Hydrophobic Coating for Skis

[DarthMarkus]

Wondering if anyone's tried to use a hydrophobic spray on their top sheets. More curious about trying it out - it's not that hard to clack snow off the top sheets while on the lift. I'm also not certain you'd see much benefit with snow vs. liquids. Could have some interesting applications for touring though. Also not looking to add a ton of weight with something more along the lines of an epoxy coat.

Names I know of are products like NeverWet, which sounds like it can have some weird discoloring. Have also seen ultra-ever dry as an option.

Edit: have searched, haven't seen a lot of anecdotal evidence from anyone here. Only that a few people have tried rain-x.

[old goat]

Never tried anything . (I think maybe I tried PAM once and it didn't work, or maybe I dreamt that.) But the glide wax sold for waxless XC skis might work. It definitely works to keep wet snow from sticking to bottoms, but you do have to use it several times on a bad day. On tops sheets I would think it would last longer. You could also try wax.

[Toddball]

Never tried anything . (I think maybe I tried PAM once and it didn't work, or maybe I dreamt that.) But the glide wax sold for waxless XC skis might work. It definitely works to keep wet snow from sticking to bottoms, but you do have to use it several times on a bad day. On tops sheets I would think it would last longer. You could also try wax.

Well...you could try ironing on high-fluoro wax. Or maybe rotocork pure fluoro? How many blocks of Cera F do I need for a single pair of Lotus 138s?

[skis_the_trees]

Certainly snow getting loaded on top depends on the top sheet material and if it has ridges or texture.
However I've had great luck just using normal car wax for the ski tops to prevent snow loading (I don't bother for inbounds, but for touring I try to keep the snow off to keep things light).

[gaijin]

If this is really a concern I think ski_the_trees just nailed it. Car wax. Or boat wax. Depends on your top sheet. Is it fiberglass resin?

I can see the request for long tours in 32/0 temps where melt/freeze is constantly fluctuating.

Aside from that the request seems a bit romantic.


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[Magic Carpet]

MountainFlow Anti-Stick spray. It helps, but wears off relatively quickly.

[Cocximus]

I will try some wax. The BMTs usually end up weighting double.

[SumJongGuy]

Hot box?
NeverWet?
DPS Phantom?


GEF outta here.. Just whack the fucking snow off your own fucking skis...

[singlecross]

Mop N Glow floor wax. Made for walking on so it’s more durable. Apply with a sponge and buff with a rag.

[DarthMarkus]

Was gonna paint a new top sheet onto some of my skis. Thought about doing some more permanent solutions, but it doesn't sound like there's anything out there better than some car or floor wax.

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[Spyderjon]

I use Zardoz Notwax.

[noslow]

Any car wax or sealant would slightly help make the top sheet slicker but if the snow is sticky the snow will still adhere. I’m a car detailer so I just apply ceramic coatings to my top sheets as that’s the most semi-permanent you can get and snow will still stick some days.

I wouldn’t go out and buy something new but just use whatever car based products you have on hand.

[tuco]

I use Zardoz Notwax.

Yep.
I'm sold on this shit! Great for spring snow. Kinda expensive tho

[waxman]

try armor all
it worked on race skies

[tuco]

303 light-years better than armor all.
Never used on ski(e)s tho

[waxman]

303 light-years better than armor all.
Never used on ski(e)s tho

could be, i don't think i've seen it in the great white north

[tuco]

could be, i don't think i've seen it in the great white north

Definitely is. Used to work in a whitewater shop, sold a lot of the shit.
Can't imagine some retailer up there doesn't stock it.

[gregL]

Do you wax your skis? After you brush out the wax, take the coarse nylon brush and rub it over the top sheets.

[noslow]

303 is available at Canadian Tire, Wal Mart etc in Canada and it’s definitely a better interior detailing product vs Armour All. They are both water biased though, so both aren’t as good as oil based tire shines for exterior trim/tires so won’t last long on ski top sheets. Car wax will be better, then a car sealant(non carnauba wax) with double the lifespan(up to 6 months on a car exterior) and finally ceramic coatings which can be good for 2-3 years.

This thread reminded me that I had a bunch of new skis that haven’t been done so hit them with a some ceramic coating.

[tuco]

Armor all was reformulated into a water base. It still leaves greasy film though.
Never would I put a petrol product on a $5-6k hypalon raft,303 all the way

[noslow]

Any vinyl/rubber treatment that works well on a rubber boat will be streaky and not add much protection on a gel coat boat, a clear coat or single stage car paint or a top sheet which is more similar to the latter finishes. Been detailing for over 35 years and ceramic coatings have transformed the industry on boats, RVs, and vehicles the last 10 years. Closest you can get to a permanent coating while still being DIY for an amateur.

$420k boat(owns over a million in cars too) that had 2 stages of polishes to remove surface oxidation and then coated. Have done similar steps on scratched top sheets for years.

[SumJongGuy]

Any vinyl/rubber treatment that works well on a rubber boat will be streaky and not add much protection on a gel coat boat, a clear coat or single stage car paint or a top sheet which is more similar to the latter finishes. Been detailing for over 35 years and ceramic coatings have transformed the industry on boats, RVs, and vehicles the last 10 years. Closest you can get to a permanent coating while still being DIY for an amateur.

$420k boat(owns over a million in cars too) that had 2 stages of polishes to remove surface oxidation and then coated. Have done similar steps on scratched top sheets for years.

Prove to me that snow doesn't stick to the top of that on a chairlift...

[tuco]

Any vinyl/rubber treatment that works well on a rubber boat will be streaky and not add much protection on a gel coat boat, a clear coat or single stage car paint or a top sheet which is more similar to the latter finishes. Been detailing for over 35 years and ceramic coatings have transformed the industry on boats, RVs, and vehicles the last 10 years. Closest you can get to a permanent coating while still being DIY for an amateur.

$420k boat(owns over a million in cars too) that had 2 stages of polishes to remove surface oxidation and then coated. Have done similar steps on scratched top sheets for years.

Yeah, wasn't talking about gelcoat. Better off with a rubbing type compound there. The 303 will work better on the rubber parts though(door seals, etc)
In the 90's you would have been correct, but most too sheets now are a plastic sheet.

[noslow]

As I said earlier, super sticky snow can still adhere to even ceramic coated skis but it’s sheeting ability is very good vs an untreated surface and it lasts a long time.
Sprayed water on a flat ski and you can see the beads on the surface that roll off with any movement. Won’t let me send a video but here’s some pics of spraying the flat ski and seconds later.

[tuco]

Yeah man, that looks good. Have you tried this in winter, skinning from warm into shaded cooler snow?
You do see how that topsheet is textured plastic?