Waxing for US Nationals: the 20K/30K classic

Mon, Jan  7, 2013 - By Ian Harvey

Last night it was just a bit overcast which kept things from getting as clear and cold as it has been recently, but it was still 4f at the venue 2 hours before the start, so the snow was still cold. Although the conditions were slightly different (no hoarfrost that needed to be skied in for example), our wax tests (both kick and glide) showed that the same products that had been performing the past two days continued to.

The snow was quite abrasive and a 30k classic race including climbing up Hermod's Hill 6 times meant that maintaining kick was critical. Green klister covered by Base Green binder offered the best kick and the best glide and was clearly the most durable as well. Yesterday we did a durability test on this combination and after 20k, it showed only a slight bit of wear on the heel only. The way we applied it was to iron the Green klister and put it outside to freeze well. This improves adhesion and makes it easier to apply the next layer which was Base Green binder. After applying the Base Green, iron the Base Green into the klister creating a mix of the two that has more klister on the bottom and more binder on top. Then create a smooth finish with the iron and let it cool again. Some coaches were covering this lightly in an effort to speed it up.

For glide we went with HF Blue covered by JetStream Blue. We applied the JetStream Blue by ironing in the powder fairly quickly (150C and 10 seconds from tip to tail which heats the powder, but doesn't leave the ski base black behind it. If black, it'll be slower in the cold powdery snow). Then we did a speed layer of JetStream Blue corked on top. For the women, it was the same except a HF Blue/Red mix and JetStream Blue/Red mix (and for the rest of the day). The kick recommendation also held up all day - for those who need more kick, have the Base Green application slightly thicker.

Feedback from coaches was very positive and it was a great day.