Waxing Guide

The kick wax tins have two temperature ranges, one for new snow and one for transformed snow. What does it mean?

The two sets of temperature ranges are typically revealed like this (the example below is from SWIX V30 BLUE:

"New" refers to freshly fallen snow that possesses relatively sharp and pointy crystaline structure. Kick in these conditions is best achieved with a harder wax, one that will allow the crystals to penetrate for grip while being hard enough to shear them off during the glide cycle so they don't ice up underfoot.

"Transformed" snow has gone through one or more melt/freeze cycles, and has lost its crystal structure. This makes it softer and gives it a higher water content. In these condtions, a softer wax is required; this is why the transformed snow temperature range reaches much lower than the newly fallen one.

Are you confused, enlightened, or both? Here is a hypothetical winter scenario to help put the above theories into practice.

The two waxes we'll refer to are Swix V30 Blue (NEW: 14-28°F, TRANSFORMED: 5-23°F) and Swix V20 Green (NEW: 5-18°F, TRANSFORMED: 0-12°F). Imagine it is mid-January, and its the morning after 10" of powder, with a temperature of 10 degrees. A bit chilly, but hey, winter is supposed to be cold. You kick wax up with V20 Green and hit the trails, not forgetting your thermos of hot chocolate. For the rest of the week, daytime temps remain in the lower teens and so the snow remains powdery and dry. Keep on rocking the V20 Green. Over the weekend, the temperature climbs into the 30s and then has plummeted again by the middle of next week with no additonal snowfall. The snow has changed in character; it is a little crusty, and the crystals have softened and rounded slightly by the weekend temps. You now choose the warmer of the two waxes, V30 Blue, which should give you more effective kick in these transformed conditions. Voila! You're well on your way to learning how to read Mother Nature*.

*Mother Nature neither supports nor endorses this document.

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Bike: Johnny's 10 Bike Tips Local MTB Rides Ski & Board: How-To Waxing Guide Winter Ski/Board F.A.Q. 06-07 Ski Gallery		Waxing Guide back to FAQ The kick wax tins have two temperature ranges, one for new snow and one for transformed snow. What does it mean? The two sets of temperature ranges are typically revealed like this (the example below is from SWIX V30 BLUE: "New" refers to freshly fallen snow that possesses relatively sharp and pointy crystaline structure. Kick in these conditions is best achieved with a harder wax, one that will allow the crystals to penetrate for grip while being hard enough to shear them off during the glide cycle so they don't ice up underfoot. "Transformed" snow has gone through one or more melt/freeze cycles, and has lost its crystal structure. This makes it softer and gives it a higher water content. In these condtions, a softer wax is required; this is why the transformed snow temperature range reaches much lower than the newly fallen one. Are you confused, enlightened, or both? Here is a hypothetical winter scenario to help put the above theories into practice. The two waxes we'll refer to are Swix V30 Blue (NEW: 14-28°F, TRANSFORMED: 5-23°F) and Swix V20 Green (NEW: 5-18°F, TRANSFORMED: 0-12°F). Imagine it is mid-January, and its the morning after 10" of powder, with a temperature of 10 degrees. A bit chilly, but hey, winter is supposed to be cold. You kick wax up with V20 Green and hit the trails, not forgetting your thermos of hot chocolate. For the rest of the week, daytime temps remain in the lower teens and so the snow remains powdery and dry. Keep on rocking the V20 Green. Over the weekend, the temperature climbs into the 30s and then has plummeted again by the middle of next week with no additonal snowfall. The snow has changed in character; it is a little crusty, and the crystals have softened and rounded slightly by the weekend temps. You now choose the warmer of the two waxes, V30 Blue, which should give you more effective kick in these transformed conditions. Voila! You're well on your way to learning how to read Mother Nature. Mother Nature neither supports nor endorses this document. back to FAQ