Race Ski Wax Prep & Set Up
Posted by Beau Boise on 19th Feb 2026
Race Ski Wax Prep & Set Up
1️⃣ CORE RULES
✔ Clean → Prep → Speed Wax → Scrape → Brush → Polish
✔ Match SNOW temp, not air temp
✔ Hard wax FIRST, speed wax SECOND
✔ Thin layers = fast skis
✔ Always brush tip → tail
2️⃣ WAX SELECTION GUIDE
| SNOW TEMP | RACE WERKS WAX | STRUCTURE | IRON TEMP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below -10°C (14°F) | Cold Blue | Fine Linear | 130–140°C |
| -8°C to -2°C (18–28°F) | Race Red | Fine → Medium | 140–150°C |
| -2°C to +5°C (28–40°F) | Warm Yellow | Medium → Coarse | 150–160°C |
3️⃣ RACE-WERKS APPLICATION STEPS
STEP 1 – CLEAN
• Brass brush, Try the Sun Valley Ski Tools Oval Bronze Texturing Brush or Brass Texturing Brush from Race Werks. Also the Oval Carbon Steel Horsair Combo Brush for the anti-static cleaning effect from the soft horse hair perimeter bristles.
• Always brush your skis from tip → tail
• Hot scrape if dirty
STEP 2 – BASE PREP (Durability Layer)
• Apply Base Prep Wax - We recommend Raceservice-1 Base Prep Wax or Raceservice-1 Graphite Base Prep Wax
• Iron smoothly (never stop moving)
• Cool 30+ minutes
• Scrape thin
• Brush: Brass → Nylon
This layer protects your base and stays in multiple days.
STEP 3 – RACE SPEED LAYER
• Apply correct temp wax
• Iron evenly
• Cool 20–30 minutes
• Scrape fully
• Brush sequence:
-
Nylon
-
Horsehair
-
Soft nylon polish
STEP 4 – OPTIONAL FINISH/OVERLAY
• Topcoat : Powder Race Wax, Swix HS Wax, Rode Liquid Race Extra and Raceservice-1 wax are great products to try
• Light cork
• Soft nylon polish
4️⃣ QUICK CONDITION NOTES
❄ Cold Snow: Hard wax = protection
Packed Snow: Most common race range
Wet Snow: Structure matters more than the wax
5️⃣ COMMON MISTAKES
✘ Too much wax
✘ Burning the base
✘ Wrong structure for wet snow
✘ Not brushing enough
✘ Last-minute panic waxing
RACE WERKS RULE:
Clean structure + correct hardness + proper brushing = SPEED