Waxing Guide

Are glide waxes for alpine skis and snowboards different than what Nordic skis use?

All skis and snowboards enjoy a good glide; cross-country skis are the only odd balls, being the happiest when a bit of grip is thrown in as well. If the temperature of the day hovers around 15 degrees F, you will be hot waxing both your Nordic skis and your snowboard with an identical block of blue Swix CH6. Regardless of the specific application, you will use the same glide waxes and selection criteria for all of your snow sliding equipment. Classical Nordic skis are the only ones that use kick wax.

Downhill equipment (Alpine, Telemark, Snowboard): Most people will receive enough performance out of one of the Swix Universal waxes; they have rather broad temperature ranges (30+ degrees), so you can easily use the Universal Cold throughout most of the winter and switch to the Warm when spring conditions arrive. You'll notice glide improvements on low-angled slopes and while skating across the flats, but more important is how easily your boards slide across the snow into a turn. Those that race or are simply interested in the highest possible performance can still select from the range of specific glide waxes. The easiest option is to use a universal liquid or paste glide wax-these do not require an iron but of course, being proportional to the amount of effort involved, do not last as long.

Nordic equipment (Skating, Cross-Country): Here the benefits of a specific temperature wax over the universals mentioned above it are much more obvious. In our opinion it's best to splurge on a couple of iron-in solid waxes for Nordic skiing, because more friction means more sweat inside your hat. After all, you don't always go along with gravity's wishes--sometimes you go uphill, where friction and suction have the biggest teeth. Muzzle them with a right proper waxing. Again, the simplest method is to use a universal liquid/paste glider, but they don't last as long or perform as well as an iron-in hot wax (do you notice a theme here?).

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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 Are glide waxes for alpine skis and snowboards different than what Nordic skis use? All skis and snowboards enjoy a good glide; cross-country skis are the only odd balls, being the happiest when a bit of grip is thrown in as well. If the temperature of the day hovers around 15 degrees F, you will be hot waxing both your Nordic skis and your snowboard with an identical block of blue Swix CH6. Regardless of the specific application, you will use the same glide waxes and selection criteria for all of your snow sliding equipment. Classical Nordic skis are the only ones that use kick wax. Downhill equipment (Alpine, Telemark, Snowboard): Most people will receive enough performance out of one of the Swix Universal waxes; they have rather broad temperature ranges (30+ degrees), so you can easily use the Universal Cold throughout most of the winter and switch to the Warm when spring conditions arrive. You'll notice glide improvements on low-angled slopes and while skating across the flats, but more important is how easily your boards slide across the snow into a turn. Those that race or are simply interested in the highest possible performance can still select from the range of specific glide waxes. The easiest option is to use a universal liquid or paste glide wax-these do not require an iron but of course, being proportional to the amount of effort involved, do not last as long. Nordic equipment (Skating, Cross-Country): Here the benefits of a specific temperature wax over the universals mentioned above it are much more obvious. In our opinion it's best to splurge on a couple of iron-in solid waxes for Nordic skiing, because more friction means more sweat inside your hat. After all, you don't always go along with gravity's wishes--sometimes you go uphill, where friction and suction have the biggest teeth. Muzzle them with a right proper waxing. Again, the simplest method is to use a universal liquid/paste glider, but they don't last as long or perform as well as an iron-in hot wax (do you notice a theme here?). back to FAQ