How to Wax Skis at Home without an Iron

Keeping your skis waxed is an essential aspect of basic maintenance that will help them perform well on the snow. If you don’t have an iron or are in a hurry, you can still wax your skis at home pretty easily. 

My name is Christine, I’m an avid skier who has been on the slopes for most of my life. I’ve waxed my skis at least a few hundred times with and without an iron. It’s a pretty easy task and goes a long way toward making the most out of your time on the snow. 

This post will show you how to wax skis at home without an iron. It’s good information for every skier to know, whether you are just getting started or have been at it for years. 

Time to bust out the wax and get started. 

The Importance of Ski Wax

Having wax on your skis is critical to helping them slide on the snow. Ski wax forms a layer of glide that reduces friction between the snow and the base to help you ski. Without fresh wax, you can stick to the snow, which can heavily impact your ski day. 

If you rent skis or just bought a new pair, they should be waxed and ready for action. You might not need to wax them again for a few months. But when this wax starts to wear out, it’s important to keep a fresh layer on to get maximum performance. 

Serious skiers might wax their skis about once a week. I know some people who even try to put a fresh coat on before every single ski day. While that might be a little excessive, you really can’t wax your skis too much.

How to Wax Skis without an Iron

There are a few different ways to wax your skis at home without an iron. They are both pretty straightforward, but the rub-on method is much faster but less effective in the long run. Regardless of which way you choose, a little fresh wax is always better than none at all!

Method 1: Use Rub-On Wax

The easiest way to wax your skis without an iron is to use a rub-on wax. There are many rub-on products available, and they can give you a nice slight increase in performance. However, they aren’t as effective as a real wax job using other methods. 

To wax your skis using rub-on wax, follow these steps: 

1. Choose your rub-on wax product. My favorite is ZUMWax, and this is good for all snow temperatures and easy to apply.
2. Place your skis on a clean working surface and tie the ski brakes back using rubber bands. 
3. Clean the skis off with a damp cotton towel or rag to get rid of any dirt or debris. Let dry. 
4. Rub the wax product all over the base of your skis. 
5. Use the attached cork to buff the wax out until evenly disbursed all over the base. 
6. Go ski!

Method 2: Use a Blow Dryer

Unfortunately, rub-on wax won’t give you the long-lasting performance of a legit wax job using an iron. It’s better than nothing and really easy, but you won’t see drastic improvement. Luckily, you can still do a regular wax job at home without an iron if you have a blow dryer. 

The materials you’ll need to make this happen are: 

• Blow dryer or heat gun
• Ski wax
• Scraper
• Rag
• Buffer brush (optional)

Here are the steps to using a blow dryer:

1. Place your skis on the working surface and secure the ski brakes up and out of the way using rubber bands. I like to use a table or countertop to support the skis at the tip and tail with books or towels to keep the bindings elevated. 
2. Clean the base of the skis using a damp rag or towel to remove any dirt or debris. Let dry completely. 
3. Rub ski wax all over the skis. Use regular ski wax and not rub-on wax for this. You’ll need to put in some effort, but do the best you can to get wax over most of the base. 
4. Turn on the blow dryer or heat gun and work your way over the base of the skis. This will melt the wax and distribute it evenly over the base. 
5. You might need to go from top to bottom several times to get even coverage and melt all the wax. 
6. Once the wax is melted and evenly distributed, take the scraper and smooth out any bumps or areas with excess wax. The goal is to get an even amount of wax over the entire base surface. 
7. Buff out with a buffer brush or clean, dry rag.
8. Go ski!  

Tips and Suggestions

While using rub-on wax or a blow dryer can help you get your skis waxed up and ready for action, it doesn’t take much effort or money to get an iron to do the job correctly. 

If you are a serious skier who wants to wax your skis often, I highly suggest getting a wax iron. You can even use an old household iron and pick it up at a second-hand store for very cheap. 

You’ll get a much better wax job with an iron than you will with the methods described here. 

Final Thoughts

To keep your skis in excellent condition, you need to wax them often. You can wax them at home without an iron by following the tips above, but just keep in mind that neither of these methods is as effective as a proper wax job using an iron a regular ski wax.