How to wax downhill skis

How to wax downhill skis - video instructions for ZIPPS ski waxes (thanks to Wolfgang, Ramona and Sophia Wiedner)

Must-haves

Some tools are essential for optimum results. Whether you are a beginner, advanced or professional, if you want to wax your skis, you will need the following accessories:

Hand or rotor brushes
Cork for working in the liquid waxes, felt backing for polishing if necessary
Hot or liquid wax
If you want to use ironing wax, you will also need an iron, preferably a special ski wax iron with a degree indicator.
Scraper
Soft microfibre cloth
Optional: Ski vise

The basic rules for waxing with hot or liquid wax

Always clean the base first.
Work thoroughly when brushing out! Too much wax slows down the ski, it then has to be run free, which takes time.
For a really good result, don't skimp on the brushes.
Always use the recommended brushes in the following order: start with a hard brush and finish with a soft one.

The preparation

Before you start waxing, you should first clean the skis carefully.

Fix the skis in the ski vise or in another holder.
Brush the skis well with a hard brush (hard nylon brush or natural hair brush), removing dirt and wax residue from the base. Direction of brushing: From the tip of the ski to the end of the ski.
If necessary, rework with a base cleaner (Cleaner C 31). Wipe thoroughly with a cloth or microfibre cloth.
If you want to use ironing wax, you should preheat the iron now (the correct temperature is indicated on the ski wax packaging).

The 3 basic rules for applying the glide layer

A hard wax applied over a soft wax will lose hardness and therefore durability due to the soft wax. Waxes mix.
Do not lay more than 4 layers on top of each other.
Brush thoroughly between the individual layers of wax.

All steps are described in detail in our application instructions.

Base preparation - described in detail under base preparation.