Short answer: storage, cleaning your skis and applying a rub-on wax block in a pinch you can safely do yourself. Grinding edge angles, a stone grind of the base, base and core repair, a real hot wax and checking the bindings belong in a professional workshop.

Why maintenance is more than a layer of wax

Your skis are a precision instrument. The base, the steel edges and the microstructure in the base work together to let you glide predictably and give grip on hard snow. Neglect that and your base becomes dry and grey, the edges lose their bite and your gear wears out faster. A dry base slows you down as if you're skiing through sand, and dull or rusty edges let you slide uncontrollably on ice — exactly when you need grip most.

But the opposite happens just as often: enthusiastic skiers ruin an edge geometry or a base that the factory carefully set in ten minutes with the wrong approach. A few freehand strokes with a file, a too-hot iron or a p-tex candle that doesn't bond properly — and you have damage that only a workshop can still repair, if it's even possible. Doing maintenance wrong is often more expensive than not doing it at all.

So the question isn't whether you maintain your skis, but what you sensibly do yourself and what you'd better leave to someone with the right machines and experience. Below we split it out honestly, without talking you into anything you can just as well do yourself.

What you can safely do yourself

The common denominator of these jobs: with normal use you can't break anything irreversibly. It costs little, requires no expensive machines and saves you a lot of wear over a season.

Storage at the end of the season

This is perhaps the most important job that you yourself must do, and fortunately also the easiest. The months your skis lie idle often do more damage than a whole ski season. Dry your skis after the last ski day, wipe the edges down well and apply a thick layer of storage wax that you deliberately do not scrape off. That unscraped layer seals the base against drying out and lays a protective coating over the edges so they don't rust in the summer.

Then store the skis dry, not under tension with a tight ski strap, and out of direct sunlight and preferably not next to the heating. For the new season you scrape off the storage wax, brush it out and you're done — or you have the skis re-prepared in the workshop. A complete set of care products, storage wax, scrapers and brushes you'll find in our ski maintenance gear and wax.

Cleaning and drying after each ski day

After a day on dirty, salty or wet snow, simply wipe the base and edges clean and dry. A damp cloth and then drying well afterwards is enough. The most important thing: never leave your skis wet in the ski bag or ski sleeve. Rust on the steel edges starts within a day, and once it sets in it eats its way in. This free habit prevents surprisingly much wear and keeps your gear in top condition for years.

Removing light rust from the edges

If you do have superficial rust spots on the steel edge, you can carefully work them away with an eraser or a special rust eraser. Important distinction: here you only remove the brown surface deposit. You don't file, you don't grind and you don't touch the angle of the edge. As soon as you start filing you change the geometry, and that's a whole different story (see below).

Rub-on wax as an emergency solution on the go

Notice halfway through a ski week that your skis start to stick and slow down? A block of cold rub-on wax that you rub over the base and polish out with a cork or cloth gives you glide back for a day or half a day. Just understand what it is: the wax stays on the surface and doesn't penetrate the base as with a hot wax. It's a temporary stopgap for on the go, not full maintenance — but you're guaranteed not to break anything with it, and that's why it's on this list.

What belongs in the workshop

Here it's all about precision, expensive machines, material knowledge and warranty. This isn't a question of "do you dare" but: without the right equipment you'll mess it up, however handy you are.

Grinding edges and setting the bevel angle

This is where DIY goes wrong by far the most often. Your ski has two deliberately set angles: the base bevel (the angle on the underside, usually between 0.5° and 1°) and the side bevel (the angle on the side, usually between 1° and 3°). Together they determine how aggressively your edge bites into hard snow. A race edge around 87° feels completely different and more forgiving than a touring edge of 89°. Those angles sometimes differ only one to two degrees, and that's precisely where the whole difference in how your ski steers lies.

Without a solid file clamp and angle guide, a few freehand strokes will take that angle off irreparably — and moreover unevenly along the length of the ski. You feel the result immediately on the piste: a ski that suddenly slides away on ice, or one that no longer wants to come out of a turn because the edge is too sharp or "catchy". A workshop sets the angle by machine, evenly along the entire length, and tunes it to your level, your ski style and the snow you ski most. That's precision work you simply can't match at home.

Stone grinding and the base structure

The fine lines milled into your base — the structure — ensure water runs out from under the ski so it doesn't suck onto wet snow. That structure wears out over time and gets pressed shut, making your base feel slow and "sticky", however much you wax. A stone grinding machine first makes the base perfectly flat and then mills a fresh structure into it, fine for dry cold snow or coarser for wet spring snow.

This you can't possibly do at home: a stone grinding machine costs thousands of euros and it takes experience not to grind the base concave or convex. A wrongly ground base "wanders" or grips unpredictably, and you only fix that with stone grinding again — with material disappearing each time. One good stone grind and edge service at the start of the season pays for itself all winter in glide and grip.

Base and core repair

A deep stone gouge down to the core, an open crack or a broken-out piece of edge is no job for a p-tex candle from a DIY kit. Poorly burned-in p-tex doesn't bond well, comes loose while skiing and can pull along a much larger piece of the base — then you've turned a small repair into major damage. In the workshop the repair material is correctly introduced at the right temperature, ground flat and co-structured so the repair runs along seamlessly. Is your ski really at the end — core exposed, edges loose, base worn out — then repair is sometimes money down a bottomless pit; in that case take a look at our new skis.

Real hot wax

With a hot wax the wax is melted into the base with a degree-calibrated wax iron, so it doesn't just lie on the surface but penetrates deep into it and lasts a full ski day or longer. The temperature margin is treacherously small. Around 130°C the wax penetrates the base optimally, but at about 140°C you burn the base: the surface glazes and seals permanently, after which it never absorbs wax properly again. That damage is irreversible.

An ordinary clothes iron fluctuates far too much in temperature — often tens of degrees up and down — and is precisely the reason amateurs burn their base without noticing. If you do want to learn it yourself, invest in a real wax iron calibrated in degrees and use fiberlene between iron and base. Expecting many ski days, a ski trip or do you compete? Then a professional hot wax is faster, safer and ultimately cheaper than a burned base. For anyone who wants to do it properly themselves, we have the right wax iron and tools in our wax and tuning tools.

Checking bindings and testing the Z value

This is strictly speaking not maintenance but safety, and therefore the most important point of all. The release value (the Z value) of your binding should periodically be checked on a calibrated test bench, calculated based on your weight, height, age, ski level and sole size. Set too tight and your binding doesn't release in a fall — a classic cause of knee injuries. Too loose and you lose your ski at the worst moment. Here we strongly advise against DIY; this belongs with a professional on a calibrated machine. With rental skis too, we always set the binding to the correct Z value ourselves before they go out the door.

Overview: do it yourself or have it done?

A realistic maintenance rhythm over the season

It helps to see maintenance not as separate jobs but as a rhythm. Before the ski trip: have the skis checked in the workshop — edges on angle, base flat and structured, a melted-in hot wax and the bindings to your current Z value. If you have new gear, check whether the factory prep is still good; many fresh skis still deserve a first shop tune. During the trip: drying, cleaning and, when sticking, a rub-on wax — you needn't do more there. After the last day: drying and a thick layer of storage wax that you leave on. And between seasons, if you do many weeks, an extra workshop service halfway through. Skiers who keep to this rhythm ride for years on gear that keeps performing — and that saves more in the long run than a new set. Wondering whether your skis are still salvageable or whether replacing is smarter? Feel free to compare with our range of skis.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I have my skis waxed?

A guideline is a fresh wax every three to six ski days, depending on the snow conditions and how much you ski. If your ski feels sticky or the base looks grey and dry, it's time. At the start and end of the season a workshop service is advisable anyway.

Can I wax my skis with an ordinary iron?

Better not. A clothes iron fluctuates too much in temperature and quickly goes above the limit at which you burn the base and seal it permanently. If you want to hot wax yourself, use a degree-calibrated wax iron with fiberlene. For a reliable result a workshop service is safer.

What is base bevel and side bevel?

Those are the two angles at which the steel edge is ground. The base bevel usually lies between 0.5 and 1 degree, the side bevel between 1 and 3 degrees. Together they determine how much grip your edge gives on hard snow. Setting them accurately and evenly requires a file clamp or a machine.

Can I grind my edges myself?

Erasing light surface rust is fine, but reworking the angle we advise against. Without an angle guide you take the factory geometry off unevenly and irreparably, making your ski steer or slide unpredictably. Have the grinding of the angle done in a workshop.

What is stone grinding and do I need it?

With stone grinding the base is machined flat and given a fresh structure that drains water so the ski doesn't suck on. It's needed if your base is pressed shut, damaged or convex or concave. This can only be done in a workshop with the right machine.

How do I store my skis for the summer?

Dry and clean them, apply a thick layer of storage wax that you don't scrape off and store them dry, out of full sun and not under tension. The wax layer protects the base against drying out and the edges against rust. For the new season you scrape off the wax or have them re-prepared in the workshop.

Should I have my bindings checked?

Yes. The release value should periodically be checked on a calibrated test bench based on your weight, height, age, sole size and level. A wrongly set binding doesn't release in a fall or you lose it at the wrong moment. This is a safety matter and not a DIY job.

The golden rule

Do yourself what you can't break — cleaning, storage, an emergency layer of rub-on wax — and leave everything where precision, expensive machines or warranty are at stake to a professional. A wrongly ground edge or a burned base costs you more in the end than a proper workshop service, and with a relatively new ski you don't want to jeopardise the factory warranty with household tools. Good maintenance is not a cost but the cheapest way to enjoy your gear longer, more safely and with more pleasure.

Ready for the new season? Set your skis up the right way with our care and tuning gear. Browse our ski maintenance gear for everything you need to keep your edges sharp and your base gliding all winter — wax irons, scrapers, brushes and storage wax. And if your skis are past saving, compare them with well-kept skis so you start the season on gear that performs.