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Waxing tips Alpine skis Glide wax

Warm in glide wax

    1. Be careful to set the right temperature on your waxing iron. See the front of the paraffin boxes for more info.
    2. When the waxing iron has the right temperature, hold the waxing iron upside down at about a 60° angle against the base. Then rotate down one edge of the waxing iron to create a good “drip edge”. Place the paraffin against the heating plate, when the paraffin starts to melt and drip onto the base. Move the iron at a balanced speed so you get a continuous paraffin line on the base.
    3. Now you have a paraffin line along the entire base of the ski. Place the heating plate of the waxing iron parallel to the base and melt in the paraffin. NOTE! Always keep the waxing iron moving to avoid burning the base.

Glide waxing before training

If you want to add new glide wax before training and don't want to clean your skis from scratch, you can follow these steps. 

  1. Start by brushing a few times in the direction of travel with a fine steel brush to open up the base.
  2. Then choose paraffin according to the current weather, warm in the paraffin in the ski's glide zones. Scrape off the ski, then start brushing out the base with a horsehair brush and finish with a nylon brush to polish the base. 

To achieve the best result regarding glide, follow these steps;

  1. Before a competition, you should do a thorough cleaning of your skis. See our guide on how to do this.
  2. When it's time to choose paraffin, you should preferably start by applying graphite paraffin at the bottom. Graphite acts like a velcro between the base and the glide paraffin. It gives you a durable and long-lasting glide. You melt in and scrape off the graphite paraffin as usual.
  3. Then brush out the base according to the guide below.
  4. Now it's time to choose the paraffin that suits the current conditions. Then follow the same process as with the graphite. Warm in, scrape off, and perform the three-step brushing of the base.
  5. To achieve the best glide, continue with a topping product and brush out again.

This is how you brush the base before competition:

  1. First brush with horsehair back and forth on the base until nothing comes up from the base. Brush a lot, here you can never brush too much. At least 20-30 strokes.
  2. Make two or three light strokes in the direction of travel with a fine steel brush to get down into the structure of the base.
  3. Finish by polishing the base with a fine nylon brush. Liquid topping is hard, so we recommend that you brush a lot. 

 

Waxing with Topping Products

(Here follows a general instruction, check what your specific topping product requires for the desired method. The videos talk about fluor, but it is generally the same procedure for fluor-free topping products)

Solid Topping

  1. Apply paraffin suitable for today's conditions.
  2. Rub on with the topping block so that a film covers the entire glide surface.
  3. Cork in with natural cork, by hand or with a rotor cork, so that the base becomes warm.
  4. Let the ski rest for about 20 minutes.
  5. Brush the ski. Recommended brushes are horsehair brush, fine steel brush (by hand), and nylon brush. See the brush guide above.
  6. For better durability, repeat steps 2-5 again.
     

Powder Form Topping

  1. Apply graphite, then scrape and brush.
  2. Apply paraffin for today's conditions. Scrape and brush.
  3. Sprinkle today's topping powder evenly over the glide surface.
  4. Stamp the powder with the waxing iron and then move the iron at an even pace over the glide surface. Use high heat so you do not need to move the iron back and forth, as it can overheat and damage the base. Ensure the powder darkens after the iron.
  5. Let the ski rest for about 20 minutes, longer if possible.
  6. Now only brushing remains. Brush preferably as close to the skiing occasion as possible. Recommended brushes are horsehair brush, fine steel brush (by hand), and fine nylon brush, again according to the brush guide above.
     

Liquid Topping

  1. Apply a layer of graphite. Scrape and brush.
  2. Apply paraffin for today's conditions. Scrape and brush.
  3. Apply fluid on the glide surface. Let it dry for about 10 minutes.
  4. Now cork in the fluid with natural cork, by hand or with a rotor cork until the base becomes warm.
  5. Let the ski rest for about 20 minutes.
  6. Now you can brush the base. Recommended brushes are horsehair brush, fine steel brush (by hand), and nylon brush. Liquid topping becomes hard, so we recommend you brush thoroughly. Also, see our brush guide above.

Below you can see Gunde Svan's tips, in collaboration with Swix, on how to apply glide wax. It is largely the same procedure for an alpine ski.

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