Toko Wax Clinic Notes
– Crested Butte Nordic Team, View PDF
GLIDE WAXING
- brush your skis hard to clean them – 15-20 strokes – tip to tail
- drip on wax, iron it in – KEEP THE IRON MOVING all the time, never let it sit on the base
- the wax should look melted/ wet but never smoke – if smoke is coming off the wax, the iron is too hot, turn it down
- move the iron tip to tail 3-4 times
SCRAPING
- sharpen your scraper every 3-4 times you use it (coaches have sharpeners)
- do the groove first (with a groove tool) – then if the groover tool jumps out of the groove, it won’t cut into the base because it is protected by the glide wax
- scrape smoothly, lightly, evenly so you don’t ding your base; thumbs pressing on scraper on each side of the groove; always scrape tip to tail, never back & forth
- after 3-4 passes down the ski, look to see if there are areas that need more scraping and do them lightly
- scrape the edges of the ski as well
BRUSHING
- brush vigorously, initially you can brush back & forth
- brush until no more wax is coming out of the base
- brush last 5 passes tip to tail
KICK WAX CLEANING
- put blue painters tape or masking tape at each end of kick zone (duct tape leaves goop)
- scrape old kick wax off as much as possible – putty knife if experienced, plastic scraper if not experienced
- use citrus solvent & fiber tex to clean remaining wax off – don’t let the solvent get on the glide zone.
- A 1 foot long piece of fiber tex will last weeks, ask coaches for a piece (or use a clean cloth)
- wipe remaining wax/solvent off ski
KICK WAX APPLICATION
- ask coaches to help you mark the sides of your skis with your kick zone
- ask coaches to help you gently/lightly sand the kick zone
- PULL the kick wax tube lightly from tip to tail so it goes on thin and smooth (rubbing the wax back & forth usually results in clumps)*cork vigorously – back & forth, pressing down hard; finish with 2 strokes tip to tail
- apply 2 more layers + corking after each
- if your skis are soft, you may use only 2-3 layers; if your skis are stiff for you, you may need 4-5 layers
- if your skis slip on uphills, adjust your technique to be higher and more forward
- if your skis still slip, put another layer of kick wax 4” long, right under your toe
- if your skis still slip, put a layer of WARMER kick wax 4” long, right under your toe
“If you train hard and love skiing, wax your skis frequently for speed – you deserve it! Every time you glide wax your skis, they get faster.”
