Ski to the Sun Wax Report
Ski to the Sun 42km Marathon 2/12/22
Testing at Mazama Trailhead, 9:10am 2/11
Air temp 36 F
Snow quality: Frozen granular, variably dirty with sections of ice
The race course tomorrow is going to be fast; with the trails getting groomed in the middle of the night and temps NOT supposed to have a weird and wacky rise above freezing, we should be in for some excellent conditions with stable surfaces but fast gliding. A couple distinctions will make your ski choice and wax prep important: dirtiness and durability. With the snow this hard (frozen), it’ll be important to pick a stiff ski with a wide wheelbase, and to use waxes (base and topcoats) which extend the durability of your glide.
Swix is recommending a base coat which has some additive, either graphite or molybdenum. Their “Marathon” wax offers this and would be a good choice. I would also consider mixing Toko LF or HF Black with Toko HF Blue as your base paraffin. As well, the older Swix HF7BD or BW was running well today. In any case, that black additive will help with durability but also with dirt repellency. Of note is the section from the top of the Goat Ck climbs until past the Suspension Bridge cutoff, where the recent prescribed burn left a layer of soot over the snow. You don’t want to drag that gookus with you all the way to Sun Mtn! The additives in the wax will help repel that (as will fluorocarbons).
For a top coat (if you choose), a slightly-warmer choice will help manage the moisture that is created right under the ski. Toko Red liquid, Swix HP Liquid (7 or 8), etc. Application here is key: too much and you create a bog on your base - you want thin layers; think of it like layers of plywood; you have your base wax which when ironed in will change the bulk properties of the base. Then on top you put that thin layer of topcoat fluoro (or non-fluoro; there are many as well) and let it cure, preferably inside and overnight. Buffing/polishing can occur with a roto-fleece (the new thing on the block) or a very soft blue brush or polisher.
For structure, some will definitely be important. If you have a ski which is stoneground for slightly warmer/wetter conditions you may be all set. You can also test a variety of hand-structure tools; i tested Ultratune’s straight UV-2 (universal skate grind) against a combo hand structure of the Finite V05 and Holmenkol “mouse” with two drums. The structure tools won; this doesn’t necessarily designate those specific tools as THE ones for the day, but more denotes that having some structure in beyond a universal grind will be helpful in acceleration and at speed. With the temps only going up as the day progresses, more moisture will need to be moved out from under the base. You don’t want too aggressive, though - stay away from big linear grooves or any really wet structure products.
What’s the bottom line for tomorrow? It’s going to be fast, firm and pretty easy to wax for; this type of snow is hard to go wrong in. Pick your skis which feel the most stable, use a colder wax as a base and slightly warmer for the top, and then focus on your strategies for the day. Where will you eat? Where will you decide to ratchet up the effort and break free of a group if you’re feeling good? Make these plans now so you have some options when the day unfolds.
See you out on the course!
