Cross Country Ski Waxing and Base Prep

Glide waxing for very cold conditions

2/7/2013 - By Ian Harvey

The most basic aspect to cold waxing is that the base needs to be hardened a lot. Additionally the wax selection needs to be good. Application method is also critical.

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

1/7/2013 - By Ian Harvey

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.

Wax Recommendations: Tour de Ski

12/27/2012 - By Mike Muha

UPDATE 2: Wax recommendations for this weekend's Michigan Cup race, the Tour de Ski. Fast Wax, Solda, Swix, Toko, SkiGo/Holmenkol...

2nd UPDATED! Wax Recommendations: Lakes of the North Winterstart

12/20/2012 - By Mike Muha

UPDATE #2: Waxing recommendations for this coming weekend's Michigan Cup race, the Lakes of the North Winterstart. Check for updates!

The Function of Blue vs. Black: Toko HF and LF DLC Glide Waxes

11/16/2012 - By Ian Harvey

LF Black is far softer than LF Blue and thus is great when the snow becomes a little warmer (all the way to very wet) and the base wax also needs to address water.

New Tribloc hot waxes from Toko

11/9/2012 - By Toko

The new Tribloc waxes have been tested for 2 years and were used on the World Cup last year. The Tribloc waxes are surely an improvement on the Dibloc waxes in basically all conditions.

How is that masked man (and why is he wearing the mask?)

11/6/2012 - By Bert Hinkley

I was waxing at the WebSkis shop when the sun was finally high enough to shine through a skylight directly onto my work area. HOLY WOW, what a lot of dust there was in the air. I was using hand brushes and a low-fluor /hydrocarbon wax

Start waxing guides

10/29/2012 - By Mike Muha

Start has two waxing guides: one for the competitive cross country skier, the other for recreational or performance-oriented skiers.

Red Guru Wax

9/23/2012 - By Mike Muha

A great video to the tune of "Red Solo Cup". You'll never think about klister the same again...

Waxing on Wednesday

3/7/2012 - By Bert Hinckley

While at the American Birkie I had a discussion with a dedicated SOLDA wax user about waxing for weekend races 3 to 4 days prior to the race. Here's what I recommend...

Using Solda S30

2/1/2012 - By Bert Hinkley

Our old snow in Bend, Oregon, is extremely abrasive and the S30 as a base layer helps preserve the wax, protect the base and enhance the glide. Pretty good stuff and it will not break the wax budget.

Video: The secret to using Toko Base Green as a kick wax

1/26/2012 - By Ian Harvey

For conditions between hard wax and klister, particularly when the snow is abrasive or crushed ice mixed with power, Toko Base Green can be the ticket.