Why Buy It: The Easy Cut Cap is a smart solution for peeling the metal edge off kick wax tins. Simply pop the cap on any hardwax and twist!
Features
- Perfect for using as a lid on your all your hardwax tins.
- Preserve you fingers, teeth and sanity - keep a few of these in the wax box just in case.
Application Methods
Safety Warning!
In the application process of some ski wax products, you and others can ba exposed to dangerous dust, fumes or residues. With the correct safety protolcols in place, these risks can be mitiagted and waxing can be very safe.
Safe Waxing protolcol:
- Always wax in a well-ventilated area. Outside is best. If you have to wax inside make sure there is some sort of air exchanger in place. Range hoods are best. Fans are better than nothing. Be sure to point out any lack of air exchanging equipment to the staff of any waxing facility or the race organizers.
- Whenever using any kind of heat in the waxing process (irons, heat guns, torches) always wear a respirator. Respirators that cover your eyes are best and check for a fluorocarbon rating on your respirator. Remember, the most dangerous fumes are not from powders but resins in grip wax and klisters. Wear a mask even when you are using non-fluorinated waxes since fumes from burnt paraffins are not OK to inhale. Respirators are required in the wax room.
- When creating any dust in the waxing process (brushing, scraping) always wear a respirator and gloves. Compounds in blocks, liquids, powders, klisters, and other hardwaxes can be absorbed through the skin. Wax companies keep their wax recipes secret so we have no idea what chemical compounds are present in most waxes nor their effects on the body. Always wear gloves while waxing to reduce your risk to negligible levels.
- People who are not waxing are not allowed in the wax room.
- Be sure to safely dispose of wax shavings and dust. Contained in a plastic garbage bag is adequate.
With the proper level of adult responsibility, any wax can be used perfectly safely and with negligible harm to the environment. Follow the correct safety protocols whenever you enter a wax room and be prepared with the right safety equipment. Remember to enjoy your fast skis to the max!
- Check your skis for grip zone markers. Kick wax is only applied to the zone under the binding of the ski leaving the tips and tails of the ski free for glide waxing. A good grip zone will be roughly two feet (60cm) long but will vary a lot depending on how stiff your skis are (the camber). Your local ski shop can help you find your grip zones, or you can use the zones pre-marked on the sidewalls of your skis. Use a permanent marker to redefine your grip zones as often as you can and experiment with extending your grip zone further forwards or backward to find the right feel while skiing.
- Prepare your grip zone by cleaning with wax remover and roughing with sandpaper.
- If the snow is icy or if you're planning on skiing more than 10km, apply a base binder.
- Crayon on a thin, even layer of hardwax over the entire grip zone. Use the wax tin like a marker!
- Using a cork dedicated to either warm kick wax or cold wax, (it's a good idea to have a couple of corks: one for warm wax and another for cold wax to avoid cross-contamination between sticky and not-so-sticky waxes) cork in the layer of wax. The goal is to make each layer of wax good and smooth. Some waxes will become transparent when they are adequately corked.
- Apply and cork 2-6 layers hardwax until you reach the desired thickness. With kick waxes for warmer temperatures, having thicker layers than you'd normally use is important to achieve the same level of grip. With each successive layer of grip wax, shorten the length of the layer until you're only putting a short layer underneath the toe.
How to Crayon and Cork Hardwaxes
Tools for the Job
- Check your skis for grip zone markers. Kick wax is only applied to the zone under the binding of the ski leaving the tips and tails of the ski free for glide waxing. A good grip zone will be roughly two feet (60cm) long but will vary a lot depending on how stiff your skis are (the camber). Your local ski shop can help you find your grip zones, or you can use the zones pre-marked on the sidewalls of your skis. Use a permanent marker to redefine your grip zones as often as you can and experiment with extending your grip zone further forwards or backward to find the right feel while skiing.
- Prepare your grip zone by cleaning with wax remover and roughing with sandpaper.
- If the snow is icy or if you're planning on skiing more than 10km, apply a base binder.
- At room temperature, apply the sticky hardwax by placing the tin of wax on the ski and twisting without dragging it along the ski base. Continue down the ski, twisting as you go, until the entire grip zone is covered with stringy wax. Twisting, instead of crayoning as you normally would with a harder wax, will give you an evener application and fewer "globs".
- Using a cork dedicated to warm kick wax, (it's a good idea to have a couple of corks: one for warm wax and another for cold wax to avoid cross-contamination between sticky and not-so-sticky waxes) cork in the layer of wax. The goal is to make each layer of wax good and smooth. Some waxes will become transparent when they are adequately corked.
- Apply and cork 2-6 layers of the sticky hardwax until you reach the desired thickness. With kick waxes for warmer temperatures, having thicker layers than you'd normally use is important to achieve the same level of grip.
How to Apply Sticky Hardwaxes
Tools for the Job
- Check your skis for grip zone markers. Kick wax is only applied to the zone under the binding of the ski leaving the tips and tails of the ski free for glide waxing. A good grip zone will be roughly two feet (60cm) long but will vary a lot depending on how stiff your skis are (the camber). Your local ski shop can help you find your grip zones, or you can use the zones pre-marked on the sidewalls of your skis. Use a permanent marker to redefine your grip zones as often as you can and experiment with extending your grip zone further forwards or backward to find the right feel while skiing.
- Prepare your grip zone by cleaning with wax remover and roughing with sandpaper.
- Crayon a layer of base binder over your entire grip zone.
- Using a heat source such as a dedicated kick wax iron, heat gun or torch, smooth out the base binder. If you are using a heat gun or torch, use a cork to smooth out the base binder. If you are using an iron, make sure you only ever use it for kick wax. Have another iron for glide waxes only to avoid cross-contamination.
- Let the base binder cool for a few minutes. Set the ski outside to speed the cooling.
- Once the base binder is cool, apply another layer. Usually, two layers is enough but sometimes one layer is good or you may need three or more layers. When using base binder alone as your wax of the day, repeat 3-6 times.
- When the last layer has cooled you are now ready to apply the kick wax of the day on top!
How to Apply Base Binder Kick Wax
Base Binders are used as an underlayer for the grip wax of the day to improve durability. They have a tacky consistency and help improve how the wax of the day will stick on the ski base so it's a great idea to apply a couple of layers of base binder if you are planning on skiing more than 10km or if the snow is icy. In icy snow, it may be the case that base binder on its own will give you the best combination of grip and glide!
Video in Swedish, but it will give you the idea. (English instructions below)