Wax your ski-wigs

Wait. What. You mean – deliberately melt wax into the skin? Like… glide wax? Won’t they melt? What’s wrong with that two-coloured wax stick that lives in the breast pocket of my GoreTex shell?  Well, gather round as we spill the secret to rapid ascents. And, no, it’s not intravenous coffee or being gene-spliced with sea mammals that can hold their breath for an hour. Many experienced rando-racers, ski guides and summit-hungry skidorks like the rest of us simply wax their skins in the same way they do their skis. It improves glide. It prevents icing up. It protects your skins. Yes, many skiers carry small blocks of wax to crayon on to the skin to prevent them icing up. This works; out in the field it can save the day. But hot waxing in preparation for a tour is much more effective and gives better performance. Rando-racers and national teams wax their skins for better glide. And there’s no serious reason why the rest of shouldn’t either. Less ice. Better glide. We all deserve this. So let’s get into the details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5xPmg3tmtg&feature=emb_logo

Here are the details

 
Use glides that are fluro-free or contain as little fluro as possible. To keep it simple, you can use “universal glide” (the range -4° to -10°) in all conditions.
 
With the skin attached to the ski, put the skin on the workbench. Crayon the glide until the entire skin appears to be well covered with wax. You can actually rub in both directions: the hairs on the skin are pretty hardy.
 
Set the iron to the correct temperature, usually around 60° C. Iron the skin as if it were a base. Keep the iron moving. Heat the wax in an even layer along the entire length of the skin. Be careful when you begin – test briefly to make sure you’re not going in too hot.
 
Repeat the process on all your skins. Wait four to five minutes for the wax to cool. To comprehensively saturate the skin, you can even go over it a couple of times once the wax has cooled.
 
Once the wax has cooled, you don’t need to do any scraping. Just lightly brush over the hardened wax until the skin looks smooth and nice. Don’t use a metal brush or anything like that. A blue nylon brush will do. A nailbrush or vegetable scrubber will do if you’re cheap.
Enjoy your freshly prepared, fast, hardy, non-stick skins – and don’t keep the good news to yourself!

Wool is completely excellent

Norway’s famous for its changeable weather. Even in summer it can vary from 5° to 30° C. Such variable weather makes it difficult to know how to dress – which is why we say “ull er gull”: wool is gold. Wool keeps you warm in winter, and regulates your temperature in the summer. Wool is the best. A billion sheep can’t be wrong.

Read More »

Which cross-country skis? And how long?

Choosing new cross-country BC skis is can be bewildering. We compare length, width, profile. We weigh ourselves and check again. We ask advice on forums. We change our minds repeatedly. So before you pull the trigger, set your mind at rest by reading this overview. If you’re still unsure, you can talk to the expert in your local specialist shop or contact Åsnes’s customer service – we answer questions the whole time and we can usually help!

Read More »

Planning a tour

“Better safe than sorry” doesn’t mean you have to be anxious- Planning isn’t just something that makes your trip to the mountains safer – it’s a source of inspiration.

Read More »

Replacing and renewing glue on skins

Unfortunately, skin glue doesn’t last forever. The skin itself, on the other hand, only gets better and better until it wears out. So if you replace the old glue, your skins can last many years. Moribund glue can be replaced, either with tape or sheets, or from a tube. We explain how.

Read More »