Cross country skiing require the application of wax to the ski bases. The type of wax that must be applied to cross country skis depend upon the type of skiing that you will perform. Cross country skiing includes two main styles: classic skiing and skate skiing.
Classic skiing requires the use of glide wax on the tips and tail of the skis, as well as kick wax in the center zone of the skis. Skate skiing dont require the use of kick wax in the center zone of the skis, since the pushing movement used in skate skiing will provide the necessary grip for skiing; glide wax must be applied to the entire base of skate skis, however. Therefore, prior to beginning to ski, an individual must decide whether they will be performing classic skiing or skate skiing to ensure that the skis are waxed apropriately.
How to Wax Cross Country Skis
The types of kick wax that are used contain various colors, each of which is used to provide grip for specific type of snow. For example, harder kick waxes, like green kick wax, are used for very cold snow. Blue kick wax is used for fine-grained snow that falls in cold temperature, and is a versatile wax that can be used in a variety of skiing conditions.
Violet and red kick wax is used for transitional snow condition, such as snow that is near freezing in temperature. Yellow kick wax and the substance known as klister is used for wet snow conditions, as each of these substance prevents the ski from creating suction in the wet snow. Klister comes in different forms; tube paste klister is used for snow temperature above freezing, and klister bars are used for refrozen crust.
Each type of kick wax is created for specific snow crystals, so it is important for an individual to consider the type of snow that will be encountered, rather than the air temperature alone. In addition to considering the types of snow in which you will be skiing, it is also important to consider the different temperature classifications of glide wax. Glide wax come in three different formulas: cold, medium, and warm glide wax.
Cold glide wax is used when snow temperatures are below ten degree. Universal glide wax is used in temperatures in the middle of the snow range, while warm glide wax is used in temperatures above freezing in the snow. Warm glide wax is used to help repel the wetness of the snow.
You apply glide wax to the tips and tails of classic cross-country skis. The size of the kick zone can also be adjusted according to the type of snow that you will be skiing on. For example, for icy snow conditions (often referred to as “hardpack”), an individual should use shorter length of kick zone to allow for the skis to glide easier on such snow; in soft snow conditions, such as wet snow, the kick zone should be longer to allow for the skis to have more grip on the snow.
An individual can test the kick wax by stepping on flat ground with the ski. If the kick wax slips on the ski when stepping, the wax is too hard. If the ski begins to pull forward with the individual stepping on the ski with the ski in place, the wax is too soft.
Some type of cross country skis do not require the manual application of wax. For example, waxless skis have fish-scale patterns on the base of the ski that provide grip for skiing without the application of wax. In addition to waxless skis, skin skis utilize strips of mohair or synthetic material to allow for the ski to have grip when skiing on snow of any temperature.
Waxable cross country skis offer higher performance on skiing conditions that are steady and of any type; waxable skis, however, require more maintenance than either waxless or skin skis. In order for the cross country skis to perform correctly, the kick wax must be applied correctly to the ski. For instance, the wax should be melted with a hot iron; however, the iron should not be hot enough to make the wax smoke.
You should rub the kick wax with a cork from the tip of the ski to the tail of the ski. The kick wax should be applied in thin layer onto the ski; the hardest types of kick wax should be applied first, in case the skis tend to slip. After the wax has been applied to the ski, the excess glide wax should be scraped away with a knife, after which the ski should be brushed with a ski brush to create the necessary structure of the ski.
An even coverage of the wax must be ensured; otherwise, the grip of the ski will fail in certain area of the ski. Errors in waxing cross country skis may occur if the temperature of the wax does not match the temperature of the snow. For instance, if the temperature of the wax is too warm, the wax will often “ice up” and collect in clumps of snow.
In this case, the skier must scrape the wax off of the skis and replaced with a wax with a lower temperature. If the wax is too hard, the skis will not have enough grip on the snow while skiing uphill. If the wax is applied to only part of the ski, the grip will fail on that part of the ski.
Each of these error can be avoided by ensuring that the color of the wax matches the conditions of the snow that will be encountered, and ensuring that the wax is applied evenly to the ski base. Its important to remember that you’re choice of wax can change everything. You should of checked the weather before you start.
