How to prevent snow from sticking to No-Wax Ski Bases

Fri, Jan  26, 2024 - By Ian Harvey

Snow from Sticking to No-Wax Ski Bases is a very common problem among recreational skiers. Our readership is generally quite advanced and has mostly moved on from no-wax skis to skin skis but I still thought that there might be many who would appreciate this information either for themselves or for friends who ski with no-wax skis.

If someone were frying an egg on a frying pan and was having problems with the egg sticking to the pan, turning down the heat MIGHT help. However there are other things that might be the issue rather than the heat such as adding some kind of lubricant to the surface of the pan or using a pan that is thick enough to distribute heat to the entire pan rather than just one fairly concentrated spot.

Many of the solutions commonly given to avoid this problem while good often don't contain the necessary scope of things to check or address to solve the problem for sure.

Here is a list of things to check/address.

1. Make sure that the base of the ski is entirely clean. I'd say that this is the most overlooked issue and probably the most common culprit. New snow around freezing sticks like crazy to dirt and then it sticks to itself building up under foot. The ski bases (especially the "tread pattern" or "fish scales" need to be cleaned especially carefully paying special attention to the corners in the pattern where dirt tends to accumulate the most. If needed, I recommend using a nylon scrub brush and brush lengthwise, but in the tread pattern sideways (laterally) and with soap. You can also use wax remover, but to remove the dirt from the tread pattern, I think soapy water and a scrub brush is the best.
2. The base should be in reasonable shape. If the base is super scratched up and dried out, it loses its water repellency. You can metal scrape it (just generally to remove all of the scratchy and hairy stuff) and then fibertex it, and lastly a coat of hot wax will then make a huge difference. The harder variety will be the most effective in removing this rough stuff on the surface although it is not as hydrophobic.
3. Use a hydrophobic liquid on your whole base. Toko makes a product called "Grip n Glide". It is specifically designed for "no-wax" skis. You apply it on the entire base both glide and kick surface. It will repel the sticky snow (so long as the base is in OK shape and dirt free). There are other products on the market too, but I would recommend a liquid, NOT a paste or gel. The pastes (which we also make) will accumulate in the corners of the tread pattern thus attracting dirt and then this dirt will give good opportunity for the snow to stick. The pastes will work very well short term, but not long term for this reason.
4. Lastly if the ski bases get wet and then have contact to snow that is not wet, the not wet snow will freeze quickly onto your base. This can happen if there is wet snow (puddles) under dry snow or even if you take your skis out of your warm car and immediately start skiing on the new snow around freezing. It will help prevent this if you avoid puddles and also allow the skis to get cold before skiing on them especially in new snow conditions around freezing. Do this by simply putting the skis outside for a few minutes before skiing on them.

Good luck! I hope this was helpful.