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Ski wax is a viscous material applied to the bottom of skis or snowboards to help them perform on snow.
Type of Ski wax
In general, ski wax can be broken down into two categories: "kick" and "glide".
- Glide wax describes a range of waxes which can be applied to Nordic and alpine skis (as well as snowboards). The purpose of glide waxing is to decrease drag and also to protect the bases. Glide wax is usually made up of hydrocarbons, but more expensive, and considerably faster, waxes usually include fluoro-carbons. The effect of glide-waxing are somewhat mysterious, but it is believed that in the process of waxing the base becomes smoother and gains the water-repellent properties of hydro/fluoro-carbons. This creates less drag as the ski glides on a cushion of water on the surface of snow.
- Kick wax describes a variety of waxes specific to cross country skiing. This wax comes in two forms, "hard" and "klister". Hard wax is a tar-like substance which comes in a small canister, used for new snow and/or snow that is "cold". Klister is a semi-liquid which comes in containers similar to toothpaste containers. Klister is notoriously sticky and deserves its reputation as a difficult wax to use, but excellent when used in old snow or snow that's relatively "warm." Although the nuances of kick waxing are incredibly complex, all kick waxes serve generally the same purpose. The wax is applied to the portion of the ski extended out from below the region of the foot and when pressure is applied to this areas the wax grips the snow and allows the skier to propel themselves forward. This is referred to as the classical technique. What makes kick waxing difficult is hitting the correct wax. If the wax is for snow conditions wetter, or warmer, it the ski will be slippery and grip will be difficult to get. If the wax is for drier or colder conditions, the snow will end up getting stuck to the wax and drag will build up.
Waxing Process for Glide Wax
Glide waxing are much more common than grip waxing, simply because most people either use downhill skis, or use waxless cross-country skis, which eliminated the need to apply grip wax. There are typically three types of waxing:
- Hot waxing: This method, abeit tedious, offers the best performance. To do this, a waxing iron (an iron with no steam holes at the bottom), nylon brush, and scraper are needed. Wax, appropriate for the anticipated temperature range, is heated up against the iron and melted, dripping onto the ski base. The wax is then ironed into the base with the temperature of 100 C to 130 C. After the base was allowed to cool (approximately 20 to 30 minutes), the excess wax is scraped off with the scraper, and then the ski is brushed with the nylon brush in order to make grooves for water and to expose structure in the base.
- Hair Dryer Paste Waxing: This method is a cheap and easy alternative to the hot waxing. In this process, a hair dryer and waxing cork is needed, and the preferred wax is either a paste wax or rub-on wax. Simply heat up the ski base with the hair dryer, then apply a layer of wax, and reheat the wax onto the base. After it was cooled down, buff down the wax with the waxing cork. Alternatively, a scraper can be used to scrap off excessing wax before buffing.
- Paste, Liquid, spray-on, and rub-on waxing: This is the simplest waxing method, though it offers the least performance. Generally by casual skiers, all that is required is to smear/rub-on a layer of wax onto the ski base, and let it dry (ranging from 15 minutes to an hour, though the longer drying time provided the best result) before buffing it into the ski base with a waxing cork.
Waxing Process for Grip Wax
Grip Wax generally came in a tin can, and it was crayoned onto the kick zone of the ski. If desired, the wax can be ironed into the ski base before buffing with a waxing cork.
Klisters must be applied warm. Squeeze them out of the tube onto the ski's kick zone, and then spread them either using a paddle(usually one end of a edge scrapper), or for best results, by the palm of the hand and rub into the base.
History
Ski waxing began in the 1860s of America, where Califonia gold rush miners held impromptu downhill ski races. They soon discovered that bases smeared with dopes brewed from vegatble and/or animal compound helped increase skiing speeds. This led to some of the first commercial ski wax (even though contained to wax at all), such as Black Dope and Sierra Lighting; both are mainly composed of sperm oil, vegetable oil and pine pitch. However, some instead used paraffin candle wax that melted onto ski bases, and these worked better under colder conditions.
See Also
Science of Ski Waxes An Article by Christopher Talbot (http://www.nensa.net/equipment/TheScienceofSkiWaxes.pdf)
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