Healthier gear: Wax can’t save you from gouges caused by exposed rocks, but it will seal bases to prevent them from drying out—kind of like applying a moisturizer to your skin. Dried out bases are prone to delaminating.
It is no secret that skiing and especially competitive ski racing can be a very expensive sport. That being said, the earlier we start teaching our young athletes the benefits of taking care of their equipment, the longer the life span of that equipment will be; so even if your athlete outgrows it, it may be consigned or passed along to another ski racer.
Speedier gear: Even if you’re a beginner, you’ll enjoy a smoother slope experience if you wax; you’ll also appreciate some extra speed when you’re ready to graduate from snowplow turns to parallel turns—or from skidding turns to carving turns on a snowboard.
Outside of the obvious financial rewards of ski racers taking care of their racing gear there actually are some very beneficial ulterior reasons to get kids involved in learning about tuning and waxing their skis. When a child flips their ski over and starts learning about the parts of the ski that they usually take for granted: the bases and edges, they learn that these are actually the very most important part to their skis. Next time their coach talks to them about using the edge of their ski vs the base, they will have a more in-depth understanding of how these parts of their skis can be utilized.
Last but not least, tuning and waxing skis can be a pretty fun and rewarding team building activity. Crank up the tunes as a team and enjoy the smell of hot ski wax!
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