Solution for scraping wax off skis

[Wasatchman]

As a recreational skier, I don't worry about being very meticulous about scraping. I am lazy and only give it a couple of passes with plastic scraper. I figure hitting a groomer pretty much gets rid of that top layer of wax and I'm good to go. The only part that doesn't work well on is the ski tips, but doesn't seem to give me any problems.

So those of you who are super into waxing/tuning and can educate me on what I'm missing, what would that be? What am I missing out on by not being that careful with that wax scrape and letting a groomer finish the job for me?

 

[geepers]

As a recreational skier, I don't worry about being very meticulous about scraping. I am lazy and only give it a couple of passes with plastic scraper. I figure hitting a groomer pretty much gets rid of that top layer of wax and I'm good to go. The only part that doesn't work well on is the ski tips, but doesn't seem to give me any problems.

So those of you who are super into waxing/tuning and can educate me on what I'm missing, what would that be? What am I missing out on by not being that careful with that wax scrape and letting a groomer finish the job for me?

Very 1st time I waxed my skis I left the wax pretty much un-scraped due to a comment like this.... Next day was a powder day and had a hard time making any forward progress!

 

[James]

Allegedly, if you leave all the wax on, ir a kot, as you wear it off on snow it pulls more wax out of the base.
If it’s hard cold wax, you’re not wearing it off anytime soon. Like Swix 4.
Maybe @Jacques has an opinion.

 

[Jacques]

Allegedly, if you leave all the wax on, ir a kot, as you wear it off on snow it pulls more wax out of the base.
If it’s hard cold wax, you’re not wearing it off anytime soon. Like Swix 4.
Maybe @Jacques has an opinion.

Scrape until no wax comes off anymore. Brush like crazy!
Don't be afraid to brush with steel, brass, copper after scraping wax. As a mater of fact, do use them.
Polish with nylon or horsehair for dry snow. If wet snow, do not polish.

 

[James]

Scrape until no wax comes off anymore. Brush like crazy!
Don't be afraid to brush with steel, brass, copper after scraping wax. As a mater of fact, do use them.
Polish with nylon or horsehair for dry snow. If wet snow, do not polish.

So the question is, what’s the downside of not doing that?

 

[Sibhusky]

Going slower than you could, which here could mean poling to get where you want to go. Personally, that's a lot of work which I'd rather avoid. I don't need to go down slopes faster, I'm not a racer. But getting across to the first turn of Russ's or Hellfire without poling and skating? That's my goal. Making the flats seem like slopes.

 

[Fuller]

I'm not sure just what Sibhusky does in her voodoo ski waxing ceremonies but it works like a charm.

 

[Jacques]

So the question is, what’s the downside of not doing that?

Too many factors. Structure of base nonexistent. Most times ski glide will be reduced severely.

 

[Doug Briggs]

...

So those of you who are super into waxing/tuning and can educate me on what I'm missing, what would that be? What am I missing out on by not being that careful with that wax scrape and letting a groomer finish the job for me?

Scrape until no wax comes off anymore. Brush like crazy!
Don't be afraid to brush with steel, brass, copper after scraping wax. As a mater of fact, do use them.
Polish with nylon or horsehair for dry snow. If wet snow, do not polish.

So the question is, what’s the downside of not doing that?

Too many factors. Structure of base nonexistent. Most times ski glide will be reduced severely.

For all the effort (or talk thereof) people go through to get a flat base, leaving wax on the base means slower skis because chunky-wax bases aren't the same as scraped-and-brushed bases. And why would you want to ski on a ski that isn't performing its best from your first run of the day?

My first runs of the day are usually on groomers waiting for upper lifts to open because I like arcing carves on my 100+ mm skis and it is a good way to get warmed up. I want reliably slippery bases. I think that is worth the 10 minutes it takes to wax, scrape and brush a pair of skis. Note that I don't wax fresh for every day. Maybe if I did I'd think about the alternatives. Nope. Thought about. I'm still going to wax using the same techniques as a WC tech.

 

[James]

And why would you want to ski on a ski that isn't performing its best from your first run of the day?

Because one is maximizing grip to get into the lift line?

 

[Doug Briggs]

Because one is maximizing grip to get into the lift line?

 

[crgildart]

Doug Briggs said:

And why would you want to ski on a ski that isn't performing its best from your first run of the day?

Because one is maximizing grip to get into the lift line?

Or you're too cheap to buy skins for climbing..

 

[Wasatchman]

For all the effort (or talk thereof) people go through to get a flat base, leaving wax on the base means slower skis because chunky-wax bases aren't the same as scraped-and-brushed bases. And why would you want to ski on a ski that isn't performing its best from your first run of the day?

My first runs of the day are usually on groomers waiting for upper lifts to open because I like arcing carves on my 100+ mm skis and it is a good way to get warmed up. I want reliably slippery bases. I think that is worth the 10 minutes it takes to wax, scrape and brush a pair of skis. Note that I don't wax fresh for every day. Maybe if I did I'd think about the alternatives. Nope. Thought about. I'm still going to wax using the same techniques as a WC tech.

10 minutes? I must be doing something wrong. I don't even meticulously scrape or polish bases when I wax my skis and still takes me longer than 10 minutes. I probably spend 5 minutes on wax scrape alone and still don't have all the wax perfectly scraped off.

As far as slowing skis down to a crawl, a few times I have skied without even bothering to remove storage wax. First groomer I wouldn't have even been able to tell a difference if I hadn't known I had forgotten to scrape off storage wax so I'm surprised to hear comments on how poor their skis glide if not properly scraped.

Plus I like to have excuses. I tell my friends see that @Doug Briggs speeding by. He' good but I'd make him look like a rank amateur if my skis were properly waxed and tuned.

 

[crgildart]

Chunky bumpy wax bases can be a good thing on a warm sloppy slush day. Instant structure. Rubbing warm wax on and not even corking it works well. Hot wax unscraped is same principle but lasts longer than the rubbed on wax does.

 

[Doug Briggs]

10 minutes? I must be doing something wrong. I don't even meticulously scrape or polish bases when I wax my skis and still takes me longer than 10 minutes. I probably spend 5 minutes on wax scrape alone and still don't have all the wax perfectly scraped off.

As far as slowing skis down to a crawl, a few times I have skied without even bothering to remove storage wax. First groomer I wouldn't have even been able to tell a difference if I hadn't known I had forgotten to scrape off storage wax so I'm surprised to hear comments on how poor their skis glide if not properly scraped.

Plus I like to have excuses. I tell my friends see that @Doug Briggs speeding by. He' good but I'd make him look like a rank amateur if my skis were properly waxed and tuned.

10 minutes is with an already hot iron, a sharp scraper and roto brushes. Allow another few minutes if you have to heat up the iron. A race ready wax job doesn't take much longer for just the hot wax, scrape and brush. Overlays are done at the start so don't come into play for the time to hot wax.

For me, the sharp, straight scraper edge is the key. The roto brush just saves energy more than time.

I figure if I worked hard (paid good money if I didn't work in a shop) for a flat base with nice structure, I'd like the structure exposed and the base flat so that I don't have to tip my ski more than the base edge angle before the base edge engages. Of course in 3d snow, it doesn't really matter much, but if you are out on the fresh cord, I would think it makes a difference. I really don't know because I never leave skis unscraped after waxing.

 

[Noodler]

10 minutes? I must be doing something wrong. I don't even meticulously scrape or polish bases when I wax my skis and still takes me longer than 10 minutes. I probably spend 5 minutes on wax scrape alone and still don't have all the wax perfectly scraped off.

As far as slowing skis down to a crawl, a few times I have skied without even bothering to remove storage wax. First groomer I wouldn't have even been able to tell a difference if I hadn't known I had forgotten to scrape off storage wax so I'm surprised to hear comments on how poor their skis glide if not properly scraped.

Plus I like to have excuses. I tell my friends see that @Doug Briggs speeding by. He' good but I'd make him look like a rank amateur if my skis were properly waxed and tuned.

The fiberlene waxing method will leave the ski with very little wax needing scraping. Super quick to finish up the job once the skis have cooled.

 

[Doug Briggs]

The fiberlene waxing method will leave the ski with very little wax needing scraping. Super quick to finish up the job once the skis have cooled.

I've never done that method, but I am also surprised at how little wax comes off with a scrape. I kinda frugal with wax, even at the shop where I don't pay for it as the more excess wax on the skis, the harder it is to scrape off.

 

[Noodler]

I've never done that method, but I am also surprised at how little wax comes off with a scrape. I kinda frugal with wax, even at the shop where I don't pay for it as the more excess wax on the skis, the harder it is to scrape off.

The part of that method that doesn't get enough discussion is the ability to use more pressure to help "push" wax deeper in the base. Having the towel between the iron and the base, with a pool of wax, allows you to push a bit harder on the iron. I believe that this added pressure actually improves the wax penetration, but I don't definitively know this for sure. It's just my speculation, but I think it may be valid.

 

[PNWRod]

Not sure if my nylon bushes aren't that great but I find that the horsehair brush does a really nice job after the brass brush. Normally it's brass, nylon then horsehair or if I know it's dust on crust for the next day I wax (fiberline method) and don't bother scraping.

 

[Doug Briggs]

The part of that method that doesn't get enough discussion is the ability to use more pressure to help "push" wax deeper in the base. Having the towel between the iron and the base, with a pool of wax, allows you to push a bit harder on the iron. I believe that this added pressure actually improves the wax penetration, but I don't definitively know this for sure. It's just my speculation, but I think it may be valid.

I apply rotational pressure so that the leading edge of the iron can rise above the dripped wax more readily and the trailing edge has more pressure allowing the wax to spread. I don't rotate so much that the leading edge is elevated, nor do I press down, per se.

I also take at minimum two passes so the ski is warmed and the wax spread on the first pass. On the second pass the wax is spread more and more evenly heated than in the first pass. I have about an inch or three of 'shiny' wax following the iron.

Scraping also pushes the wax into the base. A lot more forcefully, I would guess, than simply the iron.