Wax man: Minneapolis’ ‘Skier Steve’ offers bespoke ski waxing with a side of nostalgia

Steve Janisch irons wax onto a snowboard, a 1980s ski movie playing on a TV in his south Minneapolis alley garage. Slope signs, skis and other equipment line almost every inch of the walls. Posters of skiers performing rad freestyle tricks cover the ceiling.

The skier on one of the posters? It’s Janisch.

Once featured by Red Bull for completing a 97-foot-long rail on a set of skis, the 38-year-old’s competitive skiing days are behind him, but now he’s building a following with a ski-adjacent side gig. Janisch, better known as “Skier Steve,” waxes and tunes downhill skis, snowboards and cross country skis in a business he has dubbed the Little Wax Shoppe.

It’s an unusual home enterprise, but customers said they appreciate how, in addition to the wax, Janisch offers an experience.

“His shop is like stepping back in time,” said Twin Cities photographer Jamie Cooper, who featured Janisch in an Instagram series highlighting notable people in the Midwest. “It’s truly a one-of-a-kind place.”

Janisch, who began skiing at age 13, said he placed first in rail jam competitions in Marquette, Mich., and Vermont, Wis., among others.

As his competitive skiing career wound down, he began hosting the Master Shredder ski rail competition at Trollhaugen, near Dresser, Wis., 13 years ago. But he still felt like something was missing.

So four years ago he started waxing other people’s equipment as a way to stay connected to local ski and board fanatics.

“My wife and I were expecting our first kid and starting the ski shop was me wanting to stay involved and be impactful to the community that’s done so much for me,” he said, adding that his group of snowboarding friends at Afton Alps gave him the Skier Steve nickname when he was in high school.

Now a fulltime graphic designer by day, he waxes in his shop on nights and weekends, providing “while you wait” appointments on Mondays. Clients can relax on old station wagon seats in the shop and chat with Janisch while he does the work.

Chris Meium, 37, a regular customer, said he used to wax his own snowboard but started going to Janisch about five years ago. Janisch made his board run smoother, Meium said, and starting at $20-25 for a wax, his prices are comparable to many local ski shops.

“You’re not going to have that same level of service or deal with someone as personable as Steve when you’re going to those bigger places,” he said. “I strictly go to Steve. Prior to that I had done a lot of it on my own. He’s significantly better than I am at it.”

Janish aims to make his business “a barber shop experience,” he said.

He relied solely on referrals at first, but when he formed an LLC and reviews started showing up on the internet, his business ramped up. He started working occasional pop-up gigs at Utepils Brewing, too. He has waxed or tuned equipment for more than 150 snow-sport lovers so far this year.

“It was a trip to start getting hit up by people you didn’t know,” he said.

Last fall, Janisch found a green base grinder machine on eBay and drove to Massachusetts to pick it up. With a diamond tip, it helps him fix the baseboards of the most damaged ski or snowboard.

There aren’t many small ski service places like Janisch’s in Minnesota, said Bo Bigelow, executive director of the Minnesota Ski Areas Association. Most who operate such an enterprise likely come from competitive ski or snowboard backgrounds where tuning frequently is important, he said.

Cooper, the photographer, said he featured Janisch on his Instagram series because he felt Skier Steve was a great ambassador for Minnesota’s vibrant outdoors culture.

“It’s a community-driven industry,” Cooper said. “Steve has deep roots in the ski and snowboard world. His passion isn’t just for the gear; it’s for the people.”