Chris Hall: Getting Bold for the Boulder

With the 2016 Boulder Mountain Tour just weeks away, it is not too early to start getting race skis ready for their final layer of race wax before the big day. Doing a little work on your skis now makes a big difference in time spent waxing the night before the race. Below are some tips to save time, energy and stress the night before the BMT.

1. Clean and brush your skis well. Brushing your skis after every ski does a good job of removing dirt and old wax from the ski base structure. However, it does not completely clean the base. It is the dirt and other foreign contaminates that cannot be seen which the brush misses. Using a Glide Wax remover, like the I84 Glide Wax remover will completely clean the ski base. And, it is more efficient and effective than hot scraping. Make sure to use a separate nylon brush for your Glide Wax Cleaner.

2. Saturate the ski base with the 6 line. Looking at the long-term weather forecast, the temperatures and snow conditions should be ideal for the 6 line. So, after ski training, it will help to rewax your skis with either CH6X or LF6X. The race day recommendation will probably be HF6X. By waxing with the 6 line prior to the race, the ski bases will have the correct hardness of wax saturated into the pores. This eliminates the need for under layers like graphite.

3. Clean brushes and sharp scrapers. The basic tools like brushes and scrapers need to be in good working order. Make sure to have clean brushes that do not have bent bristles or are filled with wax. If the bristles are bent, it might be time to invest in a new brush. Keep your wax scrapers sharp. Use fine grit sandpaper to sharpen them or purchase a scraper sharpener (T0408 or T410).