do you really not scrape at all? that's just weird.
what's a good wax for coastal mountains and whistler
do you really not scrape at all? that's just weird.
not if you're riding lifts … a few runs on hard snow and that wax will be all worn off …
Yep no scraping. Started doing it last year.
As I rarely ski groomers I don't know how long till it's scraped off.
My typical start to a ski day post waxing is to load Wizard, ski over to cafe cliffs ski one of the chutes then straightline to the bottom of Jersey. I'd say the groomers under Jersey chair takes off all the extra wax.
They never feel "slow" on that first run. But if they were actually slower how would you know. Not racing = not caring. By the time I get to my first Blackcomb Glacier ski out when someting like this matters all wax is surely gone.
Thanks for the info guys.
Now, coming back to scraping, brushing, and using fibertex… I'm getting the general feel that all The Giggler and Shirk does is put wax on the bases and that's it? If your skis have survived fine with just that, that's really good news… I'm only waxing to try and preserve my skis with minimum maintenance, I'm by no stretch of the imagination a racer on skis.
Yes, waxing in the living room of the apartment makes it a drag if things were to get messy.
so here's me speaking to all the minimalists… is there a point in prepping the bases before waxing?
so here's me speaking to all the minimalists… is there a point in prepping the bases before waxing?
If I do anything I give them a quick wipe with some base cleaner grab I got in a aerosal can. Usually nothing. Just slap on a fresh coat of wax and thats it.
I don't care about "protecting" by bases. I just don't want them to run slow on flat traverses.
i just wipe any dirt or grit off the base prior to wax application. unless you just came from skiing parking lots, the snow will clean your bases as you ski.
unlike shirk i do a quick scrape to get the majority of the wax off, but i have a garage i can do that in.
the key thing to remember about wax is that as long as your ski bases are black and not all white (oxidized) then you're good to go. when the ski base turns white that means there is no more wax in the base and this isnt good for the base, over time it will damage the base. this is why a summer coat of wax is recommended it protects the base from oxidizing over the summer. so really you can just look at your ski and tell when it needs a quick wax job … if the ski looks good why bother?
i only worry about brushing on my xc skis … and even then not much.
I realize you are getting some conflicting info here, but again I will give my two cents.
If you are not scraping and brushing the skis, you are making them slower. This practice will only serve to keep the bases will moisturized (as bases dry out) but will offer no or little benefit in terms of performance. Infact an unwaxed dry base will probably run faster than a waxed but unscraped base. Until the wax wears off, the skis will be slower, and turning performance will be diminshed in anything but soft snow, since the edges will have wax on them, even if just the bottom.
The most important step in prepping skis for waxing is brushing. It removes the old wax and dirt accumulated in the skis. Even after a couple days of skiing you will notice old wax being removed with a brass brush. If you are totally opposed to brushing you can scrape while warm, which can remove some dirt, but will not get the base as clean as brushing.
If you want any performace increase from waxing, the brushing step is the most important. An unscrpaed ski will lose its wax in a sort of exponential decline manner. The large majority of the wax will remove quickly, the the smaller amount that fills the texture will take much longer (days, not runs). If you simply want protection, this method offers value.
This is totally your choice. You do not have to brush your skis. Personally if I was going to go to the effort of waxing and scraping my skis, I would spend the extra minute per ski to maximize the performance. If you really hate the effort, try getting a nylon brush that attaches to a drill and simply run it down a couple times.
It's not conflicting info. It's just different preferences.
this no scraping business is just lazy. The only time I don't scrap all that wax off is if I run out of beer. When that happens I,
A. Look to see if there is something else to drink
B. walk up to raven get more beer.
Then continue scraping. In conclusion, you should scrape that wax off, unless you are out of beer.
this no scraping business is just lazy. The only time I don't scrap all that wax off is if I run out of beer. When that happens I,
A. Look to see if there is something else to drink
B. walk up to raven get more beer.Then continue scraping. In conclusion, you should scrape that wax off, unless you are out of beer.
I drank a bottle of red wine last time I waxed.
Sometimes I want to de wax my skis so I can straighline more. Why go break neck deadly fast thus needing to turn when you can go only sorta fast and not have to turn at all. I might start skiing with kick skins on.
Thats just wasting beer thus wasting money.
Forest did you mount those Dynafits on your Legends?
This waxing thread really needs to get to 10 pages like the Sunday ride threads before anything really gets accomplished.
I have no idea what happend there. I've been P-texing in my closet again.
On another note I've always thought that you should use a metal scraper to level out P-Tex after you apply. Scraping from the centre out. The other night I was working on my skis and my Dad told me to use a flat file and file the ptex down to the base. It worked like a charm and it seems like it will never pick the P-Tex out anymore by accident.
I realize you are getting some conflicting info here, but again I will give my two cents.
If you are not scraping and brushing the skis, you are making them slower. This practice will only serve to keep the bases will moisturized (as bases dry out) but will offer no or little benefit in terms of performance. Infact an unwaxed dry base will probably run faster than a waxed but unscraped base. Until the wax wears off, the skis will be slower, and turning performance will be diminshed in anything but soft snow, since the edges will have wax on them, even if just the bottom.
The most important step in prepping skis for waxing is brushing. It removes the old wax and dirt accumulated in the skis. Even after a couple days of skiing you will notice old wax being removed with a brass brush. If you are totally opposed to brushing you can scrape while warm, which can remove some dirt, but will not get the base as clean as brushing.
If you want any performace increase from waxing, the brushing step is the most important. An unscrpaed ski will lose its wax in a sort of exponential decline manner. The large majority of the wax will remove quickly, the the smaller amount that fills the texture will take much longer (days, not runs). If you simply want protection, this method offers value.
This is totally your choice. You do not have to brush your skis. Personally if I was going to go to the effort of waxing and scraping my skis, I would spend the extra minute per ski to maximize the performance. If you really hate the effort, try getting a nylon brush that attaches to a drill and simply run it down a couple times.
i doubt most of us can tell these "performance differencs". fer fricks sake we're no xc ski racers here. even on my xc skis i cant tell any of these differences you mention. so how are they gonna matter on alpine skis?
you need to keep those bases mostuirzed … and for most of us, thats enough.
This waxing thread really needs to get to 10 pages like the Sunday ride threads before anything really gets accomplished.
fine with me.
back in the day i'd wax my race skis every day before skiing on them, so i know how anal people can get. im just so past that today …
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