by Stein, Eric's Son
Maintenance, Storage and Transportation of Skis
Modern cross-country skis require very little maintenance,
but there are a few things you can do help them perform
up to their potential. The main thing is to keep their
bases clean, whether waxable or non-wax. An amazing amount
of stuff can build up on ski bases and almost all of it
will slow a ski down. Dirt, pine pitch, bits of leaves
and other debris are all lurking on the trail and waiting
to attach to your skis.
In the case of waxable skis, you should strip old wax
off as soon as you can visibly see dirt building up. When
you have all the wax removed it’s also a good time
to fill in any gouges that have appeared. Clean a gouge
out thoroughly with wax remover. The citrus-based wax
removers are the safest. Use a p-tex "pencil"
iron to melt a string of p-tex into the gouge. The p-tex
pencil (looks like a wood-burning tool or small soldering
iron) and strings of p-tex can be ordered from Tognar
Toolworks (www.tognar.com or 800-229-9904). After you
have filled in all the gouges, use a metal scraper or
surform plane to remove any excess p-tex. Finally, reapply
glide and kick wax appropriate for the temperatures you
are likely to encounter.
For no-wax skis it’s a good idea to wipe them down
with some wax remover every now and then and then apply
some new glide wax (e.g., Swix F-4) or other product that
enhances glide (e.g., Speed Cote). The same goes for no-wax
skis with respect to gouges: fill them in!
After you have cleaned up and renewed your ski bases,
check the binding screws and put a little WD-40 on the
binding mechanism. Rubbing some paraffin or candlewax
on the part of the binding beneath your foot will help
reduce ice and snow build up because snow doesn't stick
to the wax. Finish up the job by waxing the top of the
skis with a furniture wax, like Pledge; just don't get
any of the spray on your base wax.
The ritual just described is also a good one to go through
at the end of the ski season. It will leave your skis
ready to go at the beginning of the next season, so you
won’t waste any time when the first flakes begin
to fall. It's especially important to make sure that waxable
skis have a good coat of wax on their bases over the hot
summer. Without this protective coat of wax the base can
oxidize and lose many of its good gliding properties.
If your ski bases have kind of a whitish glazed look to
them they may have oxidized. Follow instructions for base
preparation in the Waxing Eloquent notes located elsewhere
in our website.
It used to be that it was important to "block"
wooden skis over the summer to avoid them losing their
camber. This is not a problem with modern skis. What you
don't want to do is leave them in direct sunlight or places
that can get very hot (like attics).
Lastly, when you transport skis, don't expose them to
road salt and grime. If you must carry them outside your
car, put them in a ski bag or at least wrap them in plastic.
