The amount of time your freshly waxed skis will stay waxed depends entirely on the type of waxing you are doing.
Simple rub on waxes will typically last one to three days before you need to apply another layer. Whereas a proper iron on waxing of your skis can last you up to ten days. Of course, weather conditions and how often you are skiing will also play a role in how long your ski wax lasts.
Cold weather will speed up the deterioration of your wax job and if you go a few days or weeks between skiing sessions, it will cause your skis to dry out, requiring you do have them waxed once more.
Let’s get into some more commonly asked questions about ski wax.
Table of Contents
Does ski wax go bad?
I couldn’t imagine throwing out a brand-new brick of wax simply because it’s a few years old.
Ski-wax does not go bad or expire, as it has no perishable ingredients and is made up of a mix of stable chemicals. The outer layer of an older brick of wax may be dry or hardened, giving the appearance that it has potentially gone bad, but the inner layers will be good as new once you scrape that outer layer off.
A common occurrence which causes people to throw their perfectly good wax out is loss of pigmentation.
Often times when people leave their wax out in sunny or bright areas, the sun will bleach the colors right out of the wax giving it an appearance which could confuse you into thinking it had gone bad when in reality it’s just lost its color.
To keep your ski wax as fresh as possible, it is best practice to keep it stored in a cool, dark and dry place.
Do you need to scrape wax off skis?
The point of waxing is to fill the pores on the base of your skis, which will then increase the performance and speed of your skis.
Although it is good practice, if you aren’t racing, scraping the excess wax off your skis isn’t entirely necessary because the snow will scrape it relatively quickly for you on your first few trips down the slopes.
Personally, I like to make it a habit to scrape the excess wax after applying a fresh coat to my skis simply because I enjoy the process and how my skis feel immediately afterwards. But it’s totally personal preference and as stated won’t make much of a difference to you if you aren’t planning on racing or competing.
Can you reuse ski wax?
Recycling ski wax scrapings is a heavily debated topic in the community. Some people swear by it, whereas others would advise you to avoid doing it at all costs. All the different opinions can get confusing, so what’s the deal here?
When it comes down to it, yes, you can reuse ski wax so long as the recycled wax you intend on using is not dirty. You would be surprised how many shops will reuse left over wax that has been scraped from other skis to save on costs.
Keep in mind, if you have enough wax to reuse after a scraping, you are likely applying too much wax in the first place.
But, if you collect your scrapings over time to the point where you have enough to reuse, you should ensure that the wax is relatively clean and that there is no visible grime or dirt. You should also avoid using scrapings that fall to the floor, as they are now likely contaminated.
Using a base cleaner before you wax is usually a good idea to ensure you have clean scrapings.
With all that being said, ski-wax is relatively inexpensive, and it’s best practice to just go out and get a new bar.
Can you use candle wax for skis?
When I first started waxing my own skis, I opted to use candle wax rather than purpose built ski wax because I didn’t know any better.
Candle wax isn’t recommended for waxing your skis because wax itself isn’t what makes your skis faster. Rather, it’s the fluorocarbon, graphite and molybdenum in the ski wax that actually increases the speed of your skis. Wax is merely a vessel to get those elements into the pores of the base of your skis.
Sure, you could wax your skis with candle wax for days on end, but it wouldn’t ever accomplish anything in regard to increased ski performance. Learn from my mistakes!
References
https://www.swixsport.com/us/about-swix/faq/wax-faqs/
https://www.summitsports.com/buying-guide-ski-wax.html
https://www.evo.com/en-ca/guides/how-to-wax-skis-and-snowboards
