Winter: the snow cover is like a big white feather bed, the smell of freshness, frost, pinching your cheeks. It's time to take your skis out of storage and closets and go for a ride. But before you go out with them, remember: your skis have been sitting in a dark corner for more than six months and they urgently need preparation for the season. Now we will tell you how to do this.
What kind of skiing is it when the skis are not ready at all? They glide poorly and spoil the whole atmosphere.
For good gliding of skis, lubricants are used, which are used to treat the skis for high-quality gliding on the snow. In fact, this is a very important moment: not only is lubricant a mandatory attribute in the inventory, you also need to be able to select and apply it.
Lubricants such as wax and paraffin different types skis are applied in different ways:
We tell you more about paraffin for lubricating cross-country skis.
Ski waxes for different weather
Speaking about holding ointment for skis, it is important to know that without this ointment you will not be able to get anywhere; it helps push and push off the skis, which allows you to glide easily and without force on fresh snow.
To choose the ointment in the store that is right for you, you need to decide what result you want.
Hydrocarbon waxes
Speaking briefly and factually about each, wax is based on paraffin, it is the most common, since it is water-repellent and easier to apply to skis in any condition.
Most often they are sold in briquettes, powders, pencils or pastes; the assortment also includes universal ones and those oriented to a specific temperature.
Simple and a budget option, good for small skiing trips for amateurs.
Fluorocarbon waxes
This variety is more resistant to water and provides unsurpassed glide. It is divided into categories depending on the percentage of fluoride in the substance.
They are sold in the same way as carbon ones, in blocks, pencils, and so on, they differ in cost, but they are also much better in quality, and they need to be applied so often.
When it comes to which is best, consider what your budget is and what your goals are. The presence of fluorine in paraffin means that the skis are protected from dirt and glide perfectly and are ready for any temperature, however, if you are not a professional athlete and this is a small outing, then you can get by with a simple, basic one.
When choosing a brush for manual work, you will be faced with a choice of brushes from different materials, you will meet:
1. Metal
They are designed for cleaning skis from old paraffin and dirt (except steel), most often they are made of brass or bronze; Steel ones are more designed for applying fine microstructures.
Top row: steel polishing and steel cleaning brushes. Middle row: copper brush, combo brush and nylon brush. Bottom row: polishing brushes: nylon and horsehair
2. Nylon
Are divided into:
3. Natural
They not only remove soft paraffin, but also use them to apply accelerator powders and perform other processing. Most often, natural brushes are made from horsehair.
4. Polishing
Designed for applying loose powders to a dry surface.
You may also come across brushes made from combined materials.
In addition to manual ones, you can also buy a rotary ski brush. It is distinguished by its shape - cylindrical and automatic. While hand brushes are only designed to be cleaned by hand, rotary ski brushes can be attached to a drill and clean your skis without any effort.
Rotary brushes for ski preparation
Not much can be said about scrapers, and for skis they are often the same for all manufacturers. The only difference between the scrapers may be their thickness. So the most popular scrapers are from 3 mm to 5 mm.
You can choose scrapers based on the principle: whichever fits more comfortably in your hand and there is no big difference.
A small life hack: the scraper for the groove can be replaced with a body from a regular one ballpoint pen, felt-tip pen or marker.
Cork is vital for you if you prepare your skis for the season manually; without cork you will not grind paraffin and other ointments. On the market and in sports stores you will find plugs not only for manual work, but also rotary (cylindrical automatic) ones, which is not a big need for amateurs.
Corks will also be needed for applying accelerators and other powders.
Yes, their main difference from a regular dishwashing sponge is hardness and, paying attention to the opinions of people on online forums, you wonder: is a separate sponge for skis needed? Fiberlen and fibertex perfectly remove hairs and other small debris that gets in the way, and if it is said that it is necessary, then it is necessary. After all, we want to get high-quality gliding and pleasant emotions from skiing as a result.
Why do you need a cleaner? Cleaner for skis and snowboards is as necessary as paraffin; you weren't going to peel it off without special means? Cleaners in the processing and preparation of skis will help clear away dirt accumulated during previous skiing, previously applied ointments, powders, and other things that need to be replaced on the sliding surface.
Each ski iron is good in its own way, and what does it matter? His job is small: thermal devices in ski preparation are needed to heat and melt ointments and paraffin.
When opening sporting goods stores, one’s eyes run wide, but in reality big problem There is no iron for skis in the selection. They all fit perfectly and differ only in price and shape. You are advised to choose an iron, like a scraper, so that it fits well in your hand.
An ordinary household iron differs in temperature level, but if you are confident in yourself and are not afraid of burning the sliding surface in case of failure, then try using your old iron.
Having familiarized yourself with the equipment for preparing skis, it will not be difficult for you to quickly cope with the treatment and protection of your skis, and you can safely go for a ride around your home, school and or visit one of the wonderful ski resorts. Forward!
See also a useful video about basic ski preparation for the season:
Interesting too
Skiing and snowboarding will be as comfortable as possible only if you glide well on the snow. Minimal grip on the ski track is ensured by a layer of paraffin, which is recommended to be periodically applied to sports equipment. For these purposes, a special ski iron is used.
Fans of skiing and snowboarding know that special treatment of equipment allows them to develop greater speed when descending the mountain. The sliding side of sports equipment has a porous structure, the micro-holes of which must be filled with paraffin using a special technology.
Sports equipment should be waxed hot using a special iron. If this technical maintenance is not performed, the sliding surface will oxidize and deteriorate. As a result, the life of the board or skis will be reduced. Winter sports enthusiasts only need to apply wax once every five trips. Professional skiers use paraffin on their equipment before each start.
Important! The sliding surface of skis and snowboards must be hot-treated at the end of the ski season!
Application irons may vary in sole thickness and power. Based on these parameters, three types of devices are conventionally distinguished:
Ski irons are sold in sports stores. However, there is a possibility of assembling a similar device from scrap materials. It will cost much less, and will cope with the main task no worse than branded products.
To make an iron you will need:
You need to remove the standard tip from the soldering iron, in place of which a nail is inserted. It will transfer heat to the metal base. To adjust the power, the heating element should be connected to a dimmer, which will also serve as a switch. Except for the nail metal base you need to solder the handle necessary to move the iron along the surface of the snowboard or ski. Rubbing in the wax is done with two hands: one holds the soldering iron, the other holds the soldered handle.
Attention! Spreading the wax should start from the toe to the end in one continuous stroke.
Application of paraffin lubricant - important point in ski equipment. It is necessary to choose only high-quality lubricating products and prepare skis and snowboards well: clean, dry and only then iron.
Most necessary tool for preparing skis or snowboards - this is an iron. It is with its help that paraffins are applied to the sliding surface. A good and powerful ski iron is a guarantee that the lubricant will be applied efficiently, and you will not burn through the plastic of the ski or snowboard when applying it.
Ski iron is important tool, so you shouldn’t use household irons, saving on buying a professional one designed specifically for skis or snowboards. Moreover, today on the market of tools for preparing ski and alpine skiing equipment there are big choice These devices have very different prices. You can easily choose the appropriate iron according to your financial capabilities. Household iron not suited to create the same required temperature over its entire surface. And they can very easily damage the plastic when applying lubricant.
The irons available for sale today can be divided into two types:
You can buy a ski iron cheaply, both regular (analog) and digital. Naturally, the price of a digital iron for lubricating skis and snowboards will be two times higher than a regular one. Inexpensive heat tools include the following models:
More expensive models of ski irons, the price of which is already 2-3 times higher than devices from the inexpensive segment, include professional devices from Swix, Holmenkol or Toko.
To buy an iron for preparing skis in Moscow or another city in Russia, you do not have to spend time and effort traveling around the city, and overpay extra money for renting space and maintaining staff included in the price of the product. You can buy a lubricating ski iron for skis from leading European manufacturers in our online store, without even leaving your home. To buy an iron for ski processing, you just need to leave a purchase request on our website. Our manager will call you back and agree on the terms of payment and delivery of the goods. If you can’t decide which is best to buy an iron for lubricating skis, call the phone number listed on the website and consult with a specialist. From us you can buy a ski iron cheaper than in retail.
A special ski iron is used to apply ointments (primarily paraffins) to their sliding surface. With its help, the ointment is fused onto the “slipper” of an already tarred ski; thanks to this hot application method, it is absorbed into the wood and becomes more resistant to abrasion.
A ski iron can be bought at a sports store, its price is 40-70 dollars (depending on the bells and whistles). In such ski irons, as a rule, it is possible to regulate the heating temperature. Primarily, they are used to lubricate plastic cross-country and alpine skis. But they are not very popular among tourists-skiers and hunters who prefer wooden skis. Everyone tries to make do with available equipment, for example, an old household iron.
I also don’t have a specialized ski lubricant. There used to be a Soviet one, but it got lost somewhere. Therefore, I decided to make a ski iron with my own hands by analogy with it.
Homemade ski iron - step-by-step instructions
Making an iron for skis with your own hands is not difficult. It took me less than an hour. I made it right away, by eye, and drew a drawing later for the article based on what came out.
You will need
Materials:
A piece of tin, 0.7 mm thick and approximately 160 by 140 mm in size;
Tablespoon handle – 1 pc.;
Rivets/or bolt and nut – 2 pcs.
Tools:
Metal scissors;
Pliers;
Drill;
Riveter (if you use rivets)
From a sheet of tin using metal scissors I cut out a blank for an iron for skis.
I bent the box with pliers, bent its edges inward and flattened it. With this, I gave the future iron for lubricating skis additional rigidity and removed the sharp edges.
I made two through holes in the handle of a broken aluminum tablespoon using a drill. I drilled the same holes at one end of the tin box and riveted it with the handle using two rivets. Bolts and nuts could be used instead.
This is the ski iron I made with my own hands!
A piece of dry fuel is placed inside the ski lubricating iron and set on fire. It heats the bottom of the iron, which we use to melt ski wax and iron the ski. Of course, it is impossible to determine or regulate the heating temperature; in order for the ski iron not to overheat, it needs to actively “work on the ski.”
It is quite suitable for wooden skis, but expensive plastic skis I wouldn’t risk processing this homemade product.
A special ski iron is used to apply ointments (primarily paraffins) to their sliding surface. With its help, the ointment is fused onto the “slider”; thanks to this hot application method, it is absorbed into the wood and becomes more resistant to abrasion.
A ski iron can be bought at a sports store, its price is 40-70 dollars (depending on the bells and whistles). In such ski irons, as a rule, it is possible to regulate the heating temperature. Primarily, they are used to lubricate plastic cross-country and alpine skis. But they are not very popular among tourists-skiers and hunters who prefer wooden skis. Everyone tries to make do with available equipment, for example, an old household iron.
I also don’t have a specialized ski lubricant. There used to be a Soviet one, but it got lost somewhere. Therefore, I decided to make a ski iron with my own hands by analogy with it.
Making an iron for skis with your own hands is not difficult. It took me less than an hour. I made it right away, by eye, and drew a drawing later for the article based on what came out.
You will need
Materials:
A piece of tin, 0.7 mm thick and approximately 160 by 140 mm in size;
Tablespoon handle – 1 pc.;
Rivets/or bolt and nut – 2 pcs.Tools:
Metal scissors;
Pliers;
Drill;
Riveter (if you use rivets)
From a sheet of tin using metal scissors I cut out a blank for an iron for skis.
I bent the box with pliers, bent its edges inward and flattened it. With this, I gave the future iron for lubricating skis additional rigidity and removed the sharp edges.
I made two through holes in the handle of a broken aluminum tablespoon with a drill. I drilled the same holes at one end of the tin box and riveted it with the handle using two rivets. Instead, you could use bolts and nuts.
This is the ski iron I made with my own hands!
A piece of dry fuel is placed inside the ski lubricating iron and set on fire. It heats the bottom of the iron, which we use to melt ski wax and iron the ski. Of course, it is impossible to determine or regulate the heating temperature; in order for the ski iron not to overheat, it needs to actively “work on the ski.”
