With ski season coming to a close, you may be wondering about how to store your family’s skis over the long, hot summer.
Proper summer storage involves waxing your ski bases so that they don’t dry out. By leaving a coat of wax in place all summer long, when the snow flies and lifts turn, you’ll just need to scrape your skis and go!
Ski Shop or DIY?
In general, I like getting my skis tuned at a ski shop. They’ve got all the right equipment and can do stuff we, being mere mortals and ski moms, cannot (like grind bases and sharpen base edges).
Still, basic edge sharpening and waxing are easy. While you can ask your shop to prep and wax your skis for summer storage, you can also do it yourself. It’s a fun project and easy enough that your kids can help. If they’re old enough, they can do it themselves.
What You’ll Need
While you don’t need to invest a ton of money in waxing equipment, you will need these basic supplies and tools.
- A file and edge tool
- A scraper
- Three brushes (stiff brass, horsehair, nylon)
- An Arkansas stone
- Wax
- An iron
- Giant rubber bands
- A workbench (preferably with clamps to hold the skis in place)
How To Wax Skis
1. Clean ’em. Scrape and brush your bases thoroughly to remove any lingering debris and dirt. Pull the bindings out of the way and secure them with a giant rubber band.
Next, using the scraper and working in one direction only (preferably tip-to-tail, never back-and-forth), scrape the skis 5-10 times. Repeat this same procedure with the stiff brass brush, then the horsehair brush and finally the nylon brush. Wipe away any remaining debris with a soft cloth.
2. Sharpen ’em. Working only on the side edges, sharpen them with the file and edge tool. Repeat until the edge is sharp enough to lightly cut your fingernail (the big flat part) as you run it along the edge. Again, wipe off any filings or debris with a soft cloth. Don’t mess with the base edges. That’s a job for a pro.
3. Wax ’em. Hold a chunk of wax against the hot iron and let the wax drip onto the ski. Smooth the wax into an even layer, about 1/8 inch thick. Let the skis sit for about two hours.
4. Strap ’em and store ’em. Once the wax is set, strap your skis and store them, either laying flat or hanging. When winter returns, scrape and brush the wax away (following the same instructions as in Step 1) and you’re good to go.
Enjoy!
Related Posts:
- Waxing While the Summer Wanes, August 26, 2010.
- Summer Ski Wax 101, April 26, 2011.
- Should You Tune Your Own Skis? November 17, 2011.
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Thanks for the Holmenkol mention! Great job on the ski prep and waxing and being a supportive parent most importantly!
My son, now 25, learned to wax at about the same age–great isn’t it?
Thanks again, and I’ll be following your posts!
Ed Chase
Sales Manager
Holmenkol
Thanks Ed! Glad to know you’re out there. Once the ski season gets rolling, I will cover ski prep and waxing in more detail. I’ll be in touch for your best tips!
this is fun to read and inspiring as well…I am proud of you brave, skiing, mom and I can’t wait to bike up the Monument with you..good ski training? Robin
Hi,
I took to waxing my skis (and those of my ski pals) some years ago and have done as need gouge filling too. I had a set of tools built up for waxing and edge tuning but alas, those tools are tucked away in the basement in someplace that eludes my ability to find them and even elude’s my wife’s amazing ability to find.
I have rebuilt my wax kit but have not done so with the edge tuning tools. Too bad, because it is edge tuning that is the trickier one needing more practice and experimentation.
I see one more ski trip this year before I put the skis into dormancy.
How was Mammoth? Get to meet up with any of the Midwest Crew?
Hey Wisconsin Skier! You’ll be happy to know I have a post coming up next week on spring cleaning — I won’t be able to find your wax and tools, but maybe it will inspire you to hang up your skis in a organized manner!
You’re right about edge tuning — you need practice and, as I wrote, don’t touch the base edges unless you know what you’re doing! It’s too easy to mess things up.
Mammoth was great! Yes, met many fine NASJA Midwest Members, including Frida Waara and John LaPlante. Also skied with a misplaced Wisconsonite from NSAA. Well represented, the midwest! I’m on the NASJA board now, so let’s be in touch about the organization! I hope you can come next year!
Thanks !
Yeah, prior a ski season or two ago I got the kit out and was doing an inventory and put it aside in the “Cave”, some visitors were coming and the kit got moved from the “Cave” to somewhere where we know not.
Glad to hear you met up with John & Frida. I am going to make an effort to meet them this summer, and congratulations for getting on the NASJA board and I saw something about some of your photos winning awards?
I’m really itching to get a ski vacation in, have not done a proper one in a long time now, and I could almost call the trip out East next year a “working” vacation!
Cheers,
I hope you will make it east! And no, not photos, but writing (although I do all my own photos, or most of them, too). I was Harold Hirsch Honorable Mention for Blog Writing. 8 writers were nominated. I was 2nd. Toot toot! That’s the sound of my own horn…