Use CH4 for Dry, Cold Snow

Swix Wax Tips

Sat, Nov  4, 2006 - By Phil White SWIX Colorado Racing Service

In the high altitude, arid Rocky Mountains, we get a lot of dry, cold snow, which calls for lots of hard glide wax days.

First, I make sure my skis have plenty of soft wax in the bases. I’ll iron in several layers of Base Prep Nordic (BP99), then scrape and brush.

Once my bases are protected, I’ll drip on CH4 (green). (You can first “shred” the CH4 with a cheese grader, making it easier to apply). After ironing enough to get the base covered with CH4, I’ll start lightly scraping before the wax has a chance to harden. First a pass with the groove scraper, then a few passes, tip to tail, with a sharp plexi scraper. This way you avoid having most of your cold wax chip off when you scrape.

I’ll then set this first ski aside, and go through the same steps with ski #2, then go back and finish scraping and brushing the first ski completely. Use the fine steel brush on CH4, it’s the best friend a wax dog ever had.

Finally, ski on your cold waxed skis for a few km’s, then brush them again. Now you’ll have great glide on the fresh, crunchy styrofoam.