How to Maintain Cross Country Skis
The long months leading up to the winter may not have been kind to your cross country skis. Here's how to care for them.
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Things You'll Need
- P-Tex candle
- Wax remover
- Cork
- Scraper
- Cloth rag
- Wax
- Wax heating element
- C-clamp
- Scouring pad
- Epoxy cement
Instructions
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Maintain Your Waxable Cross Country Skis
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1
Give your skis a thorough once over, checking for any damage to your tips and tails. Because many skis are made of a laminate material, you may need to correct any delamination at either end with a bit of epoxy. Clamp the glued area with a C-clamp until it has set.
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2
Check your bindings for any damage from the last season. Though you can perform basic maintenance, such as tightening the screws which fasten your bindings to your skis, it is always a good idea to have a professional do any major work on your bindings.
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3
Use some elbow grease and clean off the bottoms of your skis. Depending on how much you waxed last season, you may have a lot of build-up. Use a wax remover and a soft cloth. You can also employ a plastic scraper to remove any stubborn wax, but use a gentle hand!
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4
Check for and repair any gouges in the bottoms of your skis. You will need to use either a Ptex wax or candle to fill in large gouges. Smaller gouges can be remedied with a gentle application of a fine grit sandpaper.
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5
Prepare your skis for a good waxing by buffing them with a scouring pad. If you have had to fill in any gouges with P-Tex, use a metal scraper to level off the filled-in area.
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6
Maintain a better grip in the snow by only waxing the tips and tails of your skis. Apply wax lightly using a wax crayon. After applying the wax, rub it with cork or use a wax heating element. Scrape off any excess with a plastic scraper.
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7
Remember that you will need to re-wax your skis throughout the winter season. It is best to remove the old layer of wax at regular intervals before re-applying wax to your tips and tails.
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Tips & Warnings
You should always be well-informed about your equipment. Cross country skis come in waxless and waxable versions, each of which may require different kinds of maintenance.
