A 101 Introduction to Brushing Skis

Brushing is a critical part in waxing your skis. But is often a mystery to people new to the sport. Once you learn a few basics you will understand the purpose behind brushing your skis and make you a faster skier. This is a basic introduction to the why we do it. Once you have this understanding you can take this knowledge and create your own brushing strategies.We are going to focus on the Fast Wax 3 brush system.

Stainless Steel Cleaning Brush 1 of 3

Before we apply wax to a ski or snow board we first want to clean the base. To do this we use a metal brush. Other vendors sell brass, bronze, or copper brushes. At Fast Wax we like Stainless Steel. It is stronger and longer lasting. Through our research have found the correct bristle length, bristle diameter, and bristle density. Think of all metal brushes as your cleaning brush.

These properties help the brush sweep loose wax out of the ski base.  As you run a metal brush down the ski from tip to tail. After a couple of passes, the amount of wax coming out of the ski base should become less and less. If you do not see anything do not fret, you must not have any loose wax in your base.

Horsehair Brush 2 of 3

After you have ironed in your wax and scraped it. It is time for your Horsehair Brush. Think of the Horsehair brush as a natural fiber brush. The purpose of the Horsehair brush is to clean wax out of the structure of the ski. The structure of the ski are those small lines that go down the length of the ski. Think of structure like the treads on a car tire. If you do clean the wax out of your structure it is like you are skiing on bald tires.

Horsehair is a very fine fiber that has the perfect flex allowing it to get deep into the structure and clean it out.

Nylon Brush 3 of 3

The final brush in the Fast Wax 3 brush system is the Nylon Brush. Nylon is a man made fiber that is mush larger than the other two brushes. The purpose of the Nylon brush is to generate heat and to seal the ski base. After a couple of passes you will see the ski base pop to life. The dull color will transform to a wet, glossy look.

Use the Nylon brush to touch up your skis before you head out on the trail. A quick brush will freshen up the wax in your ski base and give you great glide in between waxing.

Final Thoughts

The above is a 101 guide, to get you started on your on your brush journey. Use this information and create a brush program that works for you and the way you ski. If I only had the budget to get one brush, I would start with a natural fiber Horsehair brush. The only thing we want to you learn from this is the following. Metal brushes are for cleaning. Natural fibers are for cleaning structure. Man Made fibers are for polishing.  Using this logic you can look at any brands brushes and understand the purpose of the brush.