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Waxing There are two different kinds of ski wax: kick wax and glide wax. Kick wax is applied to the kick zone on classic skis and designed to grip the snow and allow the skier to “kick” with the ski to move forward. Glide wax is applied to the glide zones on both classic and skate skis and is designed to reduce friction between the ski and the snow to improve ski speed. Kick Waxing Kick wax is only used in classic skiing. Kick Zone The kick zone is the area in the middle of ski where kick wax is applied. Generally it is from where the heel of the ski boot hits the binding to a about 10 inches in front of the ski binding. It is best to have your kick zone marked on your skis for you at a ski shop or by a coach. Only apply kick wax to the kick zone. Wax Selection There are different kinds of kick wax made to work in specific snow conditions. A wax might work great in one temperature range but not in others. The type of kick wax used depends on snow conditions and temperature. It is important to select the proper kick wax for for the snow conditions so that the wax gives you enough kick to ski up hill but doesn’t drag and slow the skis down. Generally, cold or fresh snow conditions require a harder kick wax while warm or old snow conditions require a softer, stickier kick wax. Your coach will assist you in wax selection. Hard Wax: Solid wax that is used in very warm conditions or in icy conditions. Hard Wax Wax Application Rub a thin even layer of wax onto the kick zone of the ski. Use a cork to smooth out the wax by rubbing it up and down the kick zone. The wax should be almost invisible once it is corked in. If there are white spots or visible kick wax that means there is either too much wax or it hasn’t been corked smooth enough. Multiple thin layers is better than one thick layer, because it allows for a more even, smooth wax pocket which will grip better during the kick and glide smoother during glide. Apply further layers and cork them in as necessary. Generally 3 to 4 layers works well. Glide Waxing Glide wax allows the ski to glide over snow quickly. It is used on both classic and skate skis. Waxing makes skis faster over time as more and more layers of wax are applied. It improves the base condition and is important to do to properly maintain your skis. Optimally, race skis should be waxed after every ski and multiple times before important races, but once every couple skis will work fine. Glide Wax Application 1. Plug in the iron. The iron should be set so that it is just hot enough to melt the wax. If the iron smokes, turn down the temperature. It is possible to melt or permanently damage your ski base if the iron is too hot, so set it on as low a temperature as possible. 2. Put ski in stand. 3. Brush ski with brass brush from tip to tail 10-20 times. All scraping and brushing should be done tip to tail so that the base fibers are pointing the correct direction. 4. Using the iron, drip wax down the the glide areas of the ski. On a skate ski this is the entire ski. On a classic ski the glide zone is only on the front and back and not in the kick zone in the middle of the ski. 5. Iron in the wax. Move iron down the ski at a slow enough pace to melt the wax, but quickly enough to
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