Waxes

The more serious recreational Classical skier will achieve better performance (that is, better and faster glide on the downhill sections and better grip on the uphill sections) by selecting a ski that requires waxing. They will wax approximately the middle half of the ski with a grip wax and the two outer quarters of the ski (tip and tail) with a glide wax.

The serious Classical racer will purchase skis of a stiffness that matches their weight and wax the skis in a similar way to the serious recreational classical skier, although using more expensive waxes. They will wax the kick zone (centre half) and glide (tip and tail) zones to match their technical ability.

There are a wide variety of waxes for Nordic Skiing. The waxes can be classified into three main categories: Glide, Kick and Klister waxes.

Glide Wax

Glide waxes are ironed onto a ski and are used to make a ski glide faster. They range in price from £5-£150, depending on if the skier is training or racing. Glide waxes are applied to the full length of skate skis, and outside the kick zone of classic skis.

Kick Wax

Kick waxes are used on classic skis, and are used to get a grip on snow. They are applied in the 'kick zone' of classic skis.

Kick waxes are classified according to their hardness: harder waxes are for colder and newer snow. Using a wax that is too hard will not give sufficient grip, whilst using one that is too soft will slow the skier down. It is not uncommon to apply a new layer of wax if the weather changes, or when moving in altitude.

Glide waxes are usually colour-coded: the most common are red is for temperatures above 0˚C, and blue for below. There are many other colours for more specific temperature ranges, for instance violet for around 0˚C, green for below -10˚C, and white for below -15˚C. However, it must always be remembered that new snow will require a harder wax.

Klister

When snow becomes old, refrozen, or warm (35 degrees plus), kick wax cannot provide any more grip, a different type of wax called klister must be used. Klister is basically a glue and provides an extremely sticky surface to grip the snow. However, it is notoriously difficult to remove.

Waxless Skis

A recreational Classical skier might decide not to worry about waxing skis and select a set of waxless classical skis. There are various types of waxeless skis, the most popular being the "fishscale" ski.