So you got new skis? Congrats – and here is what to do to make them as good as possible.
Brand new skis need a good helping of TLC before they are race ready. It’s time to get to work, but perfect bases is not rocket science. We recommend the following drill.
- Start by cleaning the skis well. Yes, even brand-new skis can be dirty just from transportation, storage and the sales floor at the retailer.
- Use a base cleaner for the kick zone, and a glide wax cleaner on the glide zones and for the entire ski on skate skis.
- Polish the glide zones (for skate skis: the entire base) with Fibertex and brush with a soft metal brush.
- Heat in a couple of layers of fairly soft glide wax, such as Swix LF/CH8 or similar. Let cool and then reheat the glide wax again. Let cool, then scrape and brush well.
- Heat in a layer of somewhat harder glide wax, such as Swix LF/CH6. Heat in twice, then scrape and brush thoroughly.
That’s it. Just lay down your boards, glide on and enjoy.
Additional steps for classic skis: Sand the kick zone with sand paper, and heat in a good layer of base kick wax. Then go to where you plan to ski, and add the kick wax of the day outside, on site.
And just a gentle reminder to get the season off right: Do a lot of no-pole skiing at the start of the season and reconnect with your technique.
Learn more about tuning and optimizing your skis with “how to” videos from Madshus Academy: