Easy To Apply Swix Liquid Waxes for Fast Skis

Wed, Mar  7, 2007 - By Pete Edwards

Don’t toss out your wax iron and wax bench yet, but liquid waxes have proven successful on the World Cup and on recreational no-wax bases.

I first witnessed the success of the new 100% flouro waxes during the 2004 Junior Olympics in Lake Placid. The stuff was fast, wicked fast. My daughter Cassidy came home with three silver medals.

During the 2004 International Spring Series out in Winter Park, Colorado, the coaches were hustling to prep the fastest skis possible under sunny Colorado skies. Some of the world’s best wax techs were there and testing skis. The final wax coat all week was typically the new SWIX FC8L – 100% fluorocarbon liquid. This liquid gold was either corked in by hand or roto-corked.

USST Coach Trond Nystad, plus the coaches of other national teams, factory teams, clubs and academies where hitting up Swix Race Director, Roger Knight, for extra Swix FC8L – hoping to make it through the week.

The pure flouro liquids are added as a final layer to skis already prepped and ready to go with HF, BD, pure flouro Turbo and/or pure Flouro powders. The liquid Flouros prove to add speed by further repelling dirt and decreasing snow/water friction. Cassidy ended up winning the junior division at the International Spring Series that year and my wax box always has a bottle or two of Swix FC8L. For really high spring temps try Swix FC10L.

And now Swix has added three new liquid waxes to its line – Blue Glide (F6LE), Violet Glide (F7LE) and Red Glide (F8LE). These temperature range specific low flouro gliders are fast and a fraction of the price of the pure flouro liquids.

I have been testing the new low flouro waxes from SWIX all season and they have performed great during training and at the junior racing level. They have also proven to eliminate icing on no-wax skis.

The new low flouro Swix liquids eliminated clumping and icing when skiing on snow covered wet grass and leaves. Dozens of times this season our skis have been wicked fast and free of icing up when friends have had their skis lose glide and ice up. I have always been a huge fan of Swix’s Easy Glide liquid and paste. Easy Glide has been my favorite stocking stuffer for any family and friends with no-wax skis. The new generation of liquid flouros from Swix are just as effective at eliminating icing and are faster because the flouro helps to repel dirt and minimize snow/water friction.

These liquid flouros can be applied tip to tail on skate skis and tip to tail on no-wax skis. The liquid flouros add a boost to your no-wax classic skis too – apply to the tips and tails.

Obviously the best things you can do for your favorite skis are hot scrape with Swix CH10 or BP99 (Nordic Base Prep), iron in travel wax and be sure your skis are waxed for summer storage. The NEW liquids are NOT meant to replace ironing, but add speed, reduce icing and minimize friction.

For recreational skiers, the liquids will preserve bases longer than ignoring them all season. And for those of us that are crazy busy, the new low flouro liquids may allow us to be a little less guilty if we skip waxing with an iron occasionally and apply the new blue, violet or red glide.

On race day, the pure liquid flouro FC8L will almost always test fastest in the 25 – 35 degree range and the FC10L in the 36-degree plus range.

The new liquid flouros really are a new generation of speed and convenience.

Ski fast and have FUN!

For more ski pole and/or ski wax info please feel free to contact Pete Edwards, member of the Subaru/SWIX Technical Team:

Email: [email protected]
SWIX Racing: www.swixracing.us