Pre-Prep race skis for the 2017 American Birkebeiner

With the 2017 Birkie less than 2 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 Birkie.

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, there is a predicted warm spell over the weekend and into early next week. Then, temperatures will start to drop below freezing overnight. Expect the snow to be very icy and granular. So, after ski training, it will help to rewax your skis with either CH6X or LF6X. The 6 line is hard enough to condition the bases for the race wax, but not so hard that you need to use high iron temperatures. As I always like to say, don’t seal your base before the race!

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).

4. Initial thoughts on predicted Swix Wax Recommendation for the 2017 Birkie. While we are still more than a week out from race day, the forecast lends itself to these choices for race wax. Both Marathon BW and Marathon White are ideal waxes for predicted conditions. With the snow being icy and granular, both Marathon waxes are specifically designed to combat aggressive snow crystals because they both have the highest flouro content of any paraffin wax on the market and they are extremely hard and durable paraffins. For Cera F powders, FC78 Super Cera is a perfect Flouro Powder for icy and granular snow conditions. A Velocity Enhancement coat of HVC Warm over FC78 Super Cera will make your skis slippery and fast. Look on the Swix web site, www.swixsport.us for an updated preliminary wax recommendation on Monday.