing Equipment:

Our friends at Ski Rack in Burlington usually have a great supply of wax & waxing tools. Remember that MNC members get 15% off all Nordic items at Ski Rack!

Ski Touring Centers that have a ski shop usually sell wax as well.

MNC is doing a team TOKO order- we get a great discount and it’s a great time to get everything you need including wax benches and irons. TOKO ORDERS ARE DUE DEC.3, 2021! Get the order form & info HERE.

There are lots of online shops. Just make sure you know what you are looking for because it can be overwhelming! (Feel free to email a coach for help!)

Classic Skis

For Waxable Classic Skis You Need:

1) Kick or “grip” waxes in a range of temperatures. I suggest getting Toko Red, Toko Yellow & Toko Blue “Grip” wax.  Toko waxes have been working really well at Bolton and their 3 wax system is probably the simplest out of all the wax companies.

2)  A cork. These come in natural cork and synthetic. I like the synthetic better because they create more friction and heat and since we are waxing outside, this is helpful.

3) A putty knife or a plastic scraper. You will use this to scrape off the old wax.

4) Wax remover & paper towels. You will use this when you really want to clean your skis well, when we use sticky warmer waxes or if we ever use klister.

Here is a really good video that shows you how to kick wax skis & how to clean the wax off them after you ski:

Kick Waxing Basics

*Note: You do not have to clean your skis with wax remover every time you ski. If we have only used waxes for below 30 F, you will be fine if you just scrape off most of the old wax with your scraper.

For No-wax Fish-scale skis:

Universal Spray or Liquid Rub-on

No grip wax needed. It’s great to have a universal spray or liquid rub-on for no-wax skis: Maxi-glide, TOKO Easy Grip & Glide, SWIX F-4. Apply this every couple of weeks or more often and your skis will just glide and work better. It is especially good when the temperatures get to 32F and the snow gets sticky. You can apply to the entire length of the ski.

For Skin Skis: 

Skin Cleaner- This will just keep your skins working better. Use about every fourth time you ski.

Universal Spray or Liquid Rub-on (see above). For the tips & tails only (not the skins)

SKATE SKIS & Tips & Tails of Waxable Classic Skis

The bases of your skis get dried out and that makes your skis S-L-O-W, especially in cold weather. The bases need to be waxed routinely. Either when the temperatures change or about every other time you ski on those skis.

There are now two ways of waxing: hot wax and liquid paraffin.  Hot waxing needs to be done at least annually, more often if your child skis a lot and even more often if your child is racing. If you rented skis, they come hot waxed and you can get by with just Liquid Paraffins that are easier to apply and require less equipment. So here is how to do both:

Liquid Paraffins-

Like kick wax, they come in different colors for different temperatures. New this year (2021), they also come in different degrees of price/performance.  For BKL, we only use Base Performance waxes for BKL (they are the cheapest).  Again, TOKO has the simplest system with just three different waxes. They are a little more expensive than hot waxes, but you don’t need all the equipment that it takes to apply hot wax. The temperatures that they are good for are printed on the wax can.

What you will need:

1. Liquid Paraffin: TOKO Base Performance- Start with Blue, then add Red and then Yellow to your kit
2. A soft nylon wax brush for brushing out the wax.

Here’s a How To: Liquid Paraffin Application

You can set your ski up on the backs of two chairs to apply the paraffin.

Hot Wax

If your child races or really skis a lot, you will want to hot wax their skis to help maintain the bases and keep them running fast. It’s a bit of an investment in all the equipment but well worth it if your family has a lot of skis and racing in high school is on the horizon.

You will need:

1. A wax bench to secure the ski while you work on it.
2. A waxing iron. These irons don’t have holes and most now have temperature settings.
3. A plastic scraper.
4. A groove scraper
5. 2 brushes. A copper brush and a nylon or horsehair finishing brush.
6. Hot Wax in a range of temperature. For BKL, we only use non-fluro waxes. Start by getting blue, then red, then yellow (TOKO). The TOKO Base Performance Paraffin is what you need. New this year, TOKO has a Universal Base Performance wax which is also an option.

Here is a great how-to video from our friends in Craftsbury: Hot Waxing Basics

Still have questions? Ask a coach or email Coach Rosemary: sheacobb19@gmail.com