How to Wax Nordic Skis
Waxing nordic skis is, depending on the skis, more involved than waxing alpine skis. While all skis require a glide wax to move faster, some nordic, or cross-country, skis also require a kick wax in the wax pocket in about the middle third of each ski to help provide traction when going uphill. Nordic skis come in either a waxable or a waxless pattern; waxless skis have a fish-scale pattern under the wax pocket for traction and only require glide waxing.
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Things You'll Need
- Vice grips and workbench
- Waxing iron
- Glide wax, chosen for temperature of snow
- Plastic scraper
- Nylon brush
- Kick wax, chosen for temperature of snow
- Waxing cork
Instructions
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1
Clamp the ski, bottom facing up, in the vice grips attached to the workbench.
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2
Preheat the iron to a temperature hot enough the melt the glide wax but no hotter. Examine the ski base to determine whether you will be applying only glide wax or glide and kick wax.
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3
Hold the wax against the iron and drip wax onto the surface of the ski, moving tip to tail but being careful to not drip wax in the waxless or kick wax pocket.
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4
Iron the glide wax into the ski for about a minute until it is smooth. Let the wax cool for 30 minutes.
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5
Hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle to the ski base and scrape off the excess wax, moving tip to tail. Use the nylon brush to buff the surface smooth. If your skis are waxless, you are done. If they are waxable, grab your kick wax.
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Apply the kick wax to the wax pocket of a waxable ski by drawing the wax onto the ski base in the wax pocket only, making a smooth line in a tip-to-tail direction. Then use the waxing cork to rub the wax into the ski. Repeat this step two or three times to get a proper layer of kick wax in the wax pocket.
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Tips & Warnings
The specific types of glide and kick wax you choose depend on the temperature and snow conditions you expect while skiing. The retailer from which you purchase wax should be able to recommend the types used most often for the conditions in your local area.
