So you got new skis? Congrats – and now what to do to make them as good as possible. We recommend the following drill.
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.
Jan Erik Berger, a wax tech who has worked with both the Norwegian national team skis as well as several of the long distance teams, shares his tricks to treating new skis.
Start by cleaning the skis well. Yes, even brand-new skis can be pretty dirty just from the store and transport.
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 (or 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.
As far as grinding goes, Berger recommends testing the skis with the factory grind to start.
“The factory grinds have come a long way, and most are done on World-Cup-level grinding equipment. You might just find that you really like them, right out of the box. If not, you can always decide to get them ground later.”
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.
“That’s it. Just lay down your boards, glide on and enjoy,” says Berger, who is not only a wax tech but also a ski coach with the Lillehammer Ski Club.
And the coach in Berger adds 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.”