Waxing Noob Question

[Woodserson]

There was a lot of spruce debris on the trail from recent winds. Small bits are embedded in my kick wax. I'm assuming it's time to scrape (?) and re-wax. If you don't get 100% of the wax off is it problematic? Thx!

I tend to just leave small bits of debris in my kick zone from one day to the next.

If they give me some extra grip on the uphill, that's fine with me.

If they impede my glide on the downhill and get rubbed off by the snow I'm skiing on today? That's fine, too. If they didn't get rubbed off, they probably weren't impeding my glide to begin with

Debris in the wax means you're actually going out and doing things and it's on wax skis to boot... badge of honor!

Keep experimenting, try new things, so much great advice in this thread. When you start the day, do what Russell Crowe does in Gladiator, get down, pick up some snow, let it sift through your fingers. Think about how it feels in your hand before you go into battle. Is it fresh, old, soft, hard? I find this, plus temperature check off car or a zipper-thermometer gives me a lot of information. Be a snow whisperer. Impress friends and strangers alike!

Really get into it!

[Ptarmigan]

This has been a great thread and I have learned much too! My husband and I had a very similar problem with low grip last weekend while skiing on our new Nansens (also in Colorado). I posted a question about in the thread linked below and folks had some great additional suggestions for times when skis are slipping a lot. I really like the idea of getting some skinnier 30mm Mohair X-Skins to get the benefit of a skin but with a little more glide. Currently we only use the 45mm ones.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3592

We are heading out again tomorrow and are hoping to have better luck. I scraped off all our old wax from last week (which was full of a lot of pine needles and dirt too). It looked like the Polar base layer I put on when we first got the skis was pretty much gone as well, so I ironed and corked in a fresh layer of that from tips to tails. We are ready to add our wax of the day which, with a high temp of 21F and an inch or two of fresh snow predicted, looks like it may be Swix blue. However, unlike last weekend when I only brought along waxes through violet and was still slipping a bunch, I am also bringing along red just to be on the safe side. I still haven't gotten out to buy any klister, so hopefully that won't be necessary.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! These threads are so helpful for us waxing newbies!

[SnickBreck]

Hi Ptarmigan, I've been reading all your posts since you're not that far from me. Like you and your husband, I'm new to wax skis and waxing. If you haven't yet, check out the wax table in this link early in this thread posted by fisheater. I found it really helpful!

[fisheater]

Hello again SnickBreck,
The Dave Mann article is pretty involved. It even has an Excel spreadsheet for wax and temperature.While all good information, it’s more the attitude towards the use of wax. Dave does include a big spreadsheet, but also has a no big deal attitude.
As for scraping wax before the next outing, it usually isn’t necessary unless the wax is too thick or too contaminated. A little forest debris isn’t going to make a big difference. However, by all means I’m am not suggesting that you should not scrape and redo if you prefer. I get a kick out of doing very little and having skis work well. Of course the reason may be, because it is very infrequent that I get away with just adding a layer, a little cork, and go.
There’s a regular thread, “S-bounds and Leathers”. Teleman is the gentleman that started the thread. He has been waxing skis longer than our younger forum friends have been around. I usually get a kick out of his first skiing report of the year, because invariably it will say something to the effect, “whatever wax that was left on from last season worked well today”. Just makes me chuckle. We all learn our own ways.
Now SB, I’m going to ask you the least old hound running guy question that has ever come out of my mouth. Do you put that coat on your dog all winter, or is at a certain temperature? I also googled those dog coats, is it nylon construction under the sternum ? My Viszla has plenty of time to hunt the briars as I climb hills, that thin Viszla skin doesn’t handle briars as well as beagles did. However to her credit, just like the beagles, she doesn’t notice anything out in the woods. She does lick the scratches a little, but no complaints. She might be a bit of a spoiled lady in the house, but she is still pretty tough. So I’m starting to think, being so thin skinned, she might need a little something when it gets into green wax temps.

[SnickBreck]

Hi Fisheater, I usually put the coat on Quinn (my 6 yr old male V) if it's 25 or below or if it's really windy and overcast or a storms coming in. After going through 2 Ruffwear coats I saw a pup on the trail in a ChillyDogs coat and asked about it . Here's the one in the photo...https://chillydogs.ca/product/great-white-north/. Prices are listed in CAD. They ship to the US. I have two (the second from my other V that passed last year). They've lasted 4 years so far and have been the most durable & warmest. Briars and stick bits will stick some to the fleece but easy to pick out and hasn't damaged the fleece at all. For paws, I use Musher's Secret. I tried different boots and secured them with everything I could think of but he *always* managed to lose a boot. If it's colder than 5 deg and cloudy I just leave Quinn at home. 5 deg and sunny is a go; it feels a lot warmer with the sun out. If we're out and he starts picking up his paws frequently it's time to head home. More than cold temps, I have keep an eye out for wildlife. Lots of moose here! He sensed a big bull moose on trail 2 days ago (well before I saw it) so we turned and went a different way. There have been a few times I had to ski or posthole with Quinn off trail to go around a group of them. Luckily bears are hibernating now and usually we won't see coyotes and porcupines until early spring. The bright orange on the coat is great to keep an eye on Quinn as he tends to range ahead of me a lot. His recall is good but when he's stubborn about it the orange is highly visible.