Waxing and glide | Snuitide

Waxing is the skill that separates people who ‘go skiing’ from people who ‘are on skis’. For classic cross-country skiing, waxing is the difference between a day that flows and a day where you struggle for every kick-off. For backcountry cross-country skis, the right wax means the skin lies evenly and that the glide period does not ruin the ski base. For skate skiing it is purely about glide — you do not care about grip, only about minimising friction.

Waxing can seem technical and off-putting the first time. It is not hard to get something that works — and for beginners, ‘good enough’ is usually better than ‘perfect’. On top of that, the past ten years have seen wax-free skis with a skin section change the whole picture: many new skiers never go through the waxing phase at all. For them it is an optional skill, not a compulsory one.

Three types of wax — a short overview

Classic cross-country waxing distinguishes between three basic categories:

Grip wax (kick wax, dry wax) is a solid in pucks. It is applied to the grip zone — the middle section of the ski — and gives grip against the snow for the kick-off. Grip wax comes in many variants for different snow types and temperatures; pucks are often colour-coded by where they work (blue for cold snow, red/purple for warmer, white for fresh snow).

Klister is a thick, sticky liquid in a tube. It is used on transformed snow — old, coarse-grained snow or a frozen crust after a thaw — where grip wax does not hold well enough. Klister is the ‘heaviest’ version of grip, and can feel tacky and hard to handle.

Glide wax is applied to the glide zones in front of and behind the grip zone on classic skis, and over the whole base in skate skiing. It reduces friction against the snow and improves glide. Glide wax is often ironed in for best effect.

For a beginner, classic waxing is ‘grip wax in the middle, glide wax front and back’. It works in 80 per cent of conditions. Klister is learned over time, when you discover days where grip wax does not hold.

What suits when

As a rough rule, grip-wax types suit different conditions:

Cold fresh snow (below -8 °C) — green or blue grip wax
Lightly cold snow (-2 to -8 °C) — blue
Mild snow (around freezing) — purple or red
Thaw snow (above freezing) — red or white
Transformed snow, frozen crust — klister

These are guidelines, not laws. Snow type, age and moisture decide as much as temperature does. On a day with 0 °C and fresh new snow, red works fine; at the same temperature with a two-day-old crust, perhaps only klister works.

For anyone who wants to build the skill, it is wise to experiment. Wax a bit more than you think you need the first time, and note how it works. After ten to twenty days of waxing you will have a basic intuition.

Wax-free skis — what changed the activity

In 2015, Salomon and Atomic launched a new generation of wax-free skis with an integrated mohair skin (goat-hair section) in the grip zone. The skin hair is stroked in one direction so that it glides forward easily but locks backward — the same principle as on backcountry cross-country ski skins, but permanently attached to the ski and adapted to cross-country equipment.

The consequence has been dramatic for the activity. Wax-free skis:

Need no grip wax — you take them out of the bag and go
Work in almost all snow conditions without adjustment
Are cheaper over time (no wax expenses, no waxing iron, no cork)
Lower the threshold for taking up classic cross-country skiing considerably

For anyone who wants simplicity, wax-free skis are clearly recommended. For anyone who wants optimal glide on a cold day or the best possible speed in a touring race, waxing is still superior — but the difference is smaller than many think.

Today, wax-free skis sell as much as waxed skis in the beginner segment, and are the dominant form for typical everyday cross-country skiing.

Glide wax — just as important on wax-free skis

Even wax-free skis need glide wax. Only the grip zone is wax-free; the glide zones front and back must still be waxed for the ski to glide properly. The difference is that there is one wax type instead of two, and that it does not need to be adjusted to snow type as precisely.

For glide wax, one important change has happened in recent years: the fluoro ban.

The fluoro ban

In November 2019, the FIS Council resolved that all fluoro products would be banned in all skiing disciplines from the 2020/21 season. The ban was postponed several times because of problems with control and testing procedures, and the actual introduction came only from the 2023/24 season.

The background was health- and environment-related: fluorinated glide waxes contain PFAS substances that are very stable, build up in the environment and are linked to health problems in professional wax technicians who have been exposed over years. The EU has followed up with a parallel regulation that covers consumer products, not only competition equipment.

For the ordinary skier this means:

Fluoro waxes are still sold in Norwegian shops for everyday use
The Norwegian Ski Federation (Norges Skiforbund) has introduced a fluoro ban in all age-class competitions from 2020/21
Competition use across all levels is banned from 2023/24
For touring and everyday cross-country skiing it is not a legal problem yet, but more manufacturers are switching to fluoro-free alternatives for environmental reasons

For new wax technicians, the advice is to use only fluoro-free glide waxes. They are cheaper, just as effective in most conditions, and avoid both health concerns and a future ban.

Practical waxing — the short version

For a typical waxing session on waxed skis:

Start with a clean ski — scrape off any old wax and clean with a cleaning pad or wax remover
Apply grip wax in several thin layers on the grip zone, rubbing in with a cork between each layer (3–5 layers is typical)
Apply glide wax to the glide zones — either by applying it and ironing it in, or by using a rub-on wax for easier application
Scrape the glide wax with a plastic scraper to remove excess
Brush the glide zones with a hard nylon brush to free the wax in the structure

The first time takes an hour or more. After a few times it is 15–20 minutes.

For klister the process is somewhat different — warm the tube a little before application, apply in thin strips, and smooth it out with your thumbs or a stick. Klister is tacky and takes a bit more practice.

Waxing courses

For anyone who wants to build proper skill, a waxing course is the fastest route. Many local ski clubs and Skiforeningen run evening courses in season, often free or for a low membership price. You get hands-on guidance on your own equipment and learn from people who have waxed many pairs of skis.

The Norwegian Ski Federation (Norges Skiforbund) also has several written guides, and YouTube has good tutorial videos from, among others, Swix and local Norwegian wax technicians.

A glide-wax app as a tool

Several manufacturers — Swix, Vauhti, Holmenkol — have their own waxing apps for the phone. You enter the snow conditions (temperature, snow age, moisture) and the app recommends which wax suits. For beginners it is a good way to learn the logic behind wax choice.

For experienced wax technicians, apps are only a starting point — the actual judgement requires knowing the snow in the area, how the weather has developed, and which wax types you have available.

Waxing backcountry cross-country skis

For backcountry cross-country skis, waxing is simpler than classic cross-country skiing:

Glide wax for the whole base, ideally every three to four trips (backcountry skis tolerate harder use and deserve more frequent waxing to keep the base from drying out)
Grip-free — backcountry skis often have a wax coating or other solutions that do not require grip wax
Skins for steep ascents — these have their own glue skill, not waxing directly

For long trips it is important to have basic base care. Glide wax protects against dry rock and bare ground, and extends the ski base’s life considerably.

Next steps

If you are new to cross-country skiing: buy wax-free skis. It is the simplest way in, and you can always learn waxing later if you want.

If you have done some classic skiing and want to build skill: take a waxing course with a local ski club or Skiforeningen. Two evenings give you the basic skill.

For more context: cross-country skiing for the activity description, backcountry cross-country skis for the terrain ski skill.

For equipment in ski touring and randonée: skins and randonée equipment goes through a completely different system.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).