Preparing cross-country skis for skating. How to prepare skis for skiing or competitions? How to prepare classic skis

Whatever the level of the skier - from an amateur exploring self-propelled ski tracks in suburban forests to a super-professional participant in the Olympic Games, absolutely everyone is concerned about the same question: how to improve the glide of their skis? This material is certainly not for professionals, since most often they have special teams of servicemen, and not rarely, they themselves are quite experienced people in this matter. This material is for ski lovers who have not yet thoroughly grasped the magical process of preparation and want to master it. We sincerely hope that you will find useful information here and highlight something new.

Our article for the following groups of skiers:

Those who ride infrequently, on prepared or “wild” trails. These are amateur skiers who do not (or rarely) take part in sports competitions, but want to get more speed from gliding.
Amateur skiers who regularly train to maintain and improve their physical fitness and compete at amateur level competitions. This also includes young skiers from sports schools, up to junior level.

Everyone who is “higher, faster, stronger” - welcome to the professionals, into their reliable hands, who, using special machines, will apply the necessary structure to the skis and make such a “sandwich” from layers of lubricant that it will not be a ski - a rocket!

“Express lubricant” for ski glides.

Listed first for the reason that it does not require much explanation and is very easy to use. It is done using special tubes or containers with liquid or gel-like gliding ointment, which is squeezed through a dispensing nozzle directly onto the surface of the skis. No cleaning or removing old ointment. After spreading over the surface and waiting for absorption for about 2-5 minutes, vigorously rub in using a cork or fabric attachment, which often comes with the same tube or container.

When is it used?

The weather changed sharply: a cyclone arrived, wet snow began to fall, the temperature “jumped” from 0C to +5C, and you have the only pair of skis that were coated at 0C.
For amateur ski trips, when there is no need for super-speed and the skis just need to “slide” or to avoid snow sticking in warm weather.

"Pros"

Lubrication speed – 2 minutes per ski.
There is no need to have an additional tool.
If the ski stops sliding, the “express lubricant” layer has worn off, you can always easily and quickly apply a new one, if, of course, you have the opportunity to take a small container of lubricant with you.

"Minuses"

A layer of such lubricant is enough for 5-7 km maximum, because... its layer is very thin and technologies are used that do not allow the ointment to become firmly embedded in the surface of the ski. After 5 km, your skis will “stand up” and you will need to re-grease again. For competitions this is an extremely bad option; it is better to take several pairs of skis, oiled to take into account weather changes, if expected, and choose right before the start the pair that is suitable for the “starting” weather conditions.
“Express ointments” have a very wide range of applications, both in temperature and snow conditions. But this means that they will work in such “wide” ranges at a very average level, and will show very average gliding characteristics - compared to highly specialized ointments.

“Express lubricant” for different types of skis:

for “skate” skis – along the entire length.
for “classics” - lubricant is applied to the toe and heel areas, the area under the shoe last is not lubricated at all, or “holding” ointment is placed there.
skis with “notches” or special inserts (mohair, artificial fibers) under the boot last. You can smear it in the same way as the “classics”, i.e. – only the area of the toes and heels of the skis.

“Classical” ski lubrication technology.

When using this technology, you cannot avoid without using special tools:

Ski fixing machine. You can use either special machines adapted for this process, or simply a convenient mount with stands so that your ski rests with its entire upper surface on something solid during processing.
“Wash” to remove dirt and old ointment from the surface of skis. Buy only branded remover, because... “folk” creativity in the form of using various solvents gives unpredictable results.
A set of paraffins - “glide” and “hold” ointments. You need to have exactly those waxes that you will apply to your skis, depending on two conditions: a) air temperature, b) snow condition (fresh snow, old snow, etc.). The conditions for its use are always written on each package of paraffin. For amateurs, a set of three types of ointments will be enough: for air temperatures above zero; for the range from –2 to –8, and for the temperature range below –8-10 degrees C.
Most popular brands - Swix, Rex, Star, Rode, ToKo, Start, Holmenkol.
Iron. Only a special iron for lubricating skis. A distinctive feature from a household iron is its ability to maintain a constant temperature, which can be precisely regulated. There are “digital” versions, where the heating of the working surface is set with an accuracy of a degree.
Brushes: with metal bristles, with nylon hard and soft bristles. If you don’t want to have such an “arsenal,” you can buy one brush with medium nylon bristles.
Experienced lubricators often use special drills with lint attachments on one side and a comfortable handle on the other. Essentially, these are the same brushes, only they can significantly speed up the ski processing process.
A scraper made of plexiglass or metal for removing paraffin. There are scrapers of different thicknesses, but there is no fundamental difference in operation.
Special scraper for removing paraffin for the groove. There are special scrapers similar in shape to a marker. As a last resort, you can get by with a ballpoint pen or the same marker.
A piece of fibertex - non-woven nylon fiber with abrasive microparticles.

Before we tell you all the “secrets” of ski preparation, let’s dwell on the issue of differences in ointments.

Division of ointments by “types”

“Glide” ointments – to ensure that the ski glides well on the snow surface. Used for “skate” and “classic” skis.
“Holding” ointments – to prevent the ski from slipping back when pushing off the snow. Used in “classic” skis.
Accelerators (powders). Expensive and difficult to use. We do not recommend using them for amateurs without training.

Division by additive content:

Without additives. Budget ointments - for amateur sports and training.
With added fluorine: CH (fluorine-free), LF (low fluoride), HF (high fluoride). The latter are expensive, the former are the cheapest. Fluoride-containing ointments are used when there is high humidity and snow. The introduction of fluorine components into the composition significantly improves the speed characteristics and operating stability of the lubricant.
With the addition of graphite. Due to their antistatic properties, lubricants containing graphite often perform best in either dirty conditions or low humidity conditions. They can reduce the accumulation of dirt on the sliding surface of the ski and in wet snow.

Ski preparation technology

Skate skis. Only “slip” paraffin is used, which is distributed over the entire surface of the skis.

1. Attach the ski to the machine. 2. Before you start manipulating with sliding paraffin, the surface of the skis must be cleaned. This is done with special washes, never with gasoline, household solvents, etc. It is recommended to clean “old” skis after 5-6 training races (or after 3-4 if the snow is dirty). It is recommended to clean “new” (from the store) skis before applying wax for the first time. 3. After washing and drying (5 minutes), we clean off any remaining dirt, first with a metal brush and then with a nylon brush. We clean the surface from toe to heel 10-15 times and remove the remains of old paraffin. 4. Turn on the iron and, after heating it, set the required temperature - the same as indicated on the paraffin packaging. When in contact with the iron, the sliding paraffin should melt easily, but at the same time not smoke during manipulation. 5. We begin to apply slip paraffin to the ski using an iron. There are two ways: when you do not have a limit on the amount of paraffin, then you lean a block of paraffin against the iron, it melts and begins to pour onto the surface of the ski. The second method, if you don’t have enough paraffin: you press a piece of paraffin to the iron, wait until the paraffin begins to melt and transfer the leaked paraffin, pressing the block to the ski. 6. When drops of paraffin are all over the surface of the ski, take an iron and distribute the paraffin in an even molten layer. The ointment should spread evenly over the ski, including along the edges. Be careful when running the iron along the toes and heels of the skis - the plastic there is thinner and these areas can easily overheat, resulting in delamination of the skis. 7. After applying and distributing the paraffin, it needs to cool for some time to room temperature. 8. We begin to remove excess paraffin. First - using a special tool - from the groove, and then using a scraper-cycle from the edges and from the sliding surface. You need to work the cycles at an angle of 30-40 degrees away from you, from the heel to the toe of the ski. 9. After complete removal of excess paraffin, the sliding surface must be treated with brushes. A wire brush is best for this. 10-15 movements with light pressure from heel to toe are more than enough. After working with a metal brush, the sliding surface of the ski should be polished with a nylon brush - also 10-15 movements. 10. “Basic” preparation of the ski sliding surface ends here. If you want higher quality preparation, then simply repeat the entire cycle of operations several times. For amateur starts, 3 times is enough; professionals “torment” the ski up to 10 times.

Classic skis.

Points 1,2,3,4 – similar.

5. Determine the ski block. This is usually about 50-80 cm centered under the sole of the ski boot. The exact length can be determined as follows: place the ski on the floor and stand on it with all your weight. The holding surface area is the area under which the sheet of paper moves freely while the skier's body weight is evenly distributed on both skis. 6. Glue paper tape along the edges of this area, which will separate the areas of application of the sliding ointment from the holding ointment. 7. We begin to apply slip wax to the ski using an iron in the heel and toe areas. 8. We distribute the sliding paraffin with an iron in the same way as in the case of a “skate” ski. We remove excess paraffin with scrapers, clean and polish the toe and heel area with metal and nylon brushes. 9. Remove the paper tape that limits the area of action of the holding ointment. 10. Apply holding ointment and distribute it using a cork block. Rub the ointment thoroughly and iron it with an iron. This manipulation must be repeated 3-4 times, without ironing, each time reducing the area where the ointment is applied. 11. Immediately before the start, you need to check the operation of the holding zone and if there is a “recoil”, then it is necessary to correct it either by applying a holding ointment of a different, more accurate temperature, or by increasing the area of application of the original ointment.

In very warm weather, melting, granular, dirty snow, it is quite difficult to choose a lubricant. Therefore, advice: if you have “warm” skis with a high content of graphite in the base, it is better to simply clean them with wash and brushes and ski without lubrication. If whitish areas appear on the ski, this is the result of the so-called “burn” - skiing on cold, grainy snow with insufficient or absent lubrication. Microfibers of polyethylene, raised by sharp snow crystals, form these very areas. Fibers can be removed with smooth and careful movements using fibertex.

At the end of the season, skis require conservation. Apply a thick layer of any soft paraffin to the entire sliding surface and leave it like that until next winter. Paraffin will prevent the base from oxidizing.

Every fan of winter sports wants to extend the life of their favorite skis. In order to extend the service life of cross-country skis for more than one year, it is important to properly and competently care for them.

What does the concept of “cross-country ski care” include? Let's figure it out.

Maintenance is based on the same principle as: we use it correctly, store and transport it in special cases, monitor the condition of the sliding surface and process it in a timely manner. True, you will have to use lubricants more often here.

Preparing new cross-country skis

The initial processing of cross-country skis after purchase occurs according to the following scheme:

remove the layer of ground paraffin;
we treat the sliding surface with hard fibertex;
apply paraffin and distribute it evenly with a special iron in the direction from toe to heel, without delay;
remove excess paraffin with a scraper;
treat the surface with brushes.

Further care will include preservation for the summer (cleaning and paraffin) and periodic lubrication. This is if you bought cross-country skis without notches. Models with notches do not require lubrication.

Treatment of cross-country skis - ointments

With lubricated skis (without notches), the situation is more complicated. Each weather has its own types of lubricant. Conditions of use, temperature conditions and method of application are indicated on the boxes. It is important to follow the instructions carefully. For most fans, it is enough to treat their skis once a month or when there is a sudden change in weather. Professionals do this before every race.

Separately, it is worth saying that ski waxes come in 2 types - glide ointments and grip ointments for classic models (prevent kickback and slipping). Skate cross-country skis are treated with gliding ointments entirely, in the direction from toe to heel. Holding ointments are applied to classic skis only in the middle part - to an area approximately 65-75 cm long under the bindings. For the front and back parts, use a gliding ointment.

Holding ointments can be either liquid or solid. Solid ointments must be removed from the jar and foil and rubbed onto the holding area on cross-country skis. Next, the ointment is ground with a synthetic rubbing agent to a thin, even layer. It is better to apply several thin layers rather than 1-2 thick ones.

Liquid ointments need to be squeezed out of the tube on both sides of the groove, and then leveled with a scraper or your thumb. Next, the layer is again rubbed with synthetic rubbing until smooth. In the case of liquid ointments, a thick layer is preferable.

To remove old grease, special solvent removers are required. First, remove the old ointment with a scraper, then remove the residue with a generously moistened paper napkin.

Proper ski care is a guarantee of comfortable skiing, as well as your safety and the durability of your equipment.

Like an amateur skier, he will confirm that success in this sport largely depends on the correct preparation of the equipment. The preparation of skis itself has a number of nuances and important features. To achieve the best results, they require proper cleaning and lubrication. Therefore, it is important to prepare equipment in a timely manner.

General Features

The process of preparing skis for serious competitions requires some knowledge and practical skills. Moreover, the team of professional skiers always includes trained people who are responsible for one or another stage of equipment preparation, performing it depending on the current environmental conditions - air humidity level, temperature conditions and others.

Ski preparation is important both for professionals before serious competitions, and for fans of this sport. First of all, the emphasis is on sliding.

It is important to note that both new skis and those that have already been skied several times need preparation.

Main types of skis

In the preparation of each type of ski there are a number of features that must certainly be taken into account. So, during the preparation of cross-country skis, emphasis is placed on the best glide. But if a classic style is intended to be used, a factor such as holding is also taken into account. If the preparation is carried out according to all the rules, then even a skier with minimal experience will certainly get maximum pleasure from skiing.

When preparing alpine skis, it is important not only the quality of their sliding surface, but also the quality of their edges. They need to be treated with special compounds and also sharpened. This guarantees maximum safety when descending mountain slopes.

Nuances of professional ski training

First of all, proper priming of the directly sliding surface is required. It is relevant primarily for preparing skis for skating, as well as for other types.

After priming the surface, it is necessary to apply graphite paraffin to it. This manipulation is performed using the so-called hot method. Due to the presence of paraffin, one of the components of which is graphite, displacement of the very first layer of lubricant is eliminated. In addition, this guarantees an increase in the wear resistance of the lubricant itself.

At the next stage, the sliding surface is exposed to a special rotary brush made of horsehair. Next, the treatment is performed with a metal brush of a manual type of hair in which the hair is already thin.

Now you can apply paraffin based on real weather conditions. This is also done hot. First of all, the surface is coated with a layer of low-fluoride substance, which will provide excellent bonding with the first layers.

As soon as the ski has cooled, the steps of removing excess paraffin and brushing are repeated. The next layer is paraffin, which contains a high proportion of fluorine. Fluorocarbon lubricant completes the preparation. It is chosen also based on real weather conditions.

Features of working with any fluorocarbon lubricant

This substance has a number of features, regardless of whether it is released in the form of an emulsion, powder or accelerator. Therefore, experts recommend working with it only using a separate set of brushes.

The procedure and nuances of preparing skis intended for skating

As mentioned above, depending on the type of ski, their preparation may differ slightly. In this case, the work begins with cleaning the equipment. To do this, the surface is cleaned with a brass or steel brush. This will ensure sufficient opening of the pores located directly on the sliding surface.

The next stage of preparing skis for skating is applying a paraffin layer to them. To ensure that it lies evenly, apply a slightly heated iron to the surface.

Features of applying paraffin to skis

It is important to understand that applying paraffin is a responsible and unsafe process. This feature is precisely determined by the need to use an iron. If you do not calculate the effort, then the necessary layer of paraffin between the surface of the equipment and the iron itself will simply not remain. The skis will be damaged.

It is enough to fix it using a ski preparation machine. The iron warms up to 60 degrees. Next, paraffin is sequentially applied and distributed onto the working surface. Usually three layers are enough, each of which is carefully fused.

Removing wax from skis

At the next stage, it is important to get rid of excess grease. There is a special scraper for this. As soon as the stage is completed, it is necessary to repeat the operation, but with a brush.

Features of removing paraffin from a sliding surface are as follows:

Work begins with the use of a scraper.
It is important not to change the degree of pressure when processing a particular area, otherwise the ski will be cleaned unevenly.
At the end of the stage, for better removal of the substance, the work continues with the use of a brush with active and rapid movements of the tool.
When it becomes necessary to remove the initial layer of paraffin, an iron is used.

The need to completely remove the grease previously applied to the skis arises only in cases where they do not ride well enough. This is usually a sign of improper equipment preparation done before riding. After removing the base layer from the surface, all manipulations are repeated.

Features of working with cross-country skis

In practice, the preparation of cross-country skis is usually carried out in the factory using special units equipped with an abrasive stone or tape. New skis need final treatment, and this is also done several times throughout the season.

Grinding equipment settings are selected based on the required surface structure, determined by the characteristics of the snow cover. So, skis will not glide well if their surface is dry, melted or excessively smooth and shiny.

Usually, to improve the sliding properties, they resort to applying a special pattern, the so-called structure, to the working surface. This can be done not only manually, but also using special grinding units. No less important in ensuring normal sliding is a processing step such as lint removal. This can be done either on a special machine or manually.

Preparing cross-country skis should ideally be done before each outing separately. After all, environmental temperature and humidity conditions may well change.

Experts assure that to walk on good snow, it is enough to thoroughly treat the sliding surface with paraffin - this will be enough for a distance of 15-20 km. But after applying paraffin to skis, they become susceptible to abrasion and absorb dirt perfectly. This manifests itself in whitening of the working surface followed by a pronounced gray tint. This is why it is so important to thoroughly clean your skis before applying a new layer of wax.

For cross-country skis, the structure is important, so their preparation always ends with applying a certain pattern to the sliding surface, taking into account the depth and pitch of the grooves.

The procedure for preparing classic skis

Preparing alpine skis for competitions or regular skiing always begins with cleaning the working surface from grease. To do this, they are fixed in a ski preparation machine. After cleaning the surface from dirt and previously applied lubricants, the pad is prepared, which involves applying ointment.

It is best to apply it cold in several layers. For complete grinding of the substance, a profile machine is suitable. It is important to perform all movements actively.

Against the background of friction, the process of heat generation will begin, the substance will be evenly distributed.

If liquid ointment is used, a shortened block is required. This is explained by the fact that it has an increased coefficient of adhesion to snow relative to solid ointment. Typically, the use of a liquid component shortens the pad by 15 cm.

Also, the length of the last depends on the degree of rigidity of the skis themselves.

Thus, for comfortable skiing and achieving the best results, it is important to prepare the equipment correctly and, most importantly, in a timely manner. The features of this manipulation are determined by the type of ski along with the actual weather conditions.

Today we will talk about the need to care for new skis and what you should do with a ski after purchasing it. It is worth saying that the culture of manufacturing and preparing skis in modern European factories is extremely high. By purchasing and comparing modern equipment with those produced ten years ago, you can notice a strong difference in the quality of the final product. Today we will talk more about cross-country skiing in the racing and expert equipment segment.

For skis in this segment, the level of glide and speed performance are extremely important, which is why we buy fast racing skis. As noted earlier, the quality of modern equipment has greatly improved, and having purchased a new pair, you can unpack it and safely go to the track without any preparation. Or you can carry out a series of manipulations so that the ski reveals its full potential.

If you don’t have the time and tools to prepare your skis, you can take them to a ski service, where the skis will be prepared in the best possible way. Well, if you are a keen skier and like to do everything with your own hands, then we will give you a couple of tips on starting preparation.

Initial preparation of new skis

Almost all European manufacturers offer racing and expert skis with a protected sliding surface. This protection comes in two types:

Various protective films that protect the surface of the plastic from mechanical stress and ultraviolet radiation.
Applying preservative paraffin to the surface of the slide, which protects against scratches and ultraviolet radiation, which also provides additional impregnation to the ski, which helps prevent the plastic from drying out.

The first thing to do before use is to remove the protective film from the ski, if any, and remove the preservation paraffin. Depending on the paraffin layer, it is removed with an acrylic scraper. Next, using a fine steel brush, you need to make several passes along the sliding surface of the skis in the direction of movement from toe to heel. Next, it is recommended to apply a special wash to the ski, passing on top with a soft nylon brush for deeper penetration of the wash into the sliding surface. For these purposes, it is recommended to have a separate brush in stock, which will only work with washes.

The ski should be left for 10 minutes, make 5 to 10 passes with a nylon brush with medium-hard bristles or a soft nylon brush in the direction of travel of the ski, remove the residue with fiberlene. This procedure will allow you to get rid of small particles after machine processing of skis on a machine for applying structures. After such treatment, a fairly large amount of microfibers of worn-out plastic remains on the sliding surface, which at first glance may seem ideal. These formations will deprive the ski of ideal gliding, creating excess friction.

We will talk about the importance and process of applying structures in this article.

There are several ways to remove lint.

Carefully, without much pressure (so as not to damage the applied structure), treat the sliding surface with a sharp metal scraper, and then with fibertex. Then carry out hot cleaning several times using low-melting paraffin, removed in a warm state.
Using fibertex made of thin nylon fibers and silicon carbide abrasive particles. To remove lint, movements of the fibertex sponge can be made in both directions. In order to lift more fibers for subsequent removal with fibertex, it is worth going over the sliding surface with a bronze brush several times from the heel to the toe of the ski. Finish the process with several passes of Fibertex T266, which contains a softer abrasive. Then you need to use a wash, finish cleaning with fiberlen and several passes with a soft nylon brush as the ski moves from tip to tail.

After these procedures, the skis are ready to apply basic soft-melting paraffin in several layers.

The final fine-tuning of the skis after basic and temperature preparation will take place on the track; you need to travel several tens of kilometers on the skis before they show their best glide. You will notice that the level of gliding will improve each time.

Preparing skis with paraffins and gliding ointments

The modern sliding surface of skis is made of synthesized polyethylene of ultra-high molecular weight (High Performance Polyethylene - HPPE). Ski fabric is made by pressing crushed polyethylene particles under high pressure to form a crystal lattice with amorphous zones filled with lower-density polymers.

HPPE itself does not have a porous structure and does not absorb ski wax, but under the influence of high temperature the ointment penetrates into the amorphous zones and is retained there. From a chemical point of view, ski lubricant creates conditions for changing the hydrophobic, adhesive, chemical and electrostatic properties of the sliding surface by changing surface tension forces, and also provides its lubrication, thereby reducing the friction force.

Based on these data, manufacturers of skis and ski lubricants recommend preparing equipment before use, this will allow the skis to fully reveal their speed potential, and you will enjoy the time spent on the ski track.

The next important step after re-preservation treatment is impregnation of the skis with basic high-melting paraffin. For these purposes, weather-resistant paraffin with a low melting point is also suitable, but for new skis we recommend using basic impregnating paraffin, as it has a lower melting point and is less likely to burn out a new ski with an iron.

To prepare the skis, we will need a ski machine or profile, an iron for lubrication (a regular iron is not suitable for a number of reasons, there is an extremely high danger of overheating the ski core or burning the skid plate without even realizing it), a steel brush, a nylon brush with hard or soft bristles, acrylic scraper, groove scraper, fiberlen and, of course, the paraffins themselves.

Basic impregnating paraffin is applied hot to the sliding surface of the ski. We set the iron to the recommended melting temperature indicated on the packaging, and go over the ski with the iron in one pass, without stopping, from toe to heel.

On average, the iron passes from 7 to 10 seconds. If you make stops or move a hot iron over one place, you can overheat the sliding surface, which will significantly reduce the absorption of lubricant in this area. A long stop at a high temperature of the iron can lead to overheating of the ski core, which can lead to swelling or failure of the sliding surface or detachment of ski elements. After the pass, you need to let the ski cool for 10-15 minutes.

Excess paraffin is removed with an acrylic scraper. First of all, we need to remove the excess from the groove; if the scraper suddenly comes out and moves to the side, then the main sliding surface will be protected.

For further work, the main rectangular scraper is used. Such scrapers have different thicknesses: 3, 4, 5, 6 mm. If we have a 3 mm scraper, then we need to make sure that it does not bend during operation. The scraper must always be in a sharp state, thanks to this we cut off the paraffin, and do not squeeze it out of the sliding surface. This is an important point, since by squeezing out paraffin with pressure, we can quite seriously ruin the structure of the ski. We make a couple of passing movements on the ski without much effort from toe to heel. Next, using a steel brush, we make 5-6 passes from the toe to the heel of the ski without much effort.

Important: The steel brush should always be used in one direction only. If you don't have a steel brush, you'll need to use a brass brush.

You need to complete the cleaning with nylon brushes, first of medium hardness, then with soft bristles, 5-6 passes without pressure, from the tip of the ski towards the heel. Finally, wipe the surface with fiberlene and remove paraffin dust.

At this point, the impregnation of the base will be completed; either a cold or warm temperature layer is placed on top of the impregnating paraffin, depending on the purpose of the ski and the mode of operation. The procedure for applying weathering wax and removing excess wax is similar to the process described above.

The ski preparation procedure is completed. They are now ready to be waxed or waxed for weather specific purposes or to prepare the skis for racing use. After further manipulations with the lubricant, it is recommended to apply knurling; this need often arises when weather conditions do not fully correspond to the structure applied to the ski, but we will talk about this in the next article.

The ongoing “cycle or paraffin” debate will never go away. Adherents of either method of preparing the sliding surface of skis (SSL) have the right to their own opinion, confirmed by successful experience. This article is dedicated to “paraffin specialists”.

Purpose of basic processing - create conditions under which the sliding surface of skis acquires adhesive, electrostatic and chemically active properties designed to effectively retain lubricant and reject dirt. This treatment has a significant impact on the gliding process of the ski in any conditions.

We will need: ski profile, iron, set of brushes (bronze, steel, hard nylon), plastic scraper, groove scraper, non-synthetic fabric (fiberlin), set of paraffins (BW, BWG, BWLF - Start or analogues).

Sequence of actions for basic ski processing

is described below, we perform each point first with one, then with the other ski and move on to the next one:

1. Go 20-25 times from toe to heel with a brass brush with light pressure, then 5-7 times with a steel brush. The use of a steel brush after a brass brush is always necessary (we will do this further in the text without additional reminder). The purpose of the first point is to remove the transport lubricant; it can be in the form of a film rather than paraffin. If there is a layer of paraffin, use a scraper first.

2. Walk 10-15 times from toe to heel with a steel brush. The goal is to remove the smallest particles from the pores of the joint venture and open the structure from old plastic fibers. In principle, such a ski will perform quite well. But not in all conditions.

3. Using Base Wax paraffin (or any low-melting option) at an iron temperature of about 85-90 degrees. pour in SPL, level and remove while hot without pressing hard on the plastic scraper so as not to damage the surface. Repeat 2-3 times until the color of the removed paraffin is free of dirty spots. Do not let the ski cool down. The goal is to extract small particles from the pores of the plastic. Apply BW again and melt with an iron. As the paraffin is absorbed, add new one. Duration - about 10-15 minutes, without allowing the ski to cool down. The goal is to absorb paraffin deep into the joint compound to close the pores and effectively retain racing wax in the future. At the end, coat the ski again with paraffin, melt it and leave to cool.

4. Remove BW paraffin. To do this, remove the paraffin from the groove. Next, use a scraper at an angle of 45 degrees. to the surface (acute angle - from the side of the heel) without strong pressure, move from toe to heel. Continue until the paraffin is removed. Next, clean first with a nylon brush until the dust disappears (20-30 passes), then several passes with a brass brush (4-5).

5. Set the iron temperature to about 135-140 degrees. Cover the SPL with Base Wax Graphite paraffin, similar to step 3. Do not cover the transparent part of the ski tip with BWG! The goal is to close the pores with a graphite composition to impart antistatic properties to the SPL and create a barrier to prevent dirt from penetrating into the plastic. It should be taken into account that this paraffin is very fragile and refractory, so you need to touch the iron and SPL with the bar more often, melt it in several passes, without holding the iron in one place. After completely covering the SPL with paraffin, remove it with a scraper after 20-30 seconds, clean it with a brass brush and cover it again with BWG. Repeat again - 3 times in total. The last time ends with cleaning with a brass brush SPL. Allow the ski to cool. Finally clean the SPL until the gray spots disappear with a brass brush.

6. Clean the SPL with a brass brush - 10-15 movements along the ski from toe to heel. Wipe the joint with a clean non-synthetic cloth (fiberlene).

7. Apply Base Wax Low Fluoro - base low fluoride paraffin. Iron temperature - 130-135 degrees. Apply to SPL, melt, let cool to room temperature. Remove with a scraper, clean with brass (5-7 times), then nylon (20-30 times) brushes. Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3.

8. Apply basic purple (for upcoming heat) or blue (for cold) paraffin to the joint.

Basic ski preparation is complete. The SPL should have a thick black, greasy, glossy tint. This operation should take 2.5-3 hours for one pair of skis. For classics, the block is not processed!

The effectiveness of the technique has been proven by practice at all distances, especially at long distances and in abrasive, abrasive snow - paraffin lasts longer. SPL remains “fresh” with proper processing throughout the season.

Cleaning your skis before every race.

Remove the soil with a scraper, then with a nylon brush. Swipe 3-5 times with a brass brush from toe to heel, remove dust with fiberlen. Swipe 3-4 times with a steel brush from toe to heel. Between cleanings, wipe the joint with a clean cloth to remove dust.

Apply a weather-resistant fluoride-free primer or graphite. For aggressive snow - +1 more layer. The goal is to ensure that the paraffin is abraded in layers. Experience has shown that this is how paraffin holds best. After applying the next layer, let the ski cool, remove the paraffin with a scraper, and polish with a nylon brush until shiny. Apply the next layer, melt with an iron. Allow the ski to cool. Next - repeat.

Ski cleaning after every race.

Thoroughly clean the ski with a brass brush - 10-15 passes from toe to heel until a velvety color appears. Remove dust from the SP with a clean piece of cloth. Go from toe to heel 3-5 times with a steel brush. The goal is to clean the joint venture from dirt and solid particles.

Generously lubricate the joint with BW paraffin and melt with an iron. When hot (creamy), remove the paraffin with a scraper. Repeat the operation until the paraffin is removed clean, without dirt. Apply and melt BW again, let it cool, remove with a scraper, polish with a nylon brush, then brass (3-5 passes) and steel (2-4 passes). The goal is to remove old grease and dirt from the pores of the plastic.

Apply purple or blue primer, melt it, let the ski cool, and put it in the case. The goal is to close the joint venture from exposure to air and dust.

*** Based on materials from the magazine “Skiing”.