Waxing

The key to optimal glide is establishing and maintaining your ski’s or snowboard’s base structure, coupled with appropriate wax.

Often misunderstood is that simply waxing your bases and scrape smooth is all you need to do to protect your bases and achieve a good glide. Without ‘freeing’ your base structure (removing the wax from the base structure) you actually are likely to not fully benefit from the wax due to suction or surface tension that a mirror smooth base will produce.

So, to help you saturate, wax and prepare your bases for the fast approaching season, we are adding these items to help you get and maintain your items. By applying the coupon code: freestructure1209 , in the cart, you will receive 20% off throughout the month of December. Plus receive 5% worth Loyalty Points for future purchases. If you have Loyalty points, they will add to the savings! This will also compound with other coupons and discounts.

Included in the sale list are selected and shown in our TWS: This Week’s Steals section:

• Waxing & Tuning Kits
• Ski & Snowboard Vises
• Waxing Irons
• KUU-Roto-brushes
• KUU-Oval Brushes
• Briko-Maplus Hydrocarbon & Base Prep waxes
• Electric & Manual plastic scraper sharpeners
• SideWall Planer and Cutter
• Misc other items including base repair pistols

5 New Race Tuning Videos Featuring Willi Wiltz Added
5 new race tuning videos featuring renowned ski and snowboard technician Willi Wiltz have been added to the TokoVideos.com.  Willi serviced Tommy Moe, Daron Rahlves, and Bode Miller to their medals and biggest successes.  Additionally, Willi has worked with snowboarders Nate Holland and Shaun Palmer with great results too.  Learn from the best at your own pace at TokoVideos.com

Video Index

Metal Edges (Alpine Skis and Snowboards)

Cross Country Skis

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Sporthill Portable Sauna Set-up and Operating Instructions

Other than wax, your skis and snowboards must be completely dry before placing them in the Ski and Snowboard Sauna. This unit should only be used in a dry location. If the Ski and Snowboard Sauna becomes wet, let it dry completely before use or shock and injury may occur.

Slip the heat pad into the mesh pocket on the ceiling of bag. To protect the heating element, the silver side of the heat pad should be facing down towards the base of the skis. Loosen and lift the top bars so you can place your skis/snowboard onto the support bars. Set the top bars back in place. Position the thermostat wire to a position that’s directly above the base of your ski /snowboard in the center of the bag. Space the frame to avoid having the heat pad touch your skis or snowboard. Place the light weight steel end pieces inside the bag as far away from each other as possible (they help hold the roof up.) Plug the heat pad into the thermostat and the thermostat into a standard wall socket. Check the temperature setting on the thermostat. It should be preset to 121 F. Ski Sauna LLC recommends 121F. If it’s not set to 121 F simply press the set button on the thermostat and follow the instructions provided by Ranco. The thermostat has a cooling mode and a heating mode. It should be set on the heating mode (H1.)

The end of the thermostat should always be placed between the base of the ski or snowboard and the heating pad. Failure to do so could result in the heating pad overheating and may lead to damage of the heating pad or skis/snowboard.

Use a waxing iron to thoroughly coat the bottom of your skis or snowboard. With skis, keep the rubber band on from your waxing to hold the brakes down so they do not touch the heat pad. Check your skis or board a few times during the process to make sure that the entire base is covered with wax. Do not let the base become devoid of wax.

Contents:

• 1 insulated bag
• 1 carrying bag
• 1 thermostat
• 1 heat pad
• 12 button head screws
• 1 heavy duty rubber band to hold ski brakes down so they do not touch the heating pad
• 2 light weight steel end grames
• 4 steel plates
• 6 aluminum rods

Operating Instructions

1. Iron an ample coating of soft wax onto the ski base. Follow the wax manufacturers guidelines for iron heat settings. Do not scrape off wax.
2. Place ski, base side up, onto the rack system. Leave at least one inch (2 cm) between each ski for heat circulation. Snowboards should only be placed on the top two racks. If placed on the bottom rack they will impede proper heat circulation which could cause overheating near the heat source.
3. Set thermostat to 121 F (49.4 C.) Thermostat instructions are included. Do not set thermostat above 121 F (49.4 C.)*
4. Position the wired thermometer to hang near the center of the Ski Sauna. Plastic ties are provided.
5. Zip Ski Sauna closed and plug it into a standard AC outlet.
6. Check skis each hour. Do not let any part of the base of the ski become dry, apply more wax if needed.
7. Skis should remain in the Ski Sauna for 2 to 4 hours. A standard on/off timer can also be used by simply plugging the Ski Sauna into the timer, and the timer into the AC outlet. Follow the timer manufacturer’s instructions for timer use.
8. After the desired time has elapsed, remove and let skis cool; then follow the wax manufacturer’s guideline for scraping, brushing, and other final preparatory steps.

The appropriate race day wax can be used with traditional ironing procedures or in conjunction with the Ski Sauna treatment.

* Temperatures above recommended level may result in damage to equipment. Ski Sauna, LLC and SportHill, Inc are not responsible for damages caused by improper use.

Designed and produced in the USA by SportHill
725 McKinley Street, Eugene, Oregon 97402
800-622-8444

Ski Sauna is a trademark of Ski Sauna, LLC and is distributed by SportHill, Inc.

Sporthill Original Sauna Set-up and Operating Instructions

Follow directions for use. For indoor use only. Use only in a dry place. Do not let heating pad come into contact with water or liquid other then melted ski wax.

The silver side of the heat pad should be facing up to protect the heating element. Melted ski wax should be gently wiped off of heating pad after each use. Maximum temperature should not exceed 121 F (49.4C). Do not place anything other than skis or snowboards in the Ski Sauna.

Do not leave unattended. Not intended for use by minors. Do not place any part of the ski or snowboard directly on heating pad as this may cause damage. Snowboards should be only placed on the top shelf. Placement of snowboard on bottom shelf may cause excessive heat buildup directly over the heat pad. Do not sit, stand or place anything on top of the Ski Sauna.

Parts list

• 1 Heating pad
• 1 Industrial grade thermometer
• 1 Steel Frame which includes: two steel square ends, four support beams, two ski racks, and three ceiling supports
• Screws and nuts
• 1 Hex wrench
• 1 Insulated fabric shell
• Electrical ties
• Instructions for set up and use

The photo above does not show the three ceiling supports which are added after the insulated bag is on the frame.

Attach the square steel plates to each long steel support beam. Make sure that the two support beams with holes drilled (2 per beam) are opposite each other, one that will form the back top of the rack and the other that will form the bottom back of the rack. The ski and snowboard support rack will attach to these beams at these holes. Use the flat head screws and nuts to attach the steel plates to the long support beams.

The photo above shows the end piece attached to the long cross bars with a flat head screw and nut (inside frame.)

Slide the ski and snowboard support rack into place between the two steel beams and attach with the button head screws and nuts.

Once the frame is completed, slide the insulated bag over the frame making sure the opening of the bag is positioned so that you can access the ski rack.

Now slide the three roof supports between the long steel beams and the ceiling of the bag. These are to keep the ceiling of the bag off of the base of the skis and snowboard.

Slide the thermostat into the side pocket of the bag. An opening in the pocket is provided to allow the wires from the thermostat to protrude from underneath the pocket. Position the thermometer to hang in the center of the Ski Sauna. Use the electrical ties to secure the thermometer wiring to the frame and out of harms way while loading and unloading the Ski Sauna.

Place the head pad on the floor of the insulated bag (silver side up to protect the heating element) and plug into the thermostat.

DO NOT PLACE THE HEAT PAD UNDERNEATH ANYPART OF THE FRAME. To flatten the heat pad out gently roll it in the reverse direction.

Use only in a dry place. Do not place wet skis or snowboard into the Ski Sauna.

DO NOT PLACE THE HEAT PAD UNDER ANY PART OF THE FRAME, EVER, AS IT MAY DAMAGE THE HEAT PAD AND CAUSE IT TO SHORT OUT.

Operating Instructions

1. Iron an ample coating of soft wax onto the ski base. Follow the wax manufacturers guidelines for iron heat settings. Do not scrape off wax.
2. Place ski, base side up, onto the rack system. Leave at least one inch (2 cm) between each ski for heat circulation. Snowboards should only be placed on the top two racks. If placed on the bottom rack they will impede proper heat circulation which could cause overheating near the heat source.
3. Set thermostat to 121 F (49.4 C.) Thermostat instructions are included. Do not set thermostat above 121 F (49.4 C.)*
4. Position the wired thermometer to hang near the center of the Ski Sauna. Plastic ties are provided.
5. Zip Ski Sauna closed and plug it into a standard AC outlet.
6. Check skis each hour. Do not let any part of the base of the ski become dry, apply more wax if needed.
7. Skis should remain in the Ski Sauna for 2 to 4 hours. A standard on/off timer can also be used by simply plugging the Ski Sauna into the timer, and the timer into the AC outlet. Follow the timer manufacturer’s instructions for timer use.

After the desired time has elapsed, remove and let skis cool; then follow the wax manufacturer’s guideline for scraping, brushing, and other final preparatory steps.

The appropriate race day wax can be used with traditional ironing procedures or in conjunction with the Ski Sauna treatment.

* Temperatures above recommended level may result in damage to equipment. Ski Sauna, LLC and SportHill, Inc are not responsible for damages caused by improper use.

Ski Sauna is a trademark of Ski Sauna, LLC and is distributed by SportHill, Inc.

Designed and produced in the USA by SportHill 725 McKinley Street, Eugene, Oregon 97402 800-622-8444 For information call: 1-800-622-8444 www.skisauna.com

Since many males have short attention spans and don’t quite grasp basic waxing, scraping and brushing concepts and techniques, we decided to show a video from Eye Handy. Hopefully, by focusing on the waxing techniques and listening to the narration, you will soon master how to keep your snowboards and skis gliding smooth and fast.

(FAQ)
There is a school of thought that base cleaners/wax removers should never be used on the ski bases and hot scraping is the only method to employ for cleaning ski and snowboard bases. The thinking is cleaners will dry out the bases and destroy the wax saturation level and optimal glide achieved through repetitive wax cycles.

There seems to be some old wives tales at work when it comes to the debate over using cleaners vs. hot scraping with a soft wax. From a technical standpoint sintered bases are basically inert and do not bond well with anything. The surface of the base in contact with the snow is amorphous and random in nature. Structuring the base creates lines in the base material and establishes a pattern, but the underlying material is still amorphous and random.

Wax (or base cleaner for that matter) only penetrates a very small amount into the base, about 15 microns and only where random voids exist. 15 microns is a very small measurement (1% or so of base thickness~15 to 20 microns is about 0.0006 to 0.0008 inch). How can base cleaner possibly “dry out” the base if it only penetrates 15 microns? The answer quite simply is it doesn’t. Base cleaner, or at least Maplus base cleaner is basically detergent dissolved in a solvent. The solvent almost entirely evaporates and the detergent works to properly clean the base. When you take your dirty car to a car wash do you wax it first or clean it with detergent and then wax it? I’ve tried both and the later definitely seems to work better.

A distinction should be made between paraffin and perfluorinated waxes. A specific base cleaner called Fluorclean should be used to remove perfluorinated waxes as it is designed to remove all traces of fluorine from the base. Hot scraping at best blends new wax with a combination of old wax and contaminants in the old wax. I admit you will notice some contaminants being drawn out of the base when hot scraping if the base is dirty, but the iron is not a magnet and does not magically remove all contaminants using wax as a conduit. Residual wax left on the base after hot scraping will still have undesirable stuff in it.

Additionally, duration and type of cleaners can be employed judiciously to expedite and provide clean bases, ready for the next coat of wax. The longer a wax remover or solvent sits on the base, the more it can cut into the wax and any contaminates. Also, a more aggressive cleaner can also be used to remove the surface contaminants in little time and use of materials while eliminating the hot scraping steps and mess. Diluted (1:5) household cleaners like Simple Green can provide adequate cleaning. Biodegradable citrus based cleaners can be great options for cleaning the base and removing wax when harsher solvent based cleaners are not needed or desired. For base repairs, base cleaners are necessary, coupled with some sanding and cutting of the base material.

So, back to the original question. The best way to clean the bases is the method that is best for you, your preferences, time available, costs or beliefs: either hot scraping, base cleaner or a combination. If you are concerned about base cleaner remnants on the base, you can also hot scrape afterwards or simply wipe off with water.

A caveat to keep in mind is that skis and snowboards tend to run better and faster after more wax cycles and time on the snow. So, more aggressive cleaning would require more wax cycles to optimize the glide than a less aggressive, more topical cleaning.