Sweden’s Wax Coach Debunks Rumors

Inge Scheve · April 20, 2011

A Japanese wax has been the hot topic among wax techs in the cross-country community ever since the 2011 Worlds in Oslo. On that note, head wax coach for the Swedish national team Larry Poromaa wanted to take the opportunity to clarify some rumors that have circulated in the community.

The Japanese wax is one of many brands on the market, and are available both in Sweden and Norway. The Swedish national team was first introduced to the Japanese waxes a few years ago.

“We are well aware of the products, and we have tested their products several times, just like we do with any other product that shows up,” Poromaa said to the Swedish national team web site Skidor.com.

While the team is aware of the products, Poromaa debunks rumors stating that the Swedish team used the Japanese wax in competitions this winter or that the Swedish racers won World Championship medals with Japanese wax under their skis this winter.

“The Swedish wax team never publicly announces which wax or waxes we have used. That is a carefully protected industry secret. In other words, we do not endorse or market any specific brand of wax. That information is nonsense and taken out of nowhere,” Poromaa said.

Poromaa said such rumors and misinformation can contribute to damage the incredibly good relationship the national team has with all the ski pool suppliers.

“In competition, we only use products from the official ski pool suppliers. That is a part of the trust agreement we have with the suppliers in the ski pool family. The wax team would never use any products in a race setting other than the ones we have agreements with, and would never do anything to create suspicion about our loyalty,” Larry Poromaa said.

From skidor.com, April 15, 2011, by Torbjörn Norvall, translation by Inge Scheve