Wax-Tips With SOLDA Glide Wax

Waxing Guide

Tue, Nov  18, 2003 - By Torbjorn Karlsen

Make it simple and focus on three or four waxes for your training needs. Add a few additional waxes for superb race skis.

The following guideline is meant to help you simplify waxing and have fast training skis from the first days on snow.

Some wax companies are recommending numerous applications of “this and that” before you add a high number of layers of the next wax before moving to the next one.

We have tried this (10-20 layers of wax) in our own racing as well as in World Cup and Olympic competitions. It’s in most cases a big waste of time, energy and money. It’s limited how much wax a base can absorb - so “why add water to a bucket when it’s already full”?

Our goal is to have the fastest skis without spending “all night” in the garage or wax room trying to accomplishing this. Join us if you agree and like this approach.

Training Waxes

Three waxes that will give you great training skis in most conditions. We recommend that you start using three waxes for you training needs in most all snow and temperature conditions. Learn to use these waxes, and then add 1-2 waxes for typical or extreme conditions in your area. These three waxes are also a great start for your race-wax kit:

• SOLDA UF-7 Universal Low Fluor 60 gram - $16
• SOLDA F-15 Blue Medium Fluor 60 gram - $25
• SOLDA F-15 or F-31 High Fluor 60 gram – $25 or $40 (in color best suitable for your local condition)
• SOLDA PowerJet 1 Solid Fluorocarbon - $65

Number of glide wax layers needed for training: 1-2

Depending on how abrasive or dirty the snow is, you should only need to wax for every 30 - 40 km you ski. However, wax daily if the conditions are changing.

Why these waxes?:

SOLDA UF-7 Universal
(32-14 F)
A great Low Fluor all-around training and race wax for low and medium humidity. It works well in the morning when it’s cold and is equally well in the afternoon when it has warmed up. It also works well in high humidity and moist snow conditions (however not as well as F-15 and F-31 waxes)

Wax your skis with two layers (heat in, cool off, scrape and brush) of this wax before your first on-snow skiing or before departure for your first on snow camp of the year.

Tips: Scrape and brush your skis before you leave for the camp if you think it’s going to be hard to do this in the evening or early in the morning before skiing. Always protect your skis with ski straps.

A cheaper alternative to this wax is the line of SOLDA HC.1 Hydrocarbon Training and Travel Waxes at $8.00 per 75 gram block

SOLDA F-15 Blue
Medium Fluor (14 - -4 F)
Apply one or two layers of F-15 Blue if the temperatures are dropping below 14F.

UF-7 is a great base wax for F-15 Blue. This wax is a lifesaver when it’s cold and dry.

Racing: We often use it as a race wax. Sometimes we apply S-30 on top.

SOLDA PowerJet 1
Solid Fluorocarbon ( Snow temp. 34 – 21 F)
We like fast training skis and is frequently using PowerJet 1 for both training and racing

Anybody can now apply fluorocarbon like an expert wax technician, and this wax can be used in both warmer and colder air temperatures as long as the humidity in the air is medium to high or the snow is moist. It also works well in dirty snow.

Simply rub this wax on the ski base, heat it in with a hot iron (medium high heat) or cork it on the dry ski-bases, then finally brush. It takes less than 5 minutes to have super skis. This little block of wax is also incredibly economical. You get 40-50 applications per block, making each fluorocarbon application costing less than $1.50.

This is a great way for anyone from recreational skiers to experts to have the fastest skis possible. Try it out – it’s worth your investment.

Additional F-15 or F-31 waxes for your local conditions:

You can add a few waxes to these three waxes depending on altitude, general humidity, snow type and average temperatures at your local ski area.

For coastal areas or areas with mostly warmer snow and generally higher humidity we suggest considering F-15 or F-31 Yellow, Pink, Orange and Violet.

For low and medium humidity areas consider F-15 Pink, Orange and Violet. Here in Utah we typically add F-15 or F-31 Orange and Violet.

Racing Waxes

SOLDA has a number of great and unique race waxes for a lot lower cost than any competing brands. We race and wax skis every weekend and is convinced that SOLDA is as fast as and often faster than the competition. It makes sense to have the fastest skis at the lowest cost. In addition to the waxes we mention above, we would also ask you to read about the following waxes on www.torbjornsport.com to see if they work in conditions you would be racing in. This is what you should look up:

• HPO5 in Powder or Spray
  A unique and great Fluorocarbon. We never go to a race without this wax.
• Warm Fluoro Powder
  100% Fluorocarbon makes this wax superb in warm temperatures and high humidity (over 60%).
• PowerJet 2 and 4
  Fluorocarbons especially formulated for colder (PowerJet 2) or dryer (PowerJet 4) conditions
• S-30
  A must for very cold snow conditions

Dirty or dry bases

If your ski bases are dirty, clean them first with wax remover and then apply one layer of basic “cleaning wax or travel wax”, for example SOLDA HC.1. Scrape while the wax is still warm and then brush. Add one more layer of HC.1 if your bases appear dry. Spend a little more time (2-4 minutes per ski) ironing in this second layer. Move the iron slowly from tip to tail. Let the ski cool before scraping and brushing. Then apply one layer of today’s training wax.

Dry bases can also be treated and waxed with SOLDA HC 28 Hydrocarbon or HC27 Fluor Carbon. We typically prepare them with HC28 when we expect to be skiing on cold and dry snow. We prepare the bases with HC27 if we expect moist or humid conditions.

See www.torbjornsport.com for more details. While you’re online, check out our best waxing tool of all: The interactive WAX MAESTRO! You give the Maestro the snow conditions; he gives you the fastest wax combination. Simple! You’ll have the fastest skis at the lowest price!