By Ian Harvey
Published: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:00 AM MST

Simplicity is good, but not when it comes at the expense of accuracy. It seems to me that when the mercury sinks, skiers just apply the hardest wax they can find and expect the best. I have found though that in very cold conditions discrepancies in peoples skis are often huge, despite how simple everything seems. Read on to learn how, why, and what to glide wax in cold conditions.

There are three main factors that greatly affect the skis gliding ability. They are ski flex, base structure, and glide wax. Base material is another factor, but most people just use what they have, so Ill eliminate it for this discussion. It is key to understand that if any of these factors is out of alignment with the conditions of the day, the skis will not be so good. Some days one of these factors plays an especially strong role relegating the other two factors to less than critical. One example of this is when new snow falls, the tracks get set, and then set up. You have hard corduroy with some air trapped in it by the structure of the snow that has set up around it. When you ski over it, you hear a loud squeak and you also notice the corduroy breaking down under the ski. If you dont go with soft skis, you will have slow skis, especially at the slower speeds (ie climbing). It doesnt really matter what your structure and wax are, your skis arent going to be great. Another example is when it is raining and you have a cold grind. Flex and wax arent going to matter too much as your skis are going to really suck and be slow. When flex and structure are in order, then wax plays a strong deciding factor.

In the 2007 Yellowstone Rendezvous Marathon, overnight temperatures hit a low of -27F. At the start, the wind was blowing and the air temperature was around 4F (delayed start). I tested my skis independently, but at the same time as many other skiers. I tested LF Moly/LF Blue mixed followed by HF Blue covered by a rotocorked JetStream Moly on one pair against a similar pair of skis with the same grind that had LF Moly/LF Blue mixed followed by HF Blue mixed with XCold Powder. I was a bit surprised to have found the JetStream Moly skis to be faster. I checked with some of my compadres and learned that they had all had a similar experience. When the race was over, it turned out that 8 of the top 9 overall finishers went with this exact combination including the winner. Does this surprise you? Read on to learn about how, why, and what.

There are 4 main scenarios for cold snow conditions (2 of them are similar). Ill go over each one including the characteristics of the snow as well as the waxing solution.

Lets say there is a race on Saturday and on Thursday it snows 6 inches of pretty wet snow (air temperature in the mid 20s to mid 30s during the storm). Lets say this storm is followed by very cold air. (In the Midwest, this is known as an Alberta Clipper). The cold air will take the moisture that was in the snow and create very sharp strong snow crystals. The snow will also contain air in it which is trapped by water in the snow (originally) and then later by the strong structure of the snow itself when it is groomed (creating some of the very strong corduroy that I referred to in the 2nd paragraph). This snow will be slow and will also require soft skis. Due to the slowness of the snow, adding Nordlite XCold Powder would be a very good thing. Nordlite XCold Powder has the effect of making the skis slipperier at slow speeds which is especially advantageous on the climbs. Id mix the XCold in with either LF or HF Blue depending on temperature, anticipated sun exposure, anticipated warming during the event, etc. This is the most aggressive and slowest type of cold snow. This is the type of snow where you generally go with the very hard wax and expect the best. Like I said though, the XCold powder mixed in with the very hard wax really helps things. Especially in these conditions, it is especially important to have multiple layers of a very cold hard wax. Before applying the following wax tip, you will want to go with one of the blue waxes to harden the base first if you had been using a softer wax previously. The wax tip is LF Moly/LF Blue mix followed by LF Blue (or HF Blue depending) mixed with XCold Powder. In these conditions, it is also effective to rebrush the skis just before the start of an event. This is because most people wax indoors. Only some wax is squeezed out of the base at room temperature. When the skis have been outside in the very cold air for a while though, more wax is squeezed out of the base. For optimal glide in these conditions, this extra wax needs to be removed from the surface of the base. This is best done with a horsehair brush. The horsehair brush has fine yet stiff bristles that are incapable of creating hair like your metal brushes can.

OK, lets say it is now two weeks later and for the past two weeks, it was just really cold. Nothing fell and the tracks were machined daily. The reworking of this old non-transformed and very cold snow has the effect of making it much faster and more compact. No longer will ski flex make such a difference as there will be far less air trapped in it. This snow will get skied in very quickly and will be fast. In these conditions, even in very cold temperatures, HelX Cold or JetStream Moly (rotocorked) are very effective over HF Blue. XCold powder is no longer advantageous as the snow is already fast, so there is no need to try to speed up the skis at slow speeds (hopefully you wont be going at slow speeds). For these conditions, my choice would be LF Moly/LF Blue mix (we mix the Blue in with the Moly to harden it up in these cold conditions) followed by HF Blue followed by JetStream Moly rotocorked in. HelX Cold would also be an effective option. Rotocorking the JetStream Moly has proven to yield a faster finish in colder (especially powder) snow than ironing it. Use slow speed and lots of pressure. I like to do 2 applications to make sure it goes on well. Finish with a nylon polishing brush and then a polish with a thermo pad.

Fast forward another two weeks and add a few freeze and thaw cycles so now we have very cold corn snow. This is the easiest cold snow to have super fast skis on. These conditions are actually similar to the scenario above except when it comes to recommended structure. The wax recommendation is the same. Recommended structure is a fine to medium linear structure (looks like a rill, but worn in). In the other ones, youre looking for a glass smooth base.

OK, now a cold front comes in. The cold weather sets in. Then a weak front comes which doesnt push the cold air out, but yields some very cold snowfall. The snow is falling but the temperatures are very cold (lets say 10F for example). There is basically no moisture in the snow. It looks like feathers falling. A car drives by and all of the snow that was lying on the road flies way up in the air and takes a full 10 seconds to settle back on the ground. We are talking about dry new fallen snow. This is a very common scenario in the Rockies, but is also found in the Midwest and Northeast. Dry friction as found in the first scenario is not really a problem here. The snow is simply dry, but not abrasive. Structurally, it is also not strong meaning ski flex wont play a big role. You will also find a dry glaze in the snow. Many people mistake this for a true glaze, but it is different. There is no thin layer of water/ice creating a traditional glaze, but rather the snow flakes are simply aligned and flattened creating a reflective surface. In these conditions, HF Blue mixed with Nordlite XCold Powder is effective. Rotocorked on JetStream Moly is also pretty good, but does not offer much of an advantage over the HF Blue/XCold combo. HelX Cold isnt very good. So the wax tip is LF Moly/LF Blue mix followed by HF Blue/XCold mix. Rotocorked JetStream Moly can be added with no detriment, but without much advantage either.

You dont really need to address dirt in very cold snow as all of the cold waxes are very resistant to dirt. The dirty conditions that you really need to watch out for are wet and dirty conditions. This is because the hydrophobic waxes are generally soft and will be worse at repelling dirt. Dirt in snow is more likely to stick to HF Yellow than it is to HF Blue. We dont use HF Blue in those conditions though because it is not as hydrophobic as HF Yellow.

I should also point out that Toko has excellent products for cold conditions. HF Blue and JetStream Moly (rotocorked) are really awesome in cold conditions. Other companies go with LF waxes (and generally dont have the skis that we have). When they develop faster products for the cold, you can bet theyll be recommending them.

So to summarize, all cold snow is not the same. To have predictably fast skis, first the flex and structure need to be good. Then we need to identify what kind of cold snow conditions we will be facing and then act accordingly.

By Kevin Sweeny
Published: Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:00 AM MST

Kevin Sweeny is the Swix Director of Racing Services

Glide waxing correctly for cold weather conditions can pay off with huge dividends. Small mistakes can cause the best skis to be slow. Pay attention to these tips when it is cold and your ski day will be much more enjoyable.

- Understand that cold snow has very little water present to provide lubrication. Add to this dirt particles if old / transformed or manmade snow, and sharp aggressive snow crystals if the snow is new. All these factors contribute to reducing glide.

- Proper ski base preparation is essential. Clean skis well using the hot scrape method using Swix BP99 or the new Swix BP88 and brush out well with the new Fine Steel Brush (T0188B). If bases are really dirty, you may have to do this 2 or 3 times. What you have accomplished is this: the pores of the base, like your skin, are now clean of old wax, oils, and dirt. The pores have been opened and are ready to receive the cold wax base layers. If you are a coach or are doing many pairs of skis you may want to consider the new Swix Steel Brush (T01790) for this step. It has become very popular with world cup racing service due to its durability and efficiency.

- Also extremely important at this stage is to evaluate your base structure. The colder and the drier the snow, the less amount of structure you want. In cold conditions we are recommending a .25mm linear rill applied by our hand tool the T401 Super Riller which imprints a fine structure versus cutting a structure into the base. Always brush out extremely well after rilling. If you have too much structure in your base, you have a few options to reduce it. You can use the hot scrape cleaning method mentioned above which will cause the previous structure to rebound a bit and come to the surface; you can lightly scrape the base with a sharp Swix metal scraper (T0080) if you are qualified to do so; or you can have the skis stoneground by a professional and have a very fine structure put in the base. Typically, constant skiing, waxing, brushing will cause the structure to become duller, hence less sharp. Most elite racers have cold, medium and warm skis to choose from.

- Applying the first cold base layer, typically CH4 which is our coldest and hardest glide wax is very important as this will be the base that your race layers will adhere to. Even more importantly, this is the layer that will ultimately resist the sharp snow crystals and dirt particles from pulling the wax out of the base pores. It is very typical for world cup racers to apply 2 or 3 layers of CH4 as a base layer in very cold conditions (iron/scrape/brush each layer) to completely saturate the base. In most cases the bases have a nice polished shine after this has been done. We say the base is now saturated and hard. It is durable and ready to receive the race wax layers.

- Your next step is to evaluate humidity and dirt content of snow. If dirt is present, or you are on manmade snow, our HFBD4 wax should be used. The BD works as a dry lubricant (reduces friction) and repels dirt. Two years ago HFBD4 was the race wax of choice at the SuperTour in Fairbanks, Alaska when temperature of snow was -24C. If snow is very dry and humidity is very low (30-40%), run CH4. If humidity rises to 50-70%, run the LF4 wax. If humidity is high (80-100%), typically with new snow, run the HF4 line. Iron in one or two layers depending on the length of the race and depending if you will be covering this wax with a 100% Flouro topcoat such as Swix FC07 Cera F or Swix FC1 Turbo Solid.

- New this past year is that Swix cold waxes now utilize Nano technology. This has greatly enhanced the performance and range of these waxes. Swix cold waxes CH4, LF4, HF4, HFBD4 are used consistently on the World Cup and should be in your wax box too. The small Nano molecules are absorbed by the base better which ultimately allows the base to repel dirt and water for a longer period of time. We have had outstanding success with durability and glide with the new Nano line. This helps explain why for example the 30km Boulder Mountain Tour was just won on a base of CH4 covered by LF4. New HF4 and HF4BD have been used with outstanding success in clean new snow and dirty transformed snow respectively.

- After you have ironed in each layer (pay very careful and use correct iron temperature which is typically quite high at 155C), you must scrape and brush out the base very well. Any wax left in the fine structure of the base will allow snow crystals and dirt particles to grab onto wax and slow you down. Using a sharp scraper and a Swix Fine Steel Brush (T0188B) are excellent ways to achieve this.

- If you are applying Swix Cera F as mentioned above, the base is now ready for final race wax topcoat application. FC07 and FC1 both run in extremely low temperatures, but you need moderate to high humidity. In cold very dry snow, you would be better off not using the 100% flouro. It is important to explain here that the 100% flouros adhere better to a base of HF (high flouro paraffin waxes). This is because when heat is applied, the 100% flouro bonds with the flouro molecules found in the HF waxes. More HF molecules = better bonding. This gives us a very durable topcoat that repels dirt and is very hydrophobic. This is why, in cases where races are very long, or if snow is very abrasive, you will see wax recommendations suggesting BP99 base cleaning, Swix MB77 base saturation wax, an HF wax for bonding, and then a 100% Flouro such as FC07 or FC1 Turbo Solid for glide.

- Other cold weather tricks of the trade are to ski a kilometer, then re-brush the base first with the Swix Fine Steel (T0188B) then with a Blue Nylon Polishing Brush (T0186B). Melting and ironing the cold paraffins is difficult. Some folks like to grate the wax with a cheese grater first, similar to grating parmesan cheese, then sprinkling this on the base, then ironing. Try it! One thing this does is prevent you from having direct contact with your iron to the base of the ski causing base burn which seals your base preventing wax absorption. It is also always better to be conservative in cold conditions and use less structure, use colder wax, and if humidity is very low, do not use high flouro.

Helpful waxing tips, educational downloads and discussions can be found at www.swixsport.com. Go to the Swix School of Waxing and also utilize the Wax Wizard. These tools are straight from our scientists and world cup race service.

Fairbanks

By Ben Sim
Published: Sat Sep 29, 2007 2:00 AM MDT

Updated: Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:32 PM MDT

Australias Pub to Pub race is a pretty unique event. Take a 5km cross-country ski race, add in five beer stations, and 400 other people in fancy dress. At one time it was Australias biggest cross-country skiing event, attracting over 1000 skiers. Now, after a bit of a lull in the late nineties when the beer drinking was briefly taken out, the numbers are building again. The following 2007 Pub to Pub race report was provided by Ben Sim.

If you didnt turn up to Smiggins in the worst clothes/outfit you could find for the 25th anniversary of Perisher Blues Pub to Pub, you werent welcome. This year the theme was 80s, but members of the Australian team chose 70s: most of our fashion is 10 years behind anyway. My favourite outfits for the day were my old buddy Jake Molkentin and his friend each dressed as Borat in a swim suit.

The race started at the Smiggins Hotel with a 2km ski to Perisher (a downhill ski resort), and the first pit-stop was at the Sundeck Hotel (which incidentally is the biggest single fund-raiser for the Australian cross country teams XC Towards 2010 project, donating $5,000 this year). The first beer was downed, and then 400 XC skiers raced down Perishers front valley in peak-hour alpine skier traffic to The Pub. The crew gave us each a schooner of beer, which wasnt easy to get down, especially considering the Sundeck beer we drank only 30 seconds earlier.

The skis came off and we ran across the road for beer number three at The Man From Snowy River. Tearing ourselves away, it was back across the road to stop number four at Jax Bar. This was the last drink in Perisher before the somewhat hard but entertaining ski back to Smiggins. On the way home, the leaders pass most of the competitors still just heading towards Perisher. Upon arrival in Smiggins, the final beverage was finished and just in time after 5 beers and 25 minutes the side effects started to kick in.

My NSW team-mate Chris Darlington led all the way to the first drink station, but I was able to get away through the middle of the race and hold on at the end for the win. Second place went to Darlo, followed by the old war-horse Anthony Evans. Esther Bottomley was the first woman, followed by Michelle McFarlane and Sally Cunningham. I have to say thanks to Alan Barney Davis from Perisher Blue for organising the race, and also to Vodaphone as Esther and I received some pretty sweet mobile phones as prizes for first place. Heres looking forward the Pub to Pub in 2008!

Chris Darlington leads up the first hill

The pack follows

Borat double hot in contention for best costume

Race winner Ben Sim at the second drink station