 Poster: A snowHead
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In my chalet last week were a couple of very good skiers. They reckoned that a hot wax was no better than a cold waxing.
Now I know that ski hire shops make a fortune out of waxing skis - and that one poster here makes a living from it. What do others think?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| James the Last wrote: |
In my chalet last week were a couple of very good skiers. They reckoned that a hot wax was no better than a cold waxing.
Now I know that ski hire shops make a fortune out of waxing skis - and that one poster here makes a living from it. What do others think? |
given that you want your wax 'impregnated' into the ski as you scrape all the excess off, I cannot see how a cold wax can equal a hot one....
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| kitenski wrote: |
| James the Last wrote: |
In my chalet last week were a couple of very good skiers. They reckoned that a hot wax was no better than a cold waxing.
Now I know that ski hire shops make a fortune out of waxing skis - and that one poster here makes a living from it. What do others think? |
given that you want your wax 'impregnated' into the ski as you scrape all the excess off, I cannot see how a cold wax can equal a hot one.... |
I agree with kitenski. As per a recent comment from Spyderjon the bases are like a sponge which absorb the wax - how can the pores in the base open up (to receive the wax) without heat being applied? 
And all those World Cup ski techs who hot wax are wrong???
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| In my chalet last week were a couple of very good skiers. |
Maybe they're not as good as they think.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| gsb wrote: |
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| In my chalet last week were a couple of very good skiers. |
Maybe they're not as good as they think. |
Agreed 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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What should be mentioned is that carrying a block of wax with you can be a godsend. If you're in the middle of a ski area and wet sticky snow is falling, a 2-minute rub-down of the bases with a block of wax can mean the difference between moving and not moving.
So a cold-wax can be a great idea if your bases have run dry of wax.
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| Quote: |
| And all those World Cup ski techs who hot wax are wrong??? |
I don't think anybody suggests that. However their point was, "Do we really need skis prepped up to World Cup standard?" And I guess the answer to that for 99% of us has to be "no".
And I cannot help but wonder HOW necessary it is to "impregnate" a ski base - or whether that too is marketing bumf.
Does anybody have a link to a peer-reviewed journal article on this matter?
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| James the Last wrote: |
| Does anybody have a link to a peer-reviewed journal article on this matter? |
I can't offer a link but I can speak from personal experience. There is a noticeable difference in how well a ski runs (especially in harsh snow conditions) between a proper hot wax and a quick rub down with cold wax or something like Zardoz. It is more noticeable after a period of time.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| James the Last wrote: |
| Does anybody have a link to a peer-reviewed journal article on this matter? |
Lord Mandelson may have read an article about waxing.
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I think everyone probably benefits form a properly tuned ski - tuned to your specific needs. This may make all the difference between "that ski is crap I didn't like it" or "this ski is awesome".
However there is a considerable faff factor, not to mention cost if paying a 3rd party to do it, which means in practice if we are honest many of us do not tune our stuff as often or as thoroughly as we might. Does it affect performance -probably. Does it matter - maybe not unless skiing them becomes an unpleasant experience e.g. no glide because wax is the wrong temp etc.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I don't think shops make a "fortune" - our local shop charges 12 euros for the basic treatment, which includes scraping. We do our own, and although I have said elsewhere on Snowheads that I don't think scraping makes much difference after the first few runs (and it makes a mess) I do think it's worth hot waxing. For a start, I rather enjoy it - I like the way the iron melts the wax and smooths it around - and it takes no time at all. I suspect you can also use less of the (rather expensive) wax that way - as the iron can spread it around.
When I first met people who waxed their own skis (which struck me as the height of sophistication) it was on a ski clinic with Inspired to Ski. They did hot waxing, with the proper irons (I just use an old one with no holes in the bottom).
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| James the Last wrote: |
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| And all those World Cup ski techs who hot wax are wrong??? |
I don't think anybody suggests that. However their point was, "Do we really need skis prepped up to World Cup standard?" And I guess the answer to that for 99% of us has to be "no".
And I cannot help but wonder HOW necessary it is to "impregnate" a ski base - or whether that too is marketing bumf.
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Next time I suggest getting some base cleaner onto those 'experts' skis, strip out all the wax, then give them a lump of cold wax and ski with them the next day 
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| James the Last wrote: |
| However their point was, "Do we really need skis prepped up to World Cup standard?" And I guess the answer to that for 99% of us has to be "no". |
Simply doing a hot wax doesn't mean your skis are prepped to a WC standard.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
I'm a bit of an anorak
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if you want to become a real ski-wax anorak, get into competitive cross-country skiing. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| James the Last wrote: |
In my chalet last week were a couple of very good skiers. They reckoned that a hot wax was no better than a cold waxing.
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The vast majority of very good skiers will tell you that hot waxing is far more effective, for both performance and base protection. You don't have to go to WC racing levels of preparation, just a decent hot waxing every week is worthwhile for most people and will make your bases live longer.
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FAQ
