Ski servicing: waxing, edge sharpening and storage

When to service your skis

Every manufacturer gives slightly different intervals between waxes. On the warning signs, though, they agree: if the base has turned white and dull and the ski glides worse than usual, it is time for wax. The table sets out what each company recommends.

New skis are a separate case: before they go out on the slopes for the first time, it is worth hot waxing them several times.

Cold and hot waxing

Cold waxing uses a paste or a spray. It takes a few minutes, so you can do it on a ski trip too. With hot waxing, the wax is spread with an iron, and the polyethylene the base is made of absorbs it well. If you would rather see it on screen, Marek Żurawiecki of the Sport Center ski service shows both methods step by step in our video series “Ski tuning”.

1. Clean the base with a base cleaner. A cloth dampened with water will not shift old wax and dirt.
2. Spread the wax with a ski waxing iron. Set it to the temperature the wax manufacturer specifies.
3. Wait at least 30 minutes for the ski to cool down at room temperature.
4. Scrape off the excess with a plastic scraper. The aim is for the wax to stay in the base structure instead of sitting on top of it in a thick layer.
5. Brush the base with a nylon brush. All that is left is to clean the wax off the edges.

Fluorinated waxes

We advise against buying fluorinated waxes. They have been banned in FIS competitions since the 2023/24 season, the European Union is putting limits on more and more fluorine compounds in waxes, and many manufacturers, Swix among them, now only offer fluorine-free waxes.

The EU limit on PFOA in mixtures has applied since 4 July 2020, and the limit on PFHxA, which also covers mixtures for consumers, since 10 October 2026.

Edges: angles and sharpening

Sharpening works on two sides of the edge: the side edge and the base edge. A side edge angle of less than 90° gives better grip. With the base bevel, a larger one means less grip and easier skidding, which is why racers choose a smaller one.

The table shows typical values and your model may have its own, so before you visit a ski service, check the angles in the manufacturer's data and give them at the counter. Skis that do not hit rocks only need touching up with a diamond stone every 10 days to two weeks of skiing. They go to a ski service for sharpening once a year.

If you want to sharpen at home, you need ski vices, an angle guide, an edge sharpener, a sidewall cutter and at least two files of different grits (more on ski tuning tools). Watch out for spots where the ski has hit a rock. The edge is hardened there and the file skids over it, so these spots are first ground down with an abrasive stone. Sharpening leaves a burr, which is removed with a gummi stone or fine sandpaper (more on preparing skis).

Base repair

A scratch narrower than 3 mm or a small gouge can be patched yourself with a polyethylene repair candle. The melted plastic fills the gouge, and once it has cooled, the excess is taken off with a sharp scraper. Blow the candle flame out. Putting it out with a wave of the hand is a bad idea, because the dripping plastic burns.

Large holes and damage close to the edge are a job for a ski service. There the gouge is filled, and then the base goes under a grinding stone that levels it with the edge and cuts a structure that helps the ski glide. This structure is cut into the base. A hand structure, pressed in with a tool, wears away over time.

Ski service or do it yourself?

A full machine service has five stages. It starts with base repair and stone grinding with a structure, then the side edges are sharpened and the base bevel is set, and finally the ski is waxed and polished. And if new skis are on your mind rather than a service? Models with manufacturers' data are waiting in the ski gear section, while the right length comes from the ski size quiz.

Bindings: when to check the setting

The binding release value, known as DIN, is calculated from the skier's weight, height and age, their ability level and the length of the boot sole. It is better not to adjust it yourself. A ski service will check the setting on a testing device and correct it if needed.

• Bindings should be checked at the start of every season and after three weeks of skiing, and also whenever the skier gains or loses weight or grows, or changes skis, boots or the bindings themselves.
• Children's bindings are checked at least once a year, because both a child's weight and their technique change quickly.

Recommendations from the binding manufacturers Look, Marker and Tyrolia and from the ski service specialist Montana; the DIN value is set according to the ISO 11088 standard.

How to store skis over the summer

1. Clean the base and apply a thicker layer of wax, preferably hot. This time you do not scrape anything off: the wax stays on all summer and protects the base from light and temperature.
2. Protect the edges from rust. You can scrape the wax off them or leave it on. Either way, what matters is that the edges are dry.
3. Choose a place that is dry, well ventilated and out of the sun. A bag that is too airtight is a poor choice, because moisture collects inside it. Skis can lie flat or stand upright; both are fine.
4. Bindings should be left clean, with the heel piece closed and no boots in them, in a dry place at room temperature. There is no need to release the springs. If you do loosen them, though, you have to return to the correct setting before the season.

Recommendations from the manufacturers Salomon, Toko, Swix and Tyrolia.

Before the season, scrape off the summer wax and brush the base, unless the skis are going straight to a ski service. While you are at it, we recommend looking over your helmet and goggles. When a helmet needs replacing is explained in the guide Helmets and goggles.

Questions and answers