Hot wax question - layering warm temp wax first or last?

[Gina D]

When mixing a warm weather (yellow) wax with an all temperature, or mid temperature (red or purple) which should go on first?

First wax with the harder wax, cool, scrape, brush - and then wax the softer wax on top or vice versa?

Thanks!

 

[Sibhusky]

I put the harder wax closer to the edges and the softer one in the middle. Same pass. This is for "wax of the day" waxing. Pre Season, start with warm wax for maximum saturation. Then a super cold wax for protection and it gets to adhere to the softer wax. Then "wax of the day."

There's as many theories as there are tuners.

 

[Tony S]

When mixing a warm weather (yellow) wax with an all temperature, or mid temperature (red or purple) which should go on first?

What's your use case? Why are you using the two waxes in the first place?

 

[Gina D]

For warm days, just using yellow wears off really fast. I was thinking that maybe some harder wax on top would help, it would be good for the first few runs when things are firm and then expose the softer wax as the snow softened up. Or maybe the yellow on top would wear off leaving some wax below it.

 

[cantunamunch]

For warm days, just using yellow wears off really fast. I was thinking that maybe some harder wax on top would help, it would be good for the first few runs when things are firm and then expose the softer wax as the snow softened up. Or maybe the yellow on top would wear off leaving some wax below it.

Assuming you're speaking of an actually scraped and brushed ski, not something with actual wax on top -
Assuming you're not speaking of extruded base skis which don't absorb that much wax anyway, ever -

This is the kind of situation where having lots of base prep cycles in the ski really pays off. Not kidding. Multiple sessions of base prep and then WoD (yellow OR purple/blue) will be better than anything you can cobble together with just two coats, let alone by mixing waxes under the iron.

 

[Gina D]

First wax with the harder wax, cool, scrape, brush - and then wax the softer wax on top or vice versa?

Assuming you're speaking of an actually scraped and brushed ski, not something with actual wax on top -

Yes.

I have read in the past on Epic Ski that there is a preferred sequence. Sibhusky may have hit on it with the pre-season approach.

There is a common way to do what I'm asking about, still waiting for someone who is aware of that technique to chime in.

 

[Henry]

We always held the two bars of wax together against the iron's sole and melted them together as it dribbled onto the base. You'll get a mix of the two waxes.

 

[snwbrdr]

When mixing a warm weather (yellow) wax with an all temperature, or mid temperature (red or purple) which should go on first?

First wax with the harder wax, cool, scrape, brush - and then wax the softer wax on top or vice versa?

Thanks!

For base conditioning (without using a base prep wax), you put the warm temp wax first. Scrape, brush, then apply the appropriate temp wax after.

If you're mixing waxes to get somewhere in between, drip both and heat up together, then the iron will mix them together.

If you're thinking putting colder wax by the edges... then wax with warm first, scrape and brush, then drip the colder wax by the edges and iron over the edges only, then cool, scrape, brush.

 

[Gina D]

Thank you for the post @snwbrdr

I just ordered some Zardoz to try on slushy days.

 

[Tony S]

For warm days, just using yellow wears off really fast.

Yes. It does. If that's the substance of your waxing challenge, I don't think anyone's going to have a GREAT solution. The one from @cantunamunch is the closest. If your most recent layer is a high-fluoro warm wax, so much the better (for your skiing, if not for your health).

Certainly MIXING two kinds of wax isn't going to help much because when it's really warm you want the warmest wax you can get.

As for whether you can delay the inevitable by covering the warm wax with a layer of colder wax, I don't know. Even if it works, I'd think the timing would be hard to get right.

Regardless, once the warm wax wears off, you've just got to put more on. Rub-on waxes are your friend here.

 

[Gina D]

Yeah that was my thinking. Hard wax on top for the first hour or so, but as you say the timing is tricky.

I'm hoping the Zardoz may solve the problem of sticky slushy snow.

 

[raytseng]

What's your ski and base situation.

It can also be you're wasting a lot of time and effort with waxing, when what you really need is a base grind and better base structure.

 

[Gina D]

Stockli Montero AR's just bought this year. They have maybe 20 days on them, and I've kept them waxed regularly so I don't think that's the problem.

I could run the SkiVision's coarse stone across them though.

 

[snwbrdr]

Warm spring season snow isn't as abrasive as cold fresh snow, especially fresh man-made snow (aka minature ice pellets).

That's one of the reasons why warm temp wax is softer than cold temp wax

 

[Gina D]

What do you think about Zardoz?

 

[snwbrdr]

What do you think about Zardoz?

Wiping Teflon onto your base sounds gimmicky to me

 

[JWMN]

Wiping Teflon onto your base sounds gimmicky to me

But it has been working for many years now. Lasts about 1/2 hour for me, then re-apply and go. At some point when it gets really warm it's effect will stop working.

 

[Tony S]

Lasts about 1/2 hour for me, then re-apply and go.

And there's the rub with all the super-warm waxes, like Dominator Butter, for example.

 

[cantunamunch]

I'm hoping the Zardoz may solve the problem of sticky slushy snow.

Sorry to tell you but nothing solves the problem.

If you get the right structure for your snow and if you then go forth and do all the right stuff with chemistry, the available target is: least annoyance for your skillset and tactics choices.

 

[Gina D]

I've had a couple of people tell me it works great, and searching SkiTalk found a couple of posts that say the same.

Have you used Zardoz?