Swix Sport USA had outstanding success at the 2009 American Birkebeiner. A sponsor of the event for more than a decade, elite and enthusiast Birkie participants benefitted from Swix’s straight forward glide & kick wax recommendations, knowledgeable staff and waxing clinics provided in Minneapolis and at the Birkie Expo.
Women racing exclusively on Swix waxes and using Swix poles swept the podium of the 2009 Birkebeiner Freestyle. 5 of the top 5 used Swix Cera Nova waxes and Swix Star CT1 poles! Congratulations to Saab Salomon’s Rebecca Dussault’s impressive victory!
Rebecca’s winning glide wax was as recommended and coincidently, similar to last year where Swix swept both men and women’s podiums. The recommendation was MB77 base wax covered by HF6BW and FC7 Cera F powder as the final overlay. These waxes were chosen for their versatility, which was clearly demonstrated. The HF6BW provided excellent glide in the new drier snow conditions and provided excellent bonding for the 100% cold fluoro FC7. Had we not received the new snow, the wax recommendation would have served equally well as the HF6BW also has fantastic dirt repelling characteristics. Warmer versions of this wax HF7BW and FC7BS were recommended for later wave skiers. Structure, a very important component commonly overly looked, was recommended at .50mm linear with light pressure.
Swix Sport Racing Service was extremely confident in this glide wax recommendation. Beginning on Tuesday morning, Swix Racing Service staff in conjunction with the Saab Salomon Factory Team’s wax technician, Fabien Blondeau, began testing glide and kick waxes. Early in the week HF6BW was running well, as was FC7. These results remained consistent thru the week, even on Friday morning when temperatures were very cold. FC78 SuperCera also showed promise in the older transformed snow. If temperatures came up a bit, this would likely have been our final overlay choice. It was easy feeling confident in these waxes knowing they are hard and durable and run well in the humid conditions found at the Birkie. Running a wax combination that is continuously found on the Nordic & Alpine World Cup was decidedly appropriate given what could have been hard, abrasive, colder and fast conditions or the slower, new snow conditions that materialized.