General Tips
A brief explanation of the Holmenkol Wax System and how they recommend it be applied. There are three basic categories of Holmenkol Glide Wax; 1). Hydrocarbon (paraffin) Waxes which they have named Alphamix, Betamix and Ultra mix. 2). Fluorocarbon Waxes named Matrix FX(Race Werks does not carry this line) and Hybrid FX. 3). Finish Waxes a.k.a. overlays which come in a powdered form called TopSpeed PF or a solid form called SpeedBlock Solids. Holmenkol intend for all these waxes to be used together as a system when the conditions call for it. In other words, they are designed to be used in layers - Hydrocarbon followed by Fluorocarbon followed by Overlay. There are, of course, variations to this generalization based on snow type, temperature etc... but this is the basic application sequence according to Holmenkol. Application Holmenkol assumes their waxes will be iron applied as this results in the most durable and abrasion resistant finished product - Race Werks strongly recommends you use a respirator when applying any fluorinated waxes with an iron, especially the 100% fluorinated overlays. The following sequence of steps comes from the Holmenkol.com website - Race Werks has added supplemental info when we determined it was necessary. 1). Brush the ski or snowboards base with a bronze bristled brush. This step sets the stage for your upcoming hot wax job by removing surface impurities and exposing a fresh layer of surface base material so it will more readily accept molten wax. 2). Drip a liberal amount of hydrocarbon (Alpha, Beta or Ultra mix) on the base and iron it in. The wax should drip rapidly, not pour, off the iron and flow evenly from edge to edge behind the iron as it is passed over the skis or snowboards base. The wax should never smoke. 3). Scrape warm wax off the ski or snowboard base with an acrylic wax scraper. For the first few repetitions you will notice the scraped off wax to be dirty. 4). Continue this process until the scraped wax appears clean. 5). After final scraping let the ski return to room temperature then brush out the base with a bronze, or a brass/horsehair combo brush. 6). Re-apply the appropriate hydrocarbon wax based on temperature and snow conditions. Let ski or snowboard slowly cool to room temp. 7). Scrape off wax and brush thoroughly with a bronze or brass/horsehair brush. If you have one at your disposal, follow this step by brushing with a soft steel bristled brush. The following steps are for racing or a high performance preparation and are only necessary if the snows moisture and humidity call for fluorinated products. 8). Apply and iron in the appropriate Fluorocarbon wax. Allow ski or board to slowly cool to room temp. 9). Scrape off wax and brush with a bronze or brass/horsehair brush. Follow this by brushing with a soft steel bristled brush. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for long distance events or aggressive snow conditions. 10). Apply appropriate overly. Either iron in or friction apply with a cork. If ironed, allow to cool slowly to room temp. 11). Thoroughly brush base with a horsehair bristled brush. 12). Lightly brush with a soft steel bristled brush to further open up the base structure. If traveling to the race, protect your wax job with a pair of base protectors or by taping your skis together base to base & transporting in a padded ski bag. The trick is picking the appropriate variety of wax to match the conditions. If you are successful at that, these steps should allow you to apply the wax so your equipment will have the best glide possible!
