Getting ready for the new season!

Now that the seasons are changing and the weather is turning colder, there is no better time to check your equipment in preparation for the upcoming skiing and racing season. Carefully inspect your gear and replace any old or worn out equipment so you'll be assured of achieving the best possible results on the mountain this season.

If you failed to 'summerize' your skis in preparation for seasonal storage at the end of last season now would be the perfect time to have your skis tuned-up and the bindings inspected and lubricated. And a tune-up would not be complete without having your edges sharpened and the base and edge angles setup to your specifications. Setting and beveling the angles should only be done by a credible technician following the guidelines listed below for maximum performance. Every skier is different and their setup is unique to them, so be sure to discuss the options with the technician before the process of base and edge beveling begins.

Once your skis have been properly tuned it's time to apply the wax. Note that if your skis are a bit worn, hadn't been prepped for storage at the end of last season, or have recently been stone ground then you'll want to apply a base prepping wax first. All wax manufacturers have versions of base prep wax available for differing conditions. The best choice for older skis is to apply a base prep wax constructed of paraffin blends that include flouro and molybdenum. Molybdenum is a proven formula that 'recharges' the graphite particles in the base of your skis and provides excellent lubrication as it saturates and conditions the base. A base prep wax should always be applied using the hotwaxing method and ironed thoroughly into the base structure of the skis, then scraped off when cooled. However, if the bases are dirty you should use a 'hot scrape' method where the wax is scraped off while still hot in order to remove dirt and oil particles in the base more effectively. If the hot wax method is performed you will need to apply a second layer of base prepping wax, followed by removal when the skis have cooled. You may use a base prepping wax as a stand alone wax for your recreational skiing, but for optimal results it is best as a 'first wax' or foundation for the application of your chosen wax of the day.

Choosing the right wax to use can be complicating to some, but as I noted in previous blog postings -- it is not an exact science. Every wax supplier utilizes their own formula chart to assist in finding the correct wax based on air and snow temperatures, snow conditions and the level humidity. In many cases the conditions may overlap from one grade of wax to the next, making the decision even more difficult. When in doubt you should select a wax that falls in the middle of the chart as your best all-around choice. But racing purests need to be more precise in order to achieve the success between the gates that propels them to a podium finish. The attachment below is the wax guide chart for Swix wax products in order to show the different wax compounds that Swix has developed in their highly successful line of waxes.

Upon selecting the wax to be applied you will then follow the same directions for hotwaxing

as were completed with the base prepping wax. When scraping off the wax always work from the tip of the ski down to the tail and use firm, even pressure to make sure that the wax is completely removed, leaving just a very thin layer on the base of the ski. You want the wax to saturate and adhere to the base of the ski but excess wax left on the base will slow you down, so remove as much as possible.

Now you're ready to begin the critical phases of brushing out the wax and final race prepping the

base for speed. The selection and application of the right wax will give you an edge against the competition, but it's the final prepping of the skis that separates the winners from the the rest of the field.

In my next posting I will review this important process and reveal the strategies, techniques

and tools you will need in order to perform the task.

Joe Pinto, Jr.