Guide to Ski Maintenance for BKL Skiers

NENSA Bill Koch Youth Ski League

Guide to Ski Maintenance for BKL Skiers
by Robert Bradlee
INTRODUCTION
Proper ski maintenance is a key part of what we want to teach kids in the Lincoln/Sudbury BKL program. Ski maintenance means learning to select and apply both glide waxes for skating and kick waxes for classical skiing. While the coaches work hard to teach this subject to the children, we expect the parents to help in the process by providing some simple equipment and wax, learning the process themselves, and helping the skier to arrive at practice with properly prepared skis.

The goal of this guide is to introduce the basics of waxing in a simplified manner so that it stays easy and fun, but still effective. Proper maintenance and preparation of the skis will greatly increase your child's enjoyment of skiing and prolong the useful life of their skis.

1. TOOLS YOU NEED
You may have seen hard-core adult racers carrying around huge wax boxes. Fortunately, for BKL skiing you don't need that much gear. You only need a few simple tools and some basic waxes to wax skis. Many of the tools can be bought at a hardware store. Fancier versions are available from ski catalogues which are listed later in the guide. Here's a list of what you need to work on your skis:

Electric Iron
Nylon Brush.
Thick plastic scraper.
Klister spreader.
Base cleaner (wax remover).
Paper towels.
Synthetic cork.
Basic set of glide and kick wax.
Let's look at these in detail:

Electric Iron

The least expensive choice for this is to buy an old iron at a yard sale or from a thrift shop. Ideally, it should NOT have any steam holes, but you can use one with holes if that's all you can find. Another choice is to spend more money and buy a Swix or Toko ski iron from one of the catalogues. You'll use the iron for applying both glide and kick wax.

Nylon Brush

You can buy a scrub brush with stiff nylon bristles from a store or buy one specifically made for skiing from the catalogues. You will use the brush for cleaning glide wax off the bottom of the ski after scraping.

Thick Plastic Scraper

These are only available from a ski store or catalogue. They are available at Weston. They are rectangular and about 1/8 inch thick with sharp edges. You'll use this scraper for taking off excess glide wax after you iron it on.

Klister spreader
These come inside the boxes that hold tubes of klister. You should be buying klister, so you'll get one of these as part the deal. You use these both for spreading klister and to clean glide wax out of the groove of the ski.

Paper towels
You'll need these for cleaning wax from skis and tools.

Synthetic cork.
You use the cork to smooth out kick wax. These are available at ski stores and in catalogues.

Citrus Base Cleaner
The non-heat way to clean off old kick wax is with a citrus solvent available at ski stores or catalogues. Be careful - while environmentally friendly it's still highly flamable.
Optional Equipment
There is some optional equipment that is not absolutely necessary but that you might like to have:

Form bench to hold a ski

(see making a wax bench)
You need to put the skis someplace to work on them. You can put them across two sawhorses or even the backs of two chairs. To make your life much easier you can buy or build a "form bench" or some buy some ski vises to hold the ski. The ski catalogues have various benches and vises you can buy. I hope to have directions available soon for building your own bench.

Heat gun

At the hardware store you can buy a heat gun for about $40 (they are sold for stripping paint). They plug into an electric outlet and blow out a stream of very hot air. This is a great tool for heating up klister when you put it on the ski. You also need it to heat up kick wax for cleaning it off the ski. In a pinch you can substitute a hair dryer which will do a less effective but adequate job.

2. HOW TO GLIDE WAX.

Why glide wax?

Glide waxing is very important to have a fast and enjoyable ski. You don't need to glide wax every time you ski, but it should be done frequently. (Once per season is NOT acceptable). It is very hard to learn proper skate technique on a ski that drags on the snow instead of gliding freely.

Which Skis Need Glide Wax?

Some skiers have two pairs of skis, one for skating and one for classic. Many BKL skiers have a pair of "combi" skis. All of these skis need to have glide wax applied. The only difference is where you put the glide wax. For your classical skis or when preparing your combi skis for classical then you only glide wax the tips and tails of the ski. For skate skis or preparing your combi skis for skating you glide wax the whole ski.

What Wax Do I need?

You only need a simple set of paraffin (hydrocarbon) glide waxes. For example the Swix CH series which just has four waxes:

CH 4 (blue) For below 14 degrees F
CH 6 (purple) 14-25 F
CH 8 (red) 21-34 F
CH 10 (yellow) 32-50 F

Classical Glide Wax Area

For classical skiing you only apply glide wax to the tip and tail sections of the base. The tail is the region from where the heel of the boot hits the ski to the back end of the ski. The tip region starts about a boot length in front of the binding and goes to the front end of the ski.

Skate Glide Wax Area

For skate skis we glide wax the entire length of the ski base.

How To Glide Wax

Based on predicted air temperature range, select the appropriate wax from your set. (When in doubt choose too cold a wax rather than too warm).

Press the bar of wax against your warm electric iron.

As the wax melts let drops fall the ski base.

Put a drop every inch or so.

Cover the parts of the ski base you want to wax.

Then move the iron over the wax like you were ironing a shirt.

Iron until the wax is liquid, but always keep the iron moving.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Scrape off the wax with plastic scraper.

Clean out the groove with the klister spreader.

Brush with nylon brush from tip to tail.

Only turn the iron warm enough to melt the wax, but don't let the wax smoke. Also, always keep the iron moving. Too much heat will damage the base of the ski. The bigger and thicker the iron the more steady the heat will be.

3. HOW TO KICK WAX.
Kick waxing can seem like a mysterious and complicated process, but it really is quite simple. You only need to make two determinations to pick the right wax. Is it new or old snow? What is the air temperature? Old snow gets klister and new snow gets stick wax. The temperature determines which color of wax to use. (Generally the colors from cold to warm go green, blue, purple, red, yellow).

To reiterate, here is how you choose between stick and klister. Stick wax is used for powdery snow that hasn't "transformed" from snow crystals (sharp) into little ice balls (dull). After the snow has thawed and frozen a few times it is transformed and you need to use klister. Manmade snow at Weston starts out transformed so you always need klister for it.

Where Do I Put Kick Wax?

Unlike glide wax, you only apply kick wax "under the foot". This means you only should apply it from the end of your heel forward an equal distance in front of your binding. Too much kick wax can be really slow so it's best to start with too short a wax job and lengthen it if you don't get good kick. So at first you might want to start in the middle of your foot and go forward to just a few inches in front of your binding.

How Do I Put On Stick Wax?

Stick wax looks like a very fat short crayon, and you put it on just like using a crayon. There are several brands of wax, with Swix VF probably being the easiest to start with. They have several colors of wax which are meant for different temperature ranges. Choosing the right wax usually is just as simple as looking at the outside air temperature and picking the appropriate wax based on the numbers found on the side of wax stick. Start with a colder wax if in doubt and then add a warmer wax if the first choice proves too slippery.

Use a synthetic cork (much better than real cork) to smooth the stick wax. You want maximum surface area so polish vigorously until the wax is smooth and shiny. Putting on several thin layers is easier and makes the wax last longer.

How Do I Put On Klister Wax?

Klister comes in a tube like toothpaste and has the consistency (and stickiness) of honey. Picking the right klister works the same way. You probably can start your collection with just Blue and Universal klister. Many beginner skiers are terribly afraid of klister, but with patience, practice, and the right tools it is easy to handle. The reward is that it can provide the best kick and glide of any wax when properly applied. It is easiest to apply indoors, but can be done outside (especially in warm weather).

Use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the tube of klister by holding the tube by one end and waving the other end around in the heat. Be careful.

Now squeeze a little klister onto the bottom of the ski. The best approach is to put little chevrons (diagonal lines) on each side of the groove. The closer you put the chevrons the more wax you get and the farther apart the less. Start out putting them far apart (at least an inch) because in most conditions a THIN layer of klister is all you need.

Once you have the klister squeezed onto the ski put the cap back on the klister tube. Don't skip this step. Otherwise klister will leak out onto whatever you put the tube down on and you will have a mess on your hands. (It's a good idea to put the tube in a ziplock bag when storing it for longer periods of time).

Having secured your klister tube in a safe place, you can use your iron to smooth out the klister. You only need a very low heat to do this. After spreading out the klister use a paper towel to wipe off the iron. If you have to wax outside with a propane torch use it to heat the klister by waving it quickly over the wax on the ski. The klister doesn't have to become entirely liquid, just soft enough for spreading. Take the little klister spreader (which should come in the box with the tube) and spread out the klister with long smooth strokes. The goal is to get a thin but consistent layer of wax on the bottom of the ski.

In many cases you are now ready to ski. Be sure however to let the skis cool to the outside temperature. If you put the skis down on the snow while the klister is still warm it will ice up and you will do a face plant when you start to ski.

If the snow is fairly fine-grained (especially freshly made man-made snow) you may want to cover the klister with stick wax. This prevents ice building up in the klister. After the ski has completely cooled you can crayon hard wax right over the klister. (It isn't easy but it can be done). Cork the hard wax smooth with an old cork. This will keep the klister from icing up and grabbing on the fine-grained snow.

How do I Remove The Klister?

You can use the same klister job for multiple days if the conditions don't change, but at some point you'll want to get it off. First, you can heat up the klister with your heat gun or torch. Try to scrape off as much as you can with the klister spreader and grab the blobs of klister with a paper towel. You can continue to heat the klister and wipe it off with more paper towels.

If you don't want to use heat to wipe the klister off or if you can't get it all off this way you can also use a wax cleaner. Wax cleaners are now citric acid based (environmentally friendly) and will dissolve the wax and let you scrub it off with a paper towel. The wax cleaner is also handy for getting klister off the sides and tops of the skis. You can also use it to clean off your boots, floor, and any other place that klister ends up by accident. Please note: although it smells like orange juice this cleaner is still flammable. Be careful!

If you are putting on stick wax after cleaning off the klister you don't have to worry about getting it all off. A little sticky residue will help hold the stick wax on the ski. If you are switching to all glide wax for skating then you will want to do a "clean wax" on the ski. (See the "Extras" section).

4. EXTRAS

There are some advanced techniques you might want to use after you get the basics learned. One is the "clean wax" process which is used to remove dirt from the ski base. This is especially useful after skiing at Weston. After clean waxing, you can "race wax" to apply the right wax for enjoyable skiing.

Clean wax:

Iron in a soft (warm temp) wax.

Scrape off the wax with plastic scraper while the wax is still warm (and mostly liquid).

Clean out the groove with the klister spreader.

Brush with nylon brush from tip to tail.

As you can see this is the same as regular waxing except that you scrape the wax off right away. The liquid wax will float the dirt off the ski base and the dirt will be scraped away.

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