Terry Hertel Speaks — How to Wax Skis the Right Way
The following is Terry Hertel speaking directly — in his own words, in his own voice. This is WAXFAX the way it was meant to be heard.
I have watched people wax skis for 50 years. And I have watched the same mistakes get made over and over again — not because skiers are careless, but because nobody ever told them the right way to do it.
So let me tell you the right way.
First: the iron. You need a dedicated ski wax iron. Not a clothes iron. A clothes iron has uneven heat distribution and no precise temperature control. You will either burn your base or get inconsistent penetration. A basic ski wax iron is not expensive. Buy one. It will pay for itself on the first use.
Set your iron to medium temperature. For Super HotSauce™ and most all-temperature waxes, that is around 120 to 130 degrees Celsius. The wax should melt smoothly off the bar when you hold it against the iron. If it smokes, the iron is too hot. Turn it down. A smoking iron is burning the wax chemistry you paid for.
Now drip the wax. Hold the bar against the iron and let the melted wax drip onto the base in a zigzag pattern from tip to tail. You want even coverage across the full length of the ski. Do not be stingy. You are going to scrape most of it off anyway — what matters is that the base gets full coverage.
Then iron it in. Move the iron slowly and steadily from tip to tail, spreading the wax evenly across the full width of the base. Keep the iron moving. Never let it sit still. A stationary iron on a ski base will burn the base. Keep it moving. One to two passes is enough.
Now here is the part that most people get wrong.
Scrape it while it is hot.
I cannot tell you how many times I have watched someone iron their skis beautifully and then set them aside to cool before scraping. That is wrong. That is the single most common waxing mistake I see.
Scrape immediately. While the wax is still hot. Mash the scraper against the base at about a 45-degree angle and push firmly from tip to tail. Long, even strokes. You want to remove the excess wax from the surface while the wax that has penetrated the base pores is still liquid and active.
Scraping hot does two things. It removes the surface excess that would just slow you down. And it activates the wax that has penetrated the base — driving it deeper into the pore structure where it will last and perform.
Scraping cold just removes surface wax. It does not activate what is in the base. You lose half the benefit of the hot wax application.
After you scrape, buff. Use a nylon or horsehair brush, tip to tail, with firm even strokes. You are opening the base structure — the microscopic texture that channels water and improves glide. Buff until the base has a high shine. That shine is not cosmetic. It is functional.
Then ski.
That is the whole process. Iron at medium temperature. Keep the iron moving. Drip the wax. Iron it in. Scrape immediately while hot. Buff to a high shine.
If you do those five things correctly, you will get more performance and more durability out of any wax than you have ever gotten before. Not because the wax changed. Because you are finally using it the way it was designed to be used.
One more thing. For on-mountain touch-ups when you do not have an iron — carry Rub N Go™ in your jacket pocket. Rub it on tip to tail, smooth it out with your glove, ski. Under 2 minutes. The difference is immediate.
That is how you wax skis. The right way.
— Terry Hertel, Founder, Hertel Ski Wax — Made in USA since 1972
The wax worth applying correctly. Shop Super HotSauce™ — #1 Amazon Bestseller, All Temperature® →
On-mountain: Shop Rub N Go™ — No Iron, 8+ Applications →
📚 The complete guide: Download the FREE WAXFAX Book →
Previous episode: Terry Hertel Speaks — The Science of Snow →
Next episode: Terry Hertel Speaks — The Olympic History →