Scratches in the ski base

It is easy to hit a stone and end up with a scratch in the ski base. Small scratches are cosmetic; large ones can run deep and wear on the wax. You can do light repairs yourself at home with a polyethylene stick (also called P-tex) and heat.

What you need

• Polyethylene stick (P-tex stick) — available from sports shops, ~50–100 kr
• An iron or a ski waxing iron (an ordinary clothes iron works as long as the steam function is not switched on)
• Sandpaper (ideally coarse + fine)
• A scraper (plastic scraper for skis)
• A clean cloth and a flat workbench

How to do it

1. Clean the scratch — sand away dirt and loose debris. It should be dry and clean.
2. Light the polyethylene stick at one end — it burns with a blue/black flame.
3. Drip molten plastic straight into the scratch — fill it so there is a little surplus above the edge.
4. Let it harden for a few minutes — the surface should turn matte, not wet.
5. Scrape off the surplus with the plastic scraper, from the front of the ski towards the tail, until the surface is level with the rest of the base.
6. Sand lightly with fine sandpaper if there are any unevennesses.

Larger damage

For deeper cuts or holes where the polyethylene layer has been removed entirely:

• Use a ski waxing iron with the polyethylene stick melted in — this gives a better bond
• For very deep damage: send it in for servicing at a sports shop. They have a P-tex arc machine that gives a professional result.

Prevention

• Check the ground before you set off — especially stony spring snow
• Glide wax protects the ski base and makes scratches rarer
• Do not ski on bare ground — even a short stretch damages the base badly

Back to Repair → · Ski waxing →

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Text: Snuitide (2022), revised 2026.

Video: Swix — filling in damage to the ski base