You know him, the big bearded guy with the apron.  Jeff is one of our ski technicians at the store and he has a few tips for getting your skis ready for the upcoming winter season. 

First off, Jeff's wondering just how bad your skis are.  Are they covered in dust and mouse droppings from storage in the garage?  Is there a three year buildup of grip wax caked in the kick zone?  Don't worry - he can handle it (and he's seen it all). 

According to the master here, your skis should have their hot wax refreshed every year at a minimum.  Ideally you would have them hot waxed every 50-100 km, but for most rec skiers it works to bring them in to the store each fall and have them done.  Hot waxing protects the bases and gives you a lot better glide.  Fall is the best time for this procedure as you'll have fresh bases ready to go when the snow comes.

When you bring your skis in for a Standard Glide Wax Jeff will make sure they are clean, apply a liquid wax good for most conditions, and finish by polishing (brushing) the bases with a roto-brush.  When you pick the skis up the bases will look nice and shiny - ready for maximum glide on the snow.

If you want a little more kazang out of your skis, you can get a Performance Glide Wax which uses a base wax plus a higher quality glide wax. Or go all-out and get a Premium Glide Wax with your choice of top quality liquid or ironed in glide wax treatment and base finishing. (Check out the pricing details here on our Services page.)

And if you want to save money over the long run you can invest a little up front to buy your own waxes and brushes to glide wax your skis at home. This saves money in the long run as each bottle of liquid wax will do many wax jobs. 

If you are interested in getting much more involved you might wish to buy a waxing iron and solid glide wax blocks. There is more equipment and knowledge required for this level of waxing but it is very rewarding.