In article ,
Novice Skier wrote:

On Dec. 16 I skied the Kilburn Pond loop and the skis gave
little or no grip leading me to take them off and walk some
of the steeper portions of the trail. The temperture was 22 deg F
that day with 8 to 10 inches of powder snow.

Waxless skis have trouble in new light cold snow and hard icy
snow. In general the easier it is to make a snow ball the better
they work. If you're doing most of your skiing in cold dry snow,
waxing is well worth the time and trouble.


What can I do to make these skis climb better?

Oddly enough, glide waxing the WHOLE ski with something like Swix
F4 or a universal paste wax, will not only make it faster, but
also improve the climbing ability. However, there are some
conditions where waxless skis just don't do well and vice
versa. (ie. waxless skis are at their best when waxing
is really difficult i.e. near 32deg F).

Is the poor grip
a chacteristic of this ski? The grip pattern is cut into the base
of the ski.

Negative patterns tend to be the poorest climbers of the various
waxless bases, but they are also the fastest. The other advantage
is that you can easily kick wax them in difficult for waxless
conditions.

Can you put grip wax on this ski and not spoil
the waxless grip when the temp gets to 32?


Yes, it's best to apply the kick wax in thin smooth
layers and cleaning the ski can be a PITA. Colder kick
waxes generally glide just fine in warmer
snow as long as the wax is applied smoothly enough.

_ Booker C. Bense