photo credit: D.Koerber RNSC
Waxing Irons: Advice from Nordic Norm
Dear Nordic Norm,
Just when you think you have seen it all, along comes something so bizarre you can’t believe your eyes. While in a ski shop the other day I saw an iron, that’s right, an iron, and the price tag was $175.00. What in the world is going on here?
Signed, Steamed
Dear Hot Under the Old Crinkled Collar,
Just imagine if you would have seen an expensive one. The Swix wax iron is around 300 bucks! Here’s the line on wax irons. Most people that actually wax their skis start by using an old regular iron or one of those small travel irons. Like all simple solutions there is a problem. The temperature variation on a regular iron is relatively wide because clothes really don’t seem to care that much. Ski bases, on the other hand, do. Speciality wax irons have a narrower temperature range so in other words it doesn’t change too much. If the iron gets too hot you can seal the base, which changes the structure and slows the skis down. So, do you run out a buy a wax iron? Well, most likely not. Just make sure your regular iron is on a lower setting and make sure the wax doesn’t smoke (nor should you) and keep the iron moving along the base.