Wax & Wine: Ski Buttering Clinic

There are many recreational cross-country skiers who do not realize what a difference regular glide waxing makes. Even relative beginners will notice it. Some folks get their skis waxed at the start of the season (or not at all), but being able to do it more regularly is great for the speed of your skis. Plus it's fun and not that hard to do.

(and why ski "buttering"? this is a literal translation from Swedish and Norwegian, though it's also synonymous with "lubricating" :)

At the event there will be a glide waxing demonstration (or two), which entails cleaning the ski bases, applying glide wax, ironing, scraping, and polishing. Then you can try it yourself with your own skis. Note that "try it yourself" means that while there will be support, no one is going to wax your skis for you. Also, no one is going to clean your skis for you: if you have seriously filthy skis (as in, copious amounts of 15-year-old wax and dirt caked on there) you should deal on that before bringing them.

There will be tools available (which you must take very good care of) but you will need to bring your own glide wax. The easiest option is a "universal" temperature wax. Otherwise glide waxes are based on snow or air temperature and clearly marked. If you were to go with Swix for example, you might get PS8, HS8, or CH8 -- the "8" waxes are for temps of -4F to +4F, and are all red in color. Or you could go warmer or colder. The PS, HS, and CH varieties differ in some ways but which one you get is not that important if you're not a racer. They can be purchased on the internet or at your local ski shop.

The event will be in someone's home (or back yard to be precise). You can BYOB. Attendees can bring a guest, please indicate this when signing up so we know how many to expect. The event is in Littleton and the address will be shared with participants privately before the day of the event.