There are some things that you always want to remain shiny and new: shoes, plasma TVs – and your ski equipment! After all, not everything looks good with patina. For your skis to remain in mint condition, they need a bit of tender love and care. This includes regular waxing and professional ski service.
Why is professional ski service so important?
Deburring your skis‘ edges, applying ski wax or a new coating: Proper ski maintenance is not easy for amateurs. There are some parts that you can easily do at home, for instance the waxing. Other parts are better left to the experts, as improper handling can cause damage to your expensive skis. For instance, don’t try to remove rust by yourself – it would be a shame to do more harm than good! There’s a reason why professionals have high-quality machinery to do this kind of stuff – as do the experts at INTERSPORT Rent. This kind of machinery makes proper ski maintenance quick and easy. So if you love your skis, treat them to a professional ski service at least once every season! By the way: The same is true for your snowboard!
Did you know? The perfect time to treat your skis to a professional ski service is at the end of the season, right after your last couple of rides. That’s because the coating of your skis can get porous if untreated. The wax applied during a ski service keeps it supple. What’s more, ground edges result in less rust.
That’s what a professional ski service looks like:
Racing ski service by INTERSPORT Rent
- repairing dints and removing surplus wax
- melting on a high-quality new coating
- grinding the surface edges
- grinding side edges between 90 and 86 degrees
- extra sharp edges on demand
- high-quality structural grinding of the coating
- deburring and polishing edges
- waxing and polishing the coating
DIY ski service – what to keep in mind
Like we said before, we recommend leaving most parts of a ski service to the experts – for your own safety and that of your beloved skis or snowboard. However, if you don’t get a chance to visit a rental shop at the end of the winter season, there are some things you can do yourself:
- Remove dirt: Use water and a mild detergent to remove any visible dirt from your skis. If you have some professional wax remover at home, that’s also a good idea. Always make sure to let your skis or snowboard dry thoroughly after washing them!
- Clean the binding: The plastic parts of your binding are especially prone to becoming porous. Carefully clean them with soap and water. After drying, you can grease the moving parts with penetrating oil (e.g. WD40).
- Repair small damages to the coating: If your skis or snowboard have small damages, you can try to repair them with a repair kit. For instance, try using repair candles, which are available in different colours to match your coating. However, keep in mind that they are only useful for repairing superficial damage.
- Wax your skis: Waxing is in a way the “grand finale” of your DIY ski service. Before doing so, make sure that your skis have room temperature as this facilitates the waxing.
Clever winter sports athletes know that using ski wax shouldn’t be limited to the start and end of the season. If you love your skis, you regularly wax them throughout the winter season!
DIY ski service: How to wax your skis at home
One thing’s for sure: It takes a bit of preparation and professional equipment to wax your skis at home. To wax your skis or snowboard, you need a ski waxing set, an iron (yes, that’s right) and somewhere to secure your skis. Make sure that these three things are at hand before starting your DIY ski waxing session. A workshop or a garage are good places to do your ski waxing, but basically there’s no limit to your creativity regarding the location.
How to wax your skis in 9 steps
- Place your skis flat and secure them with the base side up.
- Remove dirt with a brush. You can also try to remove dust or dirt particles more thoroughly with sandpaper or adhesive tape. Important: Only run the brush in one direction, from the tip of the ski down to the tail. While doing so, preheat your iron.
- Press the wax to the hot iron so that it melts and sticks to it. Hold the iron above your skis or snowboard so that the wax evenly drips onto the surface.
- Spread the wax over the entire ski with the hot iron, preferably also from tip to tail.
- Swiftly repeat the procedure twice and make sure that the wax layer underneath does not melt.
- Let your skis or snowboard dry, ideally for four hours.
- After drying, remove the wax from the edges.
- Scrape the blade provided in your ski care set from tip to tail until all surplus wax is removed.
- In a last step, brush the skis once again and use a cloth to remove any remaining wax.
And presto, your equipment is all shiny and new again! The surface of your skis should be neat and polished now and make you long for the next bluebird days. Our experts recommend giving your skis a final waxing before stowing them away for the summer. This helps to reduce rust.
INTERSPORT Rent tip
All our rental shops across Europe offer professional ski service – also for your private equipment. It goes without saying that our rental skis are always in tip-top condition!
