Many people start Nordic skiing on no wax skis. The range of skis available with fishscale bases, however is limited, and whilst these may be the easy maintenance easy point of entry to ski touring, a time may come when you want slightly more downhill performance than a fishscale ski can give you, or you notice that well waxed skis glide faster and more easily on touring terrain. For gentle track and mountain touring they may well continue to meet all the needs of the recreational skier.
But waxing can become part of the enjoyment of ski touring, the principles are straightforward and the practice can be as simple or as complicated as you choose to make it. You too can join the techies and the gurus and discuss which wax to use in which conditions and tune your skis to perfection. Swix have cut the mystique with their simple colour classification system with Red for warm, Green for cold and Blue for “normal” winter conditions.
Waxless or fishscale skis are designed for classic cross country kick and glide skiing with a raised pattern under the foot in the kick zone of the ski which grips the snow when weighted by the skier. Some people like the ease of not having to worry about which wax to use and indeed in Scottish conditions, when finding the right wax can be difficult (i.e. around 0 Celsius), waxless skis compare well with waxed skis. However the fishscales of the kick zone creates friction with the snow during the glide phase and this makes the skis run more slowly. Beginning or intermediate skiers may feel that this does not matter since they do not want to go fast anyway, but since slower skis require more effort, waxable skis will generally be the less tiring alternative out on the hill.
There are two main groups of waxes, kick waxes and glide waxes. Kick waxes provide the grip in the middle of a classic ski and glide waxes provide a smooth gliding surface on the tips and tails of the ski. Normally glide waxes will be applied hot and will last for the season. So it is learning to use kick waxes which is the key to daily touring performance.
The purpose of a kick wax is to form a sticky surface between the ski and the snow during the kick phase, this is achieved by creating a layer of wax which snow crystals can penetrate and grip under weighting but then release once the un-weighted glide phase is initiated. The performance trick is to get the balance right between penetration and grip in the kick phase and release in the glide phase. This is achieved by balancing the characteristics of the wax and the snow crystals.
Kick waxes are applied to the middle section of classic skis starting from the area around the heel plate of the ski binding and extending approximately 45 cms towards the front of the ski. The best time to determine the correct length of the kick zone is when buying your skis as it is affected by the camber of the ski and the weight of the skier. The kick zone must make contact with the snow only when the weight is placed over it in the kick phase, after that the camber of the ski should ensure that the centre of the ski, the waxed kick area, is raised from the snow as the weight in the glide phase is transferred to the other ski. If the kick zone is too long the kick wax will create unnecessary friction during the glide and will slow you down. If it is too short it will give too little grip. If you are unsure about how long your zone should be, proceed by trial and error, starting by applying the wax over a longer length and then gradually cleaning off the kick wax at the front until your grip decreases and you start to slip. If after a day's skiing you find traces of wax spreading back behind the heel rear area it may be that the kick zone is too long at the back and you should apply it further forward. Beginning skiers will usually benefit from a longer kick zone whilst they improve their technique. Good grip is generally more important than good glide, especially in the Scottish hills where the glide is usually uphill and grip can allow a steeper ascent.
There are several factors which influence the choice of wax but temperature is the most important. It is generally easier to understand how a range of waxes work if you stick to one manufacturer's products and gain experience. Switching waxes adds a further variable to control for and will slow down early learning.
Whatever the conditions it is a good idea to initially iron in a base wax, this adheres to the ski better than most kick waxes and it improves the durability of the wax of the day, which is applied on top. Most manufacturers include a base wax or ground wax on their skis. On top of the base layer you should apply several thin layers of the chosen wax appropriate to the day’s temperature, each rubbed in smoothly with a cork or similar rubbing pad. If in doubt about which wax to choose use a wax for colder conditions first as it will act as a base layer for the wax you will need to apply if conditions turn out warmer than expected.
Klister is used as a kick wax when the snow is extremely icy or wet, or when fresh snow has melted and frozen again, a common Scottish condition. Klister come in tubes and are stickier than hard waxes which are rubbed in as described above. Klister tend to be more durable and are useful in abrasive or icy conditions, particularly coarse wet snow. If the snow is dirty a layer of hard wax may be applied on top the klister to resist dirt that might be picked up.
With klister the kick zone is generally shortened, warming the tube in your hands before applying will make the klister softer and easier to use. Distribute it in a regular chevron pattern either side of the central groove in your ski base and spread out evenly. Clean any excess from the sides of the ski and allow to set. Depending on the temperature and conditions you may then apply a thin coat of hard wax on top to protect and prolong the effectiveness of the klister.
Several factors influence the choice of a glide wax of which Temperature is the most important. Some manufacturers base their product guidelines on air temperature and some on snow temperature, find out which to follow when you purchase your waxes. Glide waxing is less crucial to touring performance and tuning your glide waxing really only makes sense if you are skiing competitively. Otherwise you may choose to have the glide waxing done as part of the service which sharpens the metal edges to ensure a good bite on the snow/ice in downhill turns. Although is you glide wax your skis you may be set up with the sort of workshop that makes sharpening your own edges feasible.
Glide wax (synthetic paraffin or fluorinated paraffin) is applied by dripping it onto the ski using a waxing iron. Once the wax has been dripped onto the ski at regular intervals iron it onto the base in an even layer. If the iron is at the correct temperature two passes with the iron should be sufficient, one to distribute the wax along the glide area and the other to ensure the base is sufficiently warm to enable wax absorption. The temperature should not be so high that the wax smokes. Harder waxes which are designed for colder temperatures melt at higher temperatures than softer waxes which are intended for warmer conditions. Glide wax on the kick zone will not enable proper absorption and adherence of kick wax, so do not wax the kick zone. After waxing allow the skis to cool gently to help the absorption of the wax. For general touring, scrape off excess wax using a sharp scraper and light even strokes working from tip to tail. Use the round edge of the scraper or a special groove cleaner to clean the groove. Continue scraping until no more wax is removed then use a nylon brush to remove any remaining traces. If you decide to use a pure fluorine substance you must now apply it (over a fluorinated wax to achieve best adhesion).Always apply these substances in a well ventilated room.
Kick wax may be cleaned off the base using initially a plastic scraper of the kind supplied with some klisters. When the excess is removed a wax removing solvent available in ski shops may be applied. This should be allowed to dry and then wiped off to leave a clean base.
Glide areas may be cleaned periodically using a hot wax method. A soft warm temperature wax is applied to the base and then immediately scraped off whilst it is still soft. The process is then repeated and the ski left to stand for 20 minutes before a final scraping is carried out. This should thoroughly clean the base. On classic skis this should be done after the kick zone has been cleaned.
The Swix web site really provides all the information that you could possibly need as a recreational user and indeed more beside. The Link takes you to an appropriate place for Nordic skiers to start and provides access to information on types of snow, hard waxes and klisters and good visual instruction on how to apply waxes.
There is also a Toyo site, but it is not immediately as informative as Swix. So unless you have reason to choose Toyo waxes, you may find the Swix site more useful.
This page owes much to a previous London Regional Nordic Ski Club page but has been modified for Scottish conditions and typical Edinburgh Ski Touring Club activities.
© Copyright Edinburgh Ski Touring Club 2007. e-mail: webman@estc.org.uk Last updated May 2007