In this photo taken Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, Jim Hill, founder of SportHill, a clothing company, is shown in Eugene, Ore. with the Ski Sauna, a heated box used for waxing skis and snowboards. The heat helps the wax penetrate the bases. The product has been endorsed by the US Ski and SnowBoard Team. (AP Photo/The Register-Guard, Kevin Clark)

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Jim Hill, founder of SportHill, the Eugene fitness clothing company, said he was just looking for an easier and cheaper way to apply wax to skis when he designed a simple heated box that would allow wax to penetrate more deeply into ski bases.

Now his device, born of a hobby, has turned into a business.

Ski Sauna is the name of the box and the business, and it's starting to catch on among skiers, snowboarders and ski shops. In a marketing coup, Hill announced that he has signed a three-year agreement with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team, the national Olympic organization for those sports. The agreement means Ski Sauna is the official competition supplier for the USST. Ski Sauna also is a supplier to the Canadian Snowboard Federation.

"The U.S. Ski Team is the top of the heap," Hill said.

Skis and snowboards are placed inside the box and heated to 121 degrees for several hours. The heat opens the pores of the base material for the wax.

"Anybody who wants to save money on wax, anybody who wants to wax less, will appreciate it," Hill said.

Hill said that a year and a half ago, he was coaching cross country skiers and looking for a way to save money on wax. He came across a heated box marketed by a ski wax manufacturer. It cost about $5,000.

Hill said he was flabbergasted and figured it couldn't be that hard to build his own.

His heating contractor happened to be in his office when Hill was working on the project, and he offered his assistance.

What Hill came up with is a simple metal framework, with slats for holding skis and snowboards, sitting atop an electrical heating membrane and surrounded by insulated fabric. The frames and the fabric are made locally.

He's marketing the device on the Web and through SportHill's network of outdoor retailers. The larger shop model sells for $1,195. The smaller portable unit sells for $880.

Hill started to market them in earnest this fall. Hill said he's sold fewer than 50 Ski Saunas, and he's hesitant to predict what kind of sales he'll do in the future.

"It's by no means a large volume item," Hill said. "It's a niche item, but the shops that are buying them are getting a lot of use out of them.

"For ski shops that provide waxing services, it can be a nice little profit center for them. For individuals, it can be a way to save a lot of money on wax."

Berg's Ski & Snowboard Shop in Eugene was the first shop to buy one, and in the words of Jarl Berg, who works there, "It's awesome."

"The key is, it works," he said.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.