How to Tune and Wax Your Skis

Tuning and waxing your skis is an essential part of ski maintenance. Tuning helps keep your skis in peak performance and carving well. Waxing helps to protect the ski bases and improve glide performance. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced skier, learning how to tune and wax your skis properly can make a significant difference in your skiing experience. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process step-by-step, ensuring that your skis are ready for the slopes. 

Properly tuned skis are essential for optimal performance on the slopes. Follow these steps to tune your skis for better edge grip, turning, and control.

Step 0: Grab a Buddy, a Beer, and Some Tunes

This goes for both tuning AND waxing. Ski tuning/waxing can be a monotonous process, especially if you are tuning more than one pair of skis. You'll have a much better time with a ski buddy by your side, a bubbly beverage on the table, and your favorite tunes on the speaker.

Step 2: Secure Your Skis

Mount your skis securely in the vise or tuning machine, and use the brake retainer. Getting your brakes out of the way will ensure that you can tune the entire edge.

Step 3: Deburr & Detuned Edges

Use the gummi/diamond stone to remove burrs and detuned areas on side edges. This will create a clean, smooth surface for the file.

Step 4: File-Tune Edges

For file-tuning, use a mill file or ½ round file to create a beveled edge and flat inside edge.

Then, bevel the side edge at 88-90 degrees (a 1 degree tune is perfect for all-mountain intermediate skiers.)

For a more aggressive tune, opt for an 88-degree (2-degree side edge) tune. Racers might opt for something more aggressive, but we’ve found this is plenty of bite for a standard resort day.

File base edge flat at 90 degrees

Make sure to move only in one, consistent direction when filing. The file and file guides should have arrows to point you in the right direction. ALWAYS follow the arrow.

Once you’ve made 3-6 passes on your edge with the file, make sure to detune the tip and tail edges of your ski. The first 4ish inches, and the last 4ish inches should be detuned. To detune the tip and tail, just run a gummi stone or diamond stone perpendicular to the edge to take the sharpness out of those areas.

Step 5: Flatten the Base

Use a plastic scraper to level and remove debris from the base. If you notice the base of your ski is particularly bumpy or uneven, take it to a shop for a stone grind. A grind only needs to be done every season or two, or when the base shows significant bumps and is no longer completely flat.

Step 6: Brush the Base

Use a brush to finish texturing the flattened base. Use a stiff, brass bristled brush or a roto brush to ensure a flat finish with no leftover debris.

File-tuning gives you sharp, precise edges crucial for grip and edge hold on firm or icy snow conditions. The flat inside edge engages the full effective edge.

Regular tuning every 5-10 days keeps skis performing their best. With file-tuned edges and a flattened base, you'll carve like never before!

Now, lets get to part two: How to wax your skis.

Step 1 : Gather The Supplies

Gather the necessary supplies before you begin. You can often find the majority of this equipment bundled together into ski wax kits. These kits may include almost everything you need, but at least should include some of the most important gear.

What You’ll Need:

• Ski vises and ski waxing table or workbench

• Ski brake retainers (super strong rubber bands, ski straps and zip ties work great)

• Ski wax (choose the appropriate type for the snow conditions)

• Wax remover or base cleaner (isopropyl alcohol is great in a pinch)

• Plastic scraper: Pick a scraper with a corner cut out from it. This corner will make it much easier to scrape wax off your edges, the one place you’ll want to make sure has zero wax.

• Ski wax iron (Make sure your waxing iron is designed for melting ski wax, clothes irons don’t keep temperatures as consistently.)

• Brushes (brass and nylon work great, don’t get anything stiffer to ensure you don’t damage your skis’ bases.)

• Fiberlene (or similar synthetic scrub pad)

Step 2: Prepare the Skis

Secure the skis in the ski vise or workbench, ensuring that the bases are facing up. 

Use a brass or copper bristled brush to dislodge and get a first pass at removing dirt, dust, or any old wax from the bases. Make sure to brush from tip to tail. 

Use the wax remover or base cleaner to remove any old wax or dirt from the ski bases. Isopropyl alcohol and a fiberlene rag work great.

Dry the ski bases thoroughly with a clean piece of fiberlene.

Step 3: Apply the Wax

Turn on the waxing iron and set it to the recommended temperature for the type of wax you're using.

Slowly drip the wax onto the ski bases, starting from the tip and working your way to the tail. Ideally, small wax droplets are evenly distributed along the length of the ski, ensuring you have just enough to cover the entire base during the next step.

Step 4: Distribute the Wax

Use the waxing iron to evenly distribute the wax over the ski bases.

Slowly glide the iron across the base of the ski, so the iron can heat and spread the wax across the base. This leads to the base absorbing more of the wax.

After slowly making your way down the ski, make slow circle motions with your iron to make sure the wax is evenly applied across the entire base.

Apply even pressure and make sure to cover the entire base, including the edges.

Let the wax cool and harden before moving on to the next step. You want to be able to touch the base of the ski and feel no warmth. Pro tip: to save time, set the freshly waxed ski aside and start the process on the other ski. 

Step 5: Scrape the Excess Wax

Use the plastic scraper to remove the excess wax from the ski bases.

Hold the scraper at a slight angle and apply firm pressure as you scrape from tip to tail.

Use the corner of your scraper (especially if it is cut out) to remove wax from the edges. You’ll want to make sure to remove all the wax from the edges before going skiing.

Step 6: Brush the Ski Bases

Use the nylon brush to remove any remaining wax residue from the ski bases. For an extra-polished finish, use a roto brush to really get that excess wax off

Brush in a tip-to-tail direction, applying moderate pressure.

Follow up with the nylon brush, brushing in the same direction.

Step 7: Finish with Fiberlene

Finally, use the Fiberlene or similar synthetic scrub pad to polish the ski bases. Optional: use a little bit of isopropyl alcohol to help pick up any wax shavings or dust.

Rub the Fiberlene back and forth across the ski bases, applying moderate pressure.

By following these steps, you'll ensure that your skis are properly waxed and ready for optimal performance on the slopes. Remember to wax your skis regularly to keep those skis in tip-top shape. The frequency will depend on your skiing conditions and usage. Happy skiing!

The wax you’ll want to use will depend on the conditions and temperature of the snow you’re skiing on. It may also depend on the amount of time and effort you want to spend waxing your skis and prepping them for skiing.

There are so many different ski wax options available these days, that it can be tricky to understand the differences between them. Ever wondered what the different colors, temperatures, and compositions mean, or when to use them? We’re here to help. 

Try a rub-on or spray-on wax. These ski waxes don’t require an iron to melt the wax or a wait before scraping it off. We like to keep rub-on or spray-on wax in our ski boot bags as a backup. This means that you’ll always be able to throw a quick coat of wax on if the snow is extra sticky. Keep in mind that for best performance, a melt-on wax using an iron is most effective. 

To dial in your skiing experience and truly maximize the impact ski wax has on the skiing experience, ski wax makers have developed a variety of different waxes to suit different conditions. For example, a ski wax designed for cold temperatures is harder, has a higher melting point, and is designed to handle the dry friction common in cold conditions. A ski wax designed specifically for warmer snow temperatures (not air temperature!) will have a lower melting point and be designed to handle the wet friction common when the snow temperature rises. 

Not necessarily! Many ski wax manufacturers make an “all temperature” wax that is perfect for the majority of ski days. You may want to use a temp-specific wax on particularly cold or warm days, but on the vast majority of days, you can get away with an all-purpose wax. If you’re a racer focused on performance, you’ll want to specify the wax to the race conditions- especially ahead of an important race day.

Fluorinated Wax is the tried and true wax that your parents used to keep their skis slick during beer league race day. Fluorinated wax contains fluorocarbons, which are hydrophobic. This means they repel water and are perfect for use on wet snow like you’ll find on a spring day or after a wet coastal storm. Be careful, because fluorocarbons are harmful both to you and the environment. Make sure to use this wax only in well-ventilated workspaces, and clean up all the wax shavings to avoid polluting.

Hydrocarbon Wax: This wax is best at the prevention of dry friction, and therefore is perfect for ripping up the Rockies, especially on a dry powder day. May not be the best option for people skiing in Cascadia Cement or resorts experiencing freeze-thaw conditions. 

Because of the harmful nature of fluorocarbons, many skiers (including us at Renoun!) have searched far and wide for ski wax that is less harmful to the environment. We need to preserve it to keep skiing, after all. A few companies agree and have worked to create high-performance ski wax using plant-based oils as the foundation of their wax. This has led to some waxes now becoming bio-neutral, or at least much more environmentally friendly than fluorinated wax.

For example, the folks over at Mountain Flow Ski Wax have become experts in environmentally friendly ski waxes. Now known as the SharkTank ski wax company that struck a deal with Mr. Wonderful and Barbara Corcoran. They have a variety of different waxes suited to all conditions, from the coldest to warmest snow temps. Their Eco Flow ski wax is a plant based ski wax. They even make an all-temperature wax that is perfect for all but the coldest or warmest days. At Renoun, we even use Mountain Flow Eco Wax All-Temp ski wax as our day-to-day in-office wax. When a pair of our skis needs a fresh coat of wax, this is what we use. 

Renoun Skis Reviews team has over a decade of ski design and manufacturing experience, and decades of combined ski-industry experience ranging from certified PSIA ski instructors to shop technicians, racers, and coaches. We also have a deep passion for and love of all things skiing. The team utilizes this experience to provide unparalleled reviews that dive deep to help guide your purchase for just about any ski-related item and help inform you of any ski-focused tips and tricks about maintenance, on-hill performance, and even the best places to enjoy your Après-Ski. Through written and video content, the Renoun Skis Reviews team is here to help inform you on all things ski-related.

Our team curates recommendations based on an intensive research and review process and leverages our unique expertise in the industry. A product must be exceptional in quality and have unique features to qualify for consideration in our review process. For all tips and tricks, all advice is based on on-hill and ski manufacturing knowledge, as well as intensive research to ensure accuracy and help skiers like you stay informed.

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