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.
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.
UPDATE 2: Wax recommendations for this weekend's Michigan Cup race, the Tour de Ski. Fast Wax, Solda, Swix, Toko, SkiGo/Holmenkol...
UPDATE #2: Waxing recommendations for this coming weekend's Michigan Cup race, the Lakes of the North Winterstart. Check for updates!
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.
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.
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 has two waxing guides: one for the competitive cross country skier, the other for recreational or performance-oriented skiers.
A great video to the tune of "Red Solo Cup". You'll never think about klister the same again...
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...
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.
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.