UKC

Got some 160cm skis n skins.Do i need to base-wax these with glider wax,as per nordic skis,or do the skins negate this? Can't find on interweb.
Any advice is much appreciated.

Cheers
Dave

In reply to Theseboots: Its not essentail but regular hot waxing helps keep the bases in good condition & improves glide for the downhill. Just make sure you scrape them well after waxing

In reply to Doug: Also, depending on use and how often you hot wax - you can substitute (slightly more expensive) ski wax, for paraffin or candle wax. It just wears a little quicker!

In reply to Theseboots: I've always been told not to wax my touring skis too much and not to scrape them much either as both help stop the skins sticking as well which does make sense as they don't stick well at all to properly scraped and brushed skis.

In reply to aligibb:
That's interesting,
Do you find the skins stick better with to hard or soft wax?

I think i'll stick to keeping my skis waxed and scraped as normal for better skiing, there's nothing worse than a bad case of hairy base.

I was thinking similar questions about skin maintenance; advice I found on the web suggests waxing the skins with the same wax you want on the base, perhaps just not as regularly, or is parafin skin wax better?

In reply to aligibb: That is what i was wondering-might the skin-glue not stick as much to waxed bases?
I'm new to ski-mountaineering so unfamiliar with methods etc,but was always taught to protect telemark skis with glider/base wax,before applying underfoot-grip wax.Wax on,or wax off ?
Also,i am right assuming skins are removed before descending,are'nt I?
I read otherwise on some blog.

Thanks for all replies

Dave

In reply to Theseboots: I'm not convinced by the arguments about waxing/not waxing and skin glue adhesion. I understand that the waxing on a AT ski is scraped off, such that the wax is left in the pores of the PTFE base. Admittedly, the scraping process isn't perfect so there will be some wax around on the base, but not sufficient to impede the skin if the glue is still sticky. This is the situation on new skis and skins, so why should it be any different after the skins and skis have worn in? The effectiveness of the skin's glue appears to be a critical issue from my experience, rather than the waxing of the ski. Thoughts?

In reply to Dee:

I don't buy the argument about wax on the base at all. Even if you don't scrape your bases clean. 1 pisted run or anything that isn't powder will have all visible remanents of wax removed from the bases.


Most mainstream skis have only a nominal amount of wax on the bases when brand new. So unless you're buying your skis from some small custom builder who takes uber pride in their work and makes sure every ski is perfectly waxed before they leave the shop then this particular argument doesn't hold a massive amount of water.


This is what I would say it's, in my opinion, either down to the state of the glue on the skins or possibly the way they're being stored which is really just a variation on the state of the glue on the skins.

In reply to Frank4short:
I'm afraid I don't know the technicalities, but...
a regularily waxed (as in every day) and properly scrapped and brushed race ski is loads faster than a non cared for ski so the bases are much slidier (note technical terms!) It took alot of waxing to get my new race skis faster.

When I have waxed my touring skis I have done a thin layer and left it on, mostly as its needed to fill all the divots and help my ptex repairs! Skins stick fine but I don't wax them very often.

In reply to aligibb:

I think you're somewhat missing my point, which is that even if you can't be arsed scraping the excess wax off of the bases of your skis post waxing, within a very short period of time the excess wax on the bases will be worn off through skiing anyway.

In saying that yes it is common knowledge that well prepared skis go faster and anyone with any interest in going fast will take the extra 10-15mins when preparing their skis to properly scrape and brush them. Though not doing this, whilst it may make your skis a tiny bit slower, shouldn't lead to excess quantities of wax on the base which would impare the abilities of normal skins to stick to the bases. Provided you're not putting your skins straight on from the carpark with the excess wax still there after just servicing them, and even then I doubt it would make that much of a difference.


Which sounds pretty normal, and all but proves what I was saying. Even if it appears I wasn't saying it quite so clearly that it was instantly obvious.

In reply to Theseboots:
I have two pairs of touring skis. One I use mainly for downhill and get waxed with normal (paraffin based?) wax. I have never had a problem with the skins as I always done at least a day's downhill first. The second pair I use mainly for touring. I wax these myself with a PTFE nano wax, e.g. "OSixO 24". Some tours involve long flat or only slightly downhill sections and having no wax at all could be "literally" a bit of a drag.

P.S. was out skinning yesterday, masses of snow here in the French Alps