FAQ

Ideally, you really should wax your skis every time you go skiing, but the reality is that most of us don’t have that kind of time available. We believe that waxing every two or three times you ski will not only help you ski better but keep your ski base in good condition.

Wax does many things to help make skiing easier. Wax will make your ski or snowboard run smoother over all types of snow conditions, however, you will will get best results if you wax specifically for the snow conditions you will encounter.

Wax can be applied professionally by hand or by a specialized professional grade waxing machine at a full-service shop such as Station Ski & Ride, or you can apply it yourself. If doing it yourself you can apply wax using a ski iron or you can apply a paste, cream or a spray wax with results varying with the type of wax used and the skill employed in its application.

There are many types of wax available to choose from, each having different application and performance characteristics. Each is tailored for a set of specific conditions and range of performance. The closer the wax you use matches the conditions you encounter the more likely it is that the desired results will be achieved. We can help you choose the wax that will be best for you and your application from among our wide range of products.

Waxing is the last step taken in the processes of having a tuned ski or snowboard. Before starting, your base, if damaged in any area, should be repaired. Then it should be ground flat and a base structure, typically a visible pattern in the base, applied. The base structure is what allows your ski to run smoothly over the snow.

Your ski is actually rolling on small water droplets as it moves. The wax layer helps the ski to shed this water and makes the ski move smoothly and consistently over the snow.

You should examine the base every ten days you spend on the hill. If you can’t see the base structure it’s time to get your skis tuned again.

You also need to regularly sharpen your ski or board edges. This is normally done as part of a general tune-up. However, if you are skiing on harder snow, or in icy conditions, you may want to get them sharpened more often.

Again, your choices include professional sharpening by hand or machine at a specialty shop such as ours, or a self-applied hand sharpening done by yourself. There are lots of different sharpening tools that you can use at home, or even on the side of the hill. We can help you choose one for regular use or occasional touch ups.

A well tuned and properly prepared ski or board will give you the opportunity to get much better performance from your equipment and have a much more enjoyable experience on the slopes.

We can help you get the most from your gear and help you keep on getting the performance you expect. At Station Ski & Ride we encourage you to “Stay Tuned”.