"Wax on; Wax off" -- Mr. Miyagi

Without a doubt, the best thing that you can do to your skis is keep the base loaded with wax. A base saturated with wax is a fast base for both racing and all-mountain recreational skiing. Regular use of wax allows your skis to glide and turn easily and it also protects the base. It is an important part of the race preparation and is critical when fractions of seconds are the difference between winning and finishing second in a race.

Most of your standard ski waxes today are made of high quality hydrocarbon paraffins. The basic hydrocarbon wax is the cheapest of the ski waxes available and are good for all around usage. Some waxes in this basic category also contain graphite or molybdenum which are special lubricating additives that repel dirt and oils commonly present in man-made snow. The graphite also 're-charges' the base of your skis by putting in an additive that is present in most common ski bases today made of graphite sintered bases. The next level of high performance waxes are in the low to mid-flourinated range. These waxes are hydrocarbon waxes that include a small percentage of flourocarbon material for added friction reducing lubrication in climates with normal to high humidity. Then there are the high performance line of waxes. These contain a higher amount (up to 15%) of flourocarbon which is needed for water repelency in wetter snow and high humidity. When using the high-flouro waxes it is also recommended that you use a "flouro powder overlay" on top of the base wax. An overlay is a pure powder form of 100% flourocarbon that is usually corked or ironed into the base after the base wax is applied and then brushed out thoroughly to provide an accelerant to the base of the ski. These flouro powders can be extremely expensive (roughly $125 for a 30-gram shaker bottle) and are used primarily by the top level racers looking for that added boost when racing in the speed events.

Waxes come in different forms: solid bar, paste, liquid and powder form. While the paste and liquid forms do provide adequate protection and performance the duration is much less than if the wax were applied by hot waxing with an iron. For the best overall results with lasting protection and performance you need to apply wax using the hot wax method because the heat
helps open the pores of the base material to allow the wax to adhere much better than if applying cold via paste or liquid form. When a hot wax is applied to a ski the base soaks it in like a sponge. When you glide over the snow the base slowly releases wax through the micro-pores in the polyethylene base to provide a thin lubricating layer between the base of the ski and the snow. Lubrication is needed for performance as well as protection against "base burn" which is that fuzzy texture you may notice on the base of your skis when they haven't been waxed in a while. This is actually small shreds of polyethylene fibers caused by abrasive snow. These fibrous shreds actually produce a 'hairy ski', and a hairy ski is a slow ski. Wax also seals your base to prevent harmful oxidation that slows down the glide of the ski.

Choosing the right wax to use on your skis depends on several variables, and is not an exact science. I prefer to consider choosing the right wax formulation to be an art because there is some guessing and creative mixing involved as well as relying on prior knowledge and past results when using a particular wax in certain situations. There are numerous manufacturers of wax on the market today offering waxes in a variety of different categories. The most commonly used waxes on the World Cup circuit are (in alphabetical order) Dominator, Holmenkol, Race Service, Swix and Toko. But many other newer and lesser known companies like RaceWax.com, Vola and SVST produce outstanding products as well for sometimes less the cost of the more well-known brands. All will provide reliable results on the race course when the wax is used for the general purpose it's category dictates. You can purchase a basic "universal wax" which is said to provide performance and protection in all weather and temperature ranges, but for the best results you should choose the wax in the category designed for the temperatures and conditions you will be racing in that day. Wax categories vary by manufacturer, but the one thing that is most common is that the harder waxes are for use in cold temperatures with dry conditions and low humidity while the softer waxes are for use in warm conditions when the snow is wet and the humidity is high. The harder the wax the better it is at protecting the base against abrasive snow. The softer the wax the better it is at repelling moisture found in the snow in warmer conditions. Choosing the waxes that fall in between these two constants is where the guessing and the creativity comes into play. If you are a racer on a tight budget then you will be best suited to buy an all-purpose wax like Swix F4 or Toko Universal paste or liquid to use for race prepping your skis. These will provide good results in most conditions for a short period of time and will only cost about $15.00. For those more inclined to pay a little more for their results then it's best to pick a wax manufacturer and follow their application chart guide. Each supplier has their own scale in which their waxes fall into a category and you can choose the racing wax of the day depending on the variables noted in the chart. A 60-gram block of Swix basic hydrocarbon wax (CH) will cost you around $10.00. The same block in a low flourinated wax (LF) will run about $25.00, while the highly flourinated (HF) wax sells for around $80.00. Each category contains about five different waxes for different temperatures and snow conditions. Again -- the manufacturer's chart will assist you in choosing the right one within their system of waxes. But as I noted earlier, choosing the right wax is not an exact science. Have fun and experiment. Try mixing layers of different waxes when the temperatures may overlap and include two different wax temperature ranges. World Cup race techs do it all the time. You just may find a formula that works for your skis on that particular day that gives you the added edge in beating your competition.

Next week we will review the process of hot waxing, scraping and brushing to prepare your skis for the race or just for a fun day of skiing on the mountain.

Joe Pinto, Jr.