How to Wax and Tune Cross-Country Skis?

Brass brush to remove oxidation

After an outing, you’ll sometimes notice that your skis’ bases have been whitened by oxidation. Since this clogs the base’s porosity, using a brush with brass bristles frees the structure and optimizes glide. Brush the skis from tip to tail, always in the same direction.   

• With waxable skis and skis with skins, only brush the gliding zones. 
• With scaled skis and skate skis, brush along the entire length.

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General maintenance at the beginning, during and after the season

Removing wax from cross-country skis

To properly clean the kick zone of waxable skis, scrape off the remaining wax with a wax remover. In addition, the waxable skis used by other skiers can leave grip wax and Klister residue on the trails. The glide zones can therefore be cleaned in specific areas if residues have built up.

Applying a Binder Wax (Underlayer)

Binder wax, aka an underlayer or base coat, should only be applied to the kick zones of waxable cross-country skis. It’s important to always remove wax from the skis before the application. You can reapply every three to four outings.

Applying Glide Wax

Apply glide wax to the ends of skis with half skins and a waxable base. For skate skis and scaled skis, glide wax can be applied along the entire length.

Applying Kick Wax

Kick wax should be applied to the cross-country ski’s kick zone, which is roughly in the middle of the ski. There are many types of wax categorized by colour that determine the wax’s effectiveness relative to the outdoor temperature and snow humidity. 

Kick wax can be scraped off after each outing so you’re ready for the next one. You don’t need to reapply an underlayer every time. As mentioned above, you can reapply it every three to four outings.

Cleaning and Tuning Skis with Skins

Maintenance Product

The use of a maintenance product that acts as a water repellent must be applied to the skins for each outing when the temperature rises above -5 degrees Celsius to prevent icing.  

The product must be applied to a synthetic fibre (fiberlene) towel and then to the skins in the direction of the hairs. Applying a large amount of maintenance product directly to skins may cause them to come off.

Cleaning Product for Skins

I recommend cleaning the skins for each outing. Always apply the cleaner on a synthetic fabric, and go over the skin five to six times in the direction of the hairs.

Tuning the Edges of Backcountry Cross-Country Skis

Backcountry cross-country skis’ edges can be sharpened as needed. Since this type of cross-country skiing is done on ungroomed trails usually covered with a decent amount of snow, the edges wear down much more slowly than those of alpine skis. So the need rarely arises, but be aware that you can do so either in a shop or at home with a sharpening tool.

How to store cross-country skis at the end of the season?

The cross-country skiing season is over, and it’s time to put away your gear. To store them properly, you should clean your cross-country skis by scraping off any remaining wax. In addition, to reduce oxidation, hot wax can be applied to the glide zones. If you don’t have the equipment to do this at home, just apply a coat of wax to the base to protect it. But keep in mind that you should be able to scrape it off easily at the beginning of the next season.   

Just like alpine skis, avoid attaching them at the camber with a ski strap so you don’t compress it.