Ski care and preparation made easy

Many skiers know the problem: the edges are blunt, they slow you down or become stuck in the snow. You simply have no grip any more. Skis are like cars. The more you look after your skis, the longer you will enjoy using them. Proper care and preparation are the key to perfect performance, lasting service and more fun on the slopes.

Grinding edges and waxing skis are really jobs for professionals. Proper ski preparation is often the result of years of experience. You do of course have to start somewhere, though, and as the saying goes: practice makes perfect.

1. Remove the sidewall: The sidewall ridge is filed away so the edge can be sharpened more easily.

2. Filing the edges: The idea edge angle is 87 – 88° for perfect edge grip. Filing jigs can be obtained in specialist sports shops. Step 1 rough file, Step 2 fine finish using diamond file.

3. Clean the base: Dirt, dust and wax remnants can be removed using a cleaning solvent obtainable from specialist sports Shops.

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IMPORTANT: Before moving on to the next steps, air the ski well (leave it outside for at least 15 minutes). An alternative is hot waxing (iron on wax and immediately scrape off soft gliding wax).

4. Apply wax: The wax is melted using a waxing iron and dripped onto the base of the ski.

NOTE: The waxing iron is at the correct temperature when the wax melts uniformly without forming smoke.

5. Iron on wax: The temperature needs to be set to between 110 and 130 °C. The waxing iron is drawn across the base at a constant speed in the skiing direction.

NOTE: Do not iron backwards and forwards or concentrate on one spot because there is a risk of the base overheating.

6. Allow the ski to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before removing excess wax. Use a sharp perspex edge to remove the wax by applying a constant, light pressure in the direction of skiing.

7. Brush the running surface with a nylon and/or combined brush in the direction of skiing. For the best possible gliding results, the structure of the base must be brushed thoroughly to remove any residual wax.