How to Wax Skis | Ski Wax Application Guide

Step 1

Choose Your Wax

Match your wax to the air temperature of the day. Cold, Mixed, or Warm. If conditions shift throughout the day, go with Mixed.

If you're unsure which wax to use, read our How to Choose the Right Ski Wax guide.

If you are not sure which wax to use, read our guide on how to choose the right ski wax.

Step 2

Prepare the base

Skis and snowboards must be dry and at room temperature. If stored in the cold, let them warm up indoors before waxing. Run the iron quickly over the bare base once or twice to open the structure and remove surface moisture.

For best results, perform a hot scrape before your first wax application of the season or after a stone grind. Apply a thin layer of wax, let it cool fully, then scrape clean. This removes oxidation, old wax residue, and deep contamination that a brush alone cannot reach. Our Universal wax is ideal for this step, engineered to work as both a base prep and hot scrape wax. Think of it as the foundation everything else builds on.

Follow with a copper or bronze brush, tip to tail, to clear debris and open the base structure. Your base is now clean, structured, and ready to bond.

Our plant-based waxes are naturally hydrophobic. Moisture or contamination trapped in the base prevents proper bonding and reduces performance. This step is what makes everything that follows work.

Step 3

Apply the Wax

We recommend the hot-touch crayon method. It uses less wax, creates less mess, and gives you better control than traditional dripping.

3.1 Touch the wax briefly to the iron to soften the surface.
3.2 Rub it onto the base like a crayon in a thin, uneven layer.
3.3 Repeat. Touch briefly to the iron each time and continue across the base. Coverage does not need to be perfect.

Step 4

Iron In

Move the iron smoothly tip to tail. This wax melts fast, keep the iron moving at all times.

Iron temperatures:
Warm conditions: 110–120°C
Mixed conditions: 95–105°C
Cold conditions: 105–115°C

Never stop the iron in one place. Always start at the lowest temperature that makes the wax run. If you see smoke, turn the iron down immediately.

Step 5

Cool and Scrape

Let skis cool for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature. Do not cool in a cold space.

Scrape with a sharp scraper, note sharp. If your scraper is not sharp, sharpen it with a file. Scrape tip to tail, one direction only. Long, smooth strokes. Do not scrape back and forth.

Step 6

Brush

Brushing is optional but highly recommended. Your iron puts the wax in. Your brush makes it work. Both matter equally. Neither is optional.
The wax restores hydrophobicity, but your base texture does the rest.

Nylon brush: Opens the structure and removes remaining surface wax from the grooves. Medium pressure, several passes until the base looks clean and open.

Horsehair brush: Polishes the base, reduces static, and smooths the wax surface. Light pressure, fewer passes.

Brush tip to tail throughout.