Member of the Month

abjectwoe
May, 2025

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Is waxing skis with candles bad for your skis.

profile picture
WoFlowz
Posts: 8094 - Karma: 64,478
Not my question myself but my friend waxes his skis with fucking candles. He’s convinced that it isn’t bad for your bases or skis. Can someone like Dolan help me
4 years ago
17 1
profile picture
Notaskibum
Posts: 849 - Karma: 4,005
This has to be dolan
4 years ago
18 1
profile picture
WoFlowz
Posts: 8094 - Karma: 64,478
NotaskibumThis has to be dolan


Lmao it’s not. My friend is just being stupid and not listening to me. I need someone like Dolan or Dolan to give me more reasons why it’s bad for your skis
4 years ago
11 1
profile picture
SavageBiff
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 14,759
It’s not harmful, it’s just stupid, it’s a waste of time, and if he don’t know that he probably doesn’t do the rest of the process correctly.
The benefits of waxing are the chemicals in the wax that’s not in candle wax, such , as fluoro, graphite etc... the wax is just a medium for applying and your buddy is just making sticky skis.
4 years ago
18 0
profile picture
Treegrabber
Posts: 831 - Karma: 11,928
Nah waxing the sticks with candles is lit
4 years ago
8 3
profile picture
koolkale
Posts: 109 - Karma: 1,411
Mix graphite from pencils into the candle wax
4 years ago
10 0
profile picture
WoFlowz
Posts: 8094 - Karma: 64,478
SavageBiffIt’s not harmful, it’s just stupid, it’s a waste of time, and if he don’t know that he probably doesn’t do the rest of the process correctly.
The benefits of waxing are the chemicals in the wax that’s not in candle wax, such , as fluoro, graphite etc... the wax is just a medium for applying and your buddy is just making sticky skis.


He also doesn’t scraped or clean his bases first🤦🏼
4 years ago
0 1
profile picture
CaIeb
Posts: 325 - Karma: 2,590
insane 9 year old at my local hill thought it would be a good idea to melt a stick of butter onto his skis and rub it on the rails. didn’t work too well
4 years ago
12 0
profile picture
BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 7529 - Karma: 66,941
Doesn’t he know you’re supposed to DRINK butter?
B00NEinsane 9 year old at my local hill thought it would be a good idea to melt a stick of butter onto his skis and rub it on the rails. didn’t work too well
4 years ago
14 0
profile picture
gorbdawggybrent
Posts: 970 - Karma: 8,774
dolan can’t respond because he is studying for his degree in ski base science
4 years ago
14 0
profile picture
S.Ki
Posts: 2260 - Karma: 3,888
if your skis are sticky and snow gets stuck to your bases and all you have in your bag is a candle than rubbing candle wax on your skis is better than nothing. the wax will repell the snow a bit and most likely help against snow sticking to your bases, however it will wear of in a handful of runs and you will have to redo the process. Additionally candle wax is not ski wax and therefore not as good for your bases. If you really want to go fast and care for your bases then wax your skis with ski specific wax like holmenkol or toko
4 years ago
3 1
profile picture
Saga.
Posts: 3812 - Karma: 45,341
I've seen someone use the interior of avocado peels...
4 years ago
14 0
profile picture
Jezza
Posts: 155 - Karma: 592
Saga.I've seen someone use the interior of avocado peels...

Vegan af.
4 years ago
6 0
profile picture
weastcoat
Posts: 6504 - Karma: 75,405
WoFlowzHe also doesn’t scraped or clean his bases first🤦🏼

One of my buddies got so stoned one night he melted skate wax onto his bases and never scraped them. He didn’t realize until I pointed it out after taking a run on them and I stuck to a rail like glue
4 years ago
5 0
profile picture
SavageBiff
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 14,759
What about bananas? They seem to be slippery, anyone seen Tom and Jerry? The originals ...
4 years ago
6 0
profile picture
ColoradoDogfart
Posts: 2479 - Karma: 30,043
I let the pre szn rocks wax my skis for me
4 years ago
2 0
profile picture
dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,095
NotaskibumThis has to be dolan

Are you fucking kidding me?

OP ive read more than once that candle wax will not glide for shit. It probably wont damage your ski base unless u cook the bases with your iron (depending on what temp the candle wax melts at). You can always just clear the candle wax out with a few hot scrapes and brushes etc.

the guy waxing his skis with candle wax is a gaping, gaping vagina
4 years ago
6 0
profile picture
dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,095
koolkaleMix graphite from pencils into the candle wax

Also toothpaste has fluoride in it so theres your fluoro
4 years ago
3 1
profile picture
dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,095
gorbdawggybrentdolan can’t respond because he is studying for his degree in ski base science

Ive actually thought about doing an engineering program to work on ski design for a company. Materials science has always interested me for some reason.
4 years ago
3 1
profile picture
BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 7529 - Karma: 66,941
Dolan where tf you been? I’ve missed your commentary
DolansLebensraumIve actually thought about doing an engineering program to work on ski design for a company. Materials science has always interested me for some reason.
4 years ago
2 0
profile picture
dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,095
B00NEinsane 9 year old at my local hill thought it would be a good idea to melt a stick of butter onto his skis and rub it on the rails. didn’t work too well

Thats pretty funny. I dont think butter will make much of a difference, it will just attract dirt.

it doesnt seem to be completely idiotic tho. At least in theory. Butter is an emulsion of saturated fats and water. And sat fats can reduce friction between some surfaces. So it might have some effect but probably not noticeable sliding a rail.


4 years ago
2 0
profile picture
dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,095
Nevermind sat vs unsat i dont know what diff that would make on friction. But both will probably help more with like metal on metal friction. Skis sliding on a rail is mostly friction between polyethylene and metal. So it could make things slide a little better or worse or make no difference. Probably wont make much of a diff tho, if it does at all. Ski/rail friction is already close to 0

**This post was edited on Feb 26th 2021 at 7:14:22pm
4 years ago
2 0
profile picture
dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,095
S.Kiif your skis are sticky and snow gets stuck to your bases and all you have in your bag is a candle than rubbing candle wax on your skis is better than nothing. the wax will repell the snow a bit and most likely help against snow sticking to your bases, however it will wear of in a handful of runs and you will have to redo the process. Additionally candle wax is not ski wax and therefore not as good for your bases. If you really want to go fast and care for your bases then wax your skis with ski specific wax like holmenkol or toko

Youre missing the point.



you dont want a continuous layer of wax on your polyethylene bases. The PE bases are already very hydrophobic. You just want the wax to fill the valleys and crevasses in the PE base structure.

If you just take regular wax and slather it all over your bases they will glide slower than on a ski that has been scraped down.

also candle wax is most likely way too hard or way to soft for a ski wax. Most ski waxes are a specific hardness for different snow temps.

in the old days they used regular wax on the bases of wooden skis, but wood and polyethylene are very different materials. Wood and PE are like hamburger vs filet mignon. you put ketchup on a burger but you dont put it on filet mignon, you will ruin it.

**This post was edited on Feb 26th 2021 at 7:25:58pm
4 years ago
2 0
profile picture
dolanslebensraum
Posts: 5959 - Karma: -13,095
Btw i was talking about the “butter as a lubricant” question here, not candle wax.
DolansLebensraumNevermind sat vs unsat i dont know what diff that would make on friction. But both will probably help more with like metal on metal friction. Skis sliding on a rail is mostly friction between polyethylene and metal. So it could make things slide a little better or worse or make no difference. Probably wont make much of a diff tho, if it does at all. Ski/rail friction is already close to 0

**This post was edited on Feb 26th 2021 at 7:14:22pm
4 years ago
1 0
All times are Eastern (-4); Currently it's 11:27AM