As the snow melts and winter ends, it’s time to prepare your cross-country skis for the off-season. Proper ski maintenance during this time is crucial, and your equipment requires some care.

Keeping cross-country skis waxed right after the winter season can make the difference when the next winter starts, or even at training camps on glaciers and ski tunnels. Taking care of your precious skis before storing them is simple and can be done quickly.

The storage waxing aims to keep the ski base hydrated/saturated and limit the base material’s contact with oxygen. If the air exposure is prolonged, the polyethylene – base material – can oxidize, degrading the base and reducing the ski’s performance.

If the oxidation process is very aggressive, it is necessary to make a new grind so that the skis can accept wax again. To avoid any problems and be prepared for next season, some tips are essential:

• First, you must check if the ski base is damaged or needs repairs. If you need some service, you can have some grind work on your skis and base prep them before applying storage wax. A new grind will leave the ski base flat and clean, allowing it to absorb more wax. Otherwise, you can start the storage waxing process if you do not need a fresh grind.
• Clean the skis and bindings, removing any dirt or remnants of kick wax, klister, or hard wax.
• Now you begin the most crucial part, cleaning the base. Use wax remover in the kick zone and cleaner in the glide area, thus removing all residue from kick wax, klister, hard wax, fluor (if you are still using that), and dirt.
• Once the base is clean, it’s time to wax. Apply a generous layer of wax (a wax that is not so warm and not so cold). Iron it and make sure that there is enough wax to get a good wax layer across the ski base. Make sure the iron is hot enough (according to the temperature recommended by the wax manufacturer) to ensure good adhesion of the wax to the base.
• After waxing, wait for the wax to cool down and solidify. Then re-heat the wax for better absorption to the base and make sure it has covered the entire base evenly.
• Now that you have prepared your skis to “hibernate” during summer, it is also essential to store them properly. Ensure your skis are in a place where they do not change their shape or have heavy objects resting on them. The best option is to hang them horizontally on wall brackets in your garage or the basement/attic.

If your winter season is over, take a few hours of your day and care for your equipment. So, when the new winter season comes, you can just scrape the skis, and you are ready to go!

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