What is it?
A hot box is a sealed coffin like structure containing a fan, heater & a thermostat plus a rack to hold skis/boards in a horizontal base-up position. It's purpose is simply to keep freshly waxed skis/boards warm for a long period of time to allow maximum penetration & absorption of the wax in to the p-tex base. A good analogy would be that it's like slow cooking versus frying!
A hot box is a sealed coffin like structure containing a fan, heater & a thermostat plus a rack to hold skis/boards in a horizontal base-up position. It's purpose is simply to keep freshly waxed skis/boards warm for a long period of time to allow maximum penetration & absorption of the wax in to the p-tex base. A good analogy would be that it's like slow cooking versus frying!
Why do it?
The benefit of this process is that one treatment is equivalent to performing multiple hot wax cycles (approx 5-10) which not only makes the wax treatment last waaay longer but greatly increases the longevity of subsequent waxings. A well saturated base makes it considerably faster & also makes the bases more durable which helps prevent against damage from scratches & core shots. World Cup race techincians use this process all the time to cut down the time/labour required as they'd normally be applying approx 25-30 waxing/brushing cycles to their skis before they even hit the snow! When they're on the road the WC techs take special portable heated ski bags costing mega $ to allow them to perform the same process whilst on tour.
The benefit of this process is that one treatment is equivalent to performing multiple hot wax cycles (approx 5-10) which not only makes the wax treatment last waaay longer but greatly increases the longevity of subsequent waxings. A well saturated base makes it considerably faster & also makes the bases more durable which helps prevent against damage from scratches & core shots. World Cup race techincians use this process all the time to cut down the time/labour required as they'd normally be applying approx 25-30 waxing/brushing cycles to their skis before they even hit the snow! When they're on the road the WC techs take special portable heated ski bags costing mega $ to allow them to perform the same process whilst on tour.
Who would benefit?
Hot boxing is therefore ideal for racers or simply for those who just want the ultimate in speed & durability from the bases of their skis/boards. Although a ski/board can benefit from hot boxing at any time it is ideal for new skis/boards or following a stone grind.
Hot boxing is therefore ideal for racers or simply for those who just want the ultimate in speed & durability from the bases of their skis/boards. Although a ski/board can benefit from hot boxing at any time it is ideal for new skis/boards or following a stone grind.
What's the process?
After hot scrape cleaning the bases (if selected) & brass brushing to open the structure of the skis/board a generous layer of the appropriate wax is ironed in & then the skis/board are placed in the hot box for 4 hours at 140-150F/60-65C, depending on the wax used. Although this temperature is a lot lower than is required on a waxing iron to melt the wax it creates a sufficient ambient temperature within the box to warm the ski fully through & ensures that the wax will be molten throughout the process.
After hot scrape cleaning the bases (if selected) & brass brushing to open the structure of the skis/board a generous layer of the appropriate wax is ironed in & then the skis/board are placed in the hot box for 4 hours at 140-150F/60-65C, depending on the wax used. Although this temperature is a lot lower than is required on a waxing iron to melt the wax it creates a sufficient ambient temperature within the box to warm the ski fully through & ensures that the wax will be molten throughout the process.
The bases are then left to fully cool before scraping & brushing in the usual manner ready for use. For best performance the bases would first be hot boxed using a special base prep wax & then after cooling, scraping & brushing they'd then be hot boxed again using a quality universal wax. Following cooling, scraping & brushing they'd then either be ready for use or ready for a racer to apply their choice of specific race wax tailored to match the snow conditions. And just like normal base waxing the more hot box treatments the better so racers often hot box their skis multiple times before use.
How much does it cost?
A single hot boxing treatment adds just £12.00 to the cost of either the Standard Tune or the New Ski/Board base prep tune.
The maximum length of ski that can be treated is 198cm & the maximum width of board that can be treated is 340mm.