Why wont my K2's hold their wax....?

Dave Mac...hahahah def person in the saddle...my comedy value is high!

Find all comments interesting, this was after full ski shop service and wax, but will find out if they strip the wax first. I used teflon wax to try and liven them up, helped a little at first then proper wax definitely needed.....going to talk to ski shop too, been in so much we're truly bonded!

Cheers all :)

The only reason I can think of is that the base materials were different. If they are cheap skis they might have HMWPE (High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) bases which don't take up any wax. As K2 is an American ski company they might be using DuraSurf from Crown Plastics for their bases. Unlike the European manufactures Isosport (Isospeed) and Creative Plastic Solutions (P-tex) Crown Plastics doesn't anneal the UHMWPE (Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene) strip as part of the manufacturing process so their base materials take up less wax.

The usual methods shops use to wax skis don't get much wax into the bases, the best way to wax them is using an infrared ski waxer (polyethylene readily absorbs infrared radiation) failing that a good waxing iron does a pretty good a job, just don't get the base too hot.

brooksy wrote:
So can anyone recommend a wax, spray or otherwise that you can apply yourself while on piste to liven them up, this will be used only between professional servicing.

Nearly anything you apply on the piste is going to wear off very quickly. An easy method that usually last a day or more is to cold wax the skis in the evening. Use a bar of universal, or a warm temp wax like a crayon all over the bases. Then use a green scouring pad to rub in, and remove the excess. You could then brush as well if desired.

Thanks so much, US tech stuff makes sense, maybe it is too much to expect a wax to last a week,will approach it differently next time! :)

I would take "Swingers advice", I really do not think enough wax is getting into the bases, there are good points that all have mentioned on this thread, buy some equipment and do it your self, initial set costs but you know what has been put onto your skis, and Like I said before three coats of wax for me, not the one you possibly get in a ski shop.

Okey Dokey DIY it is! Cheers chaps! :)

Hi all.

An old thread but it came up first when I searched for a possible thread.

Now we have 3 set of skis in the family (shortly 4) it looks like it will be cheaper for me to wax them myself moving forward as we tend to go 3 times a season.

Anybody got any suggestions for a good (and value for money!!) list of kit (hot waxing). I know a couple of places do a kit, but you are tied to their product suggestions and not sure if you could pick up similar or better products individually.

I'm sure everyone has their preferences but thought I would ask for a good starting point.

Thanks

Lee

HI Lee,

Spend a few minutes on YouTube and see what goes into a "home tune-up". It's more than just wax. Wax is the last step after p-tex, flattening, sharpening... then after comes scraping, brushing, buffing....

Each year, for Christmas, I top off my kids kits as they do their own skis/boards.

It takes a while to learn how to do each step properly. It helps if you know some racing kids that will tune your equipment for some extra scratch.

Economy of scale and knowing the actual skill (cause it takes practice) for someone skiing 3 times a year??? I'd just pay someone.

Cheers!