Waxing – Page 2 – FasterSkier

Snow – The Lubricant for Competition : The Latest Research from Matthias Scherge

FasterSkierJanuary 28, 2021

Swiss athletes ski testing in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: NordicFocus) Much has already been written about snow. There are countless pictures of perfectly grown snow crystals, but very little about snow found on the slopes or in the cross-country skiing tracks. The newest article in our science series provides a vivid picture of snow in its many forms. With a cell phone and a mini microscope, you get fantastic pictures of snow grains. You can...

Feature Resources Waxing

FasterSkier Explains: How to Clean the Fluoros Off Your Skis So You Can Race the Birkie

Gavin KentchDecember 30, 2020

(Photo: NordicFocus) What: Fluoros, aka perfluorinated waxes, aka ski waxes containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka the really expensive waxes that you put on for big races, in some or all of block, liquid, or powder form. What they do: Make your skis go really, really fast, particularly in the wet or dirty snow conditions that sadly characterize more and more high-end races in an era of artificial snow and climate change. What else...

Resources Waxing

Competition Preparation from the Point of View of Ski Technicians

FasterSkierOctober 19, 2020

Below is an excerpt from a detailed article exploring “Link to article.

Community Resources Waxing

WSCA Announces Webinar: Waxing Skis and Waning the Gender Gap (Press Release)

FasterSkierOctober 6, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The WSCA Announces Webinar: Waxing Skis and Waning the Gender Gap Today, the Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA) announced it will host a Webinar to connect and educate women coaches, and redefine ski waxing culture and opportunities. The webinar, Waxing Skis and Waning the Gender Gap will take place on October 21st. “The ski coaching world is going through a big shift with the ban on fluoro waxes and we see...

Resources Waxing

How thick must a wax film be? The Latest Research from Matthias Scherge

FasterSkierSeptember 8, 2020

the full-length article here. Abstract: “With physical/chemical surface analytics the layer thickness of wax was measured. The measurements prove that wax as block or powder penetrates the ski base only a few 100 nm and as spray only a few 10 nm. The wax does not use any pores in the ski base but entangles with the molecules of the polymer to form a compact sliding layer. The durability of this layer depends...

News Resources Waxing

An Interview with Matthias Scherge: Helping FIS Jump the Fluoro-Free Hurdle

Jason AlbertAugust 3, 2020

Matthias Scherge is the director of the Fraunhofer Microtribology Center in Germany. As one of the major European research institutes specializing in industrial lubricants, Scherge and his colleagues have a hand in the ski wax game. Currently, Scherge is assisting the International Ski Federation (FIS) to implement its fluoro-free policy. Specifically, they are determining the thresholds at which a positive or a negative test will be triggered when testing a ski base for fluoros. Scherge...

News Resources Waxing

Are Fluorinated Ski Waxes Really the non plus ultra?

FasterSkierJuly 27, 2020

Last November, the International Ski Federation announced in a press release the banning of fluorinated waxes starting with the 2020-2021 race season. FIS states, “The use of fluorinated ski waxes, which have been shown to have a negative environmental and health impact were banned for all FIS disciplines from the 2020/2021 season.” Behind the scenes, the transition to fluoro free racing has begun both in Europe where the majority of World Cups are held, and...

General Juniors News Racing Waxing

Alaska High Schools Call a ‘Wax Truce’

Seth AdamsDecember 28, 2015

Anchorage-area high-school ski coaches agreed to ban the use of fluorinated waxes in non-championship races this season, citing health, cost and time saved as the primary reasons.

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