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Fluoro-Free Waxing—Two Years In with Zach Caldwell
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Fluoro-Free Waxing—Two Years In with Zach Caldwell

Ben TheyerlApril 10, 2024

  On January 17th, 2022, a US Ski and Snowboard (USSS) ban on using perfluorocarbon-based wax products (“fluoros”) at all International Ski Federation-sanctioned (FIS) races in the country went into effect. The action marked the critical point in a rapid evolution of policies meant to limit competitive nordic skiing’s emission of perfluorocarbons, part of a class of especially environmentally persistent, and potentially health-concerning, chemicals known as PFAs. Overnight, The cumulative knowledge of 40 years on...

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The Devon Kershaw Show: Inside Olympic Skis and Waxing with Zach Caldwell
PodcastsThe Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Inside Olympic Skis and Waxing with Zach Caldwell

Devon KershawJanuary 16, 2022

  In this episode of the Devon Kershaw Show, we bring back Zach Caldwell, one of North America’s leading ski and wax experts. We get into the arcane and arguably misguided rules around the use of fluorocarbon waxes at high-level races, along with potential challenges for wax and ski technicians at the little-studied Beijing Olympic venue. You can find a host of resources from Zach on skis, wax, and grinds that might more-directly apply to...

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Escalating Cost of World Cup Ski Service Creates “Immense Pressure”
FeatureGeneralNews

Escalating Cost of World Cup Ski Service Creates “Immense Pressure”

Pasha KahnOctober 13, 2021

The cost of providing World Cup athletes with competitive skis is mounting at an alarming rate for teams without deep pockets.  This spring, coaches of US National Team athletes and staff from the Center of Excellence in Park City huddled around zoom for their annual meeting, called “Moving USA Skiing Forward.” Among the topics discussed were plans for the US Ski Team to keep pace with what Head Coach Matt Whitcomb calls the “waxing arms...

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The Devon Kershaw Show: Race Waxing and Skis in Warm Conditions with Zach Caldwell
MultimediaPodcastsThe Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Race Waxing and Skis in Warm Conditions with Zach Caldwell

Devon KershawMarch 1, 2021

In this episode, we speak with Zach Caldwell — Putney, Vermont ski whisperer, and wax nerd at Caldwell Sport. We’ve received questions from listeners asking about the difficulty of waxing (for both skate and classic) as well as ski selection when the temperatures spike beyond the melting point for snow. That has been the case in Oberstdorf, Germany the last week, site of the 2021 Nordic Ski World Championships. That said, it’s a “rest day”...

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Pivot Point: Imagining Skiing During the Pandemic
CommunityNews

Pivot Point: Imagining Skiing During the Pandemic

Peter MindeMay 15, 2020

Over two days in March, the North American World Cup races were cancelled. Amid rising health concerns, NCAA Championships also shut down after one race; Junior Nationals after two races. Canadian National Championships never got off the ground. After the abrupt end of winter, people are trying to assess how the pandemic will affect the coming winter. In The Atlantic, Juliette Kayyem posits that “From a public health perspective, the pandemic will not end for...

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The EPA and Regulating the Ski Wax Industry
GeneralNews

The EPA and Regulating the Ski Wax Industry

Jason AlbertJuly 9, 2019

There’s truth in jest as the saying goes. While FasterSkier’s April 1 piece made light of the issues, it hit home in some unexpected places. During one of FasterSkier’s conversations with the Environmental Protection Agency to examine why it had begun investigating the importation and sale of perfluorinated waxes, the EPA’s representatives cited the April 1 piece to question why FasterSkier had begun reporting on the issue. Whether readers appreciated the humor or not, the...

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FasterSkier’s 12 Days of FBD Christmas: Day 7
Gear ReviewsLifestyleOpinionResourcesReviews

FasterSkier’s 12 Days of FBD Christmas: Day 7

Jon "Fast Big Dog" SchaferDecember 18, 2017

DDay 2 | Day 4 | Day 6 *** Day 7: Nordic Tech Since no one has more style, steez and flow than the FBD, we’re going to mix it up a bit today and bring in, for lack of a better expression, an expert guest speaker to help walk us through today’s gift suggestions for Nordic Tech. I actually tapped into two experts for today’s gift ideas, Nathan Schultz from Boulder Nordic Sport and Zach Caldwell...

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Time for Action – Protect Our Winters

Caldwell SportApril 18, 2017

On Earth Day, April 22nd, we will accept $100 deposits for new ski orders. Those deposits will be applied to the cost of a new pair of skis, and the $100 deposits will be donated in their entirety to Protect Our Winters. For specifics, and to place an order and a deposit, follow http://shop.caldwellsport.com/ski-order-protect-our-winters-donation/ Why Protect Our Winters? Well, we looked at them first because of their partnership with Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton. We reached...

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Caldwell Sport 2013-14 Buying Guide

Caldwell SportMay 30, 2013

We believe that the industry should be a resource to consumers, supporting the pursuit of the best and most rewarding experience that skiing has to offer. In most respects the industry is a great resource, providing continual innovation and product refinement, and making great performance accessible.

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Caldwell Sport: Feedback Season

Caldwell SportNovember 30, 2012

Around the country people are just starting to get skis on snow, and that means we’re just starting to get feedback on our work. I get nervous for the early feedback every year, but every year the feedback gets better. It’s not easy to write a glowing review of your own work without sounding conceited. Lucky for us, one of our customers has taken care of it!

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Caldwell Sport: Ski Factory Impressions
News

Caldwell Sport: Ski Factory Impressions

Audrey ManganNovember 5, 2012

  Our first trip of the summer was to Norway. Zach planned the trip so that we could spend a few days skiing on the snow at Sognefjell, about a 3 hour drive north of Lillehammer, with some of the US Ski Team guys that he coaches. Sognefjell is a remote mountainous area located above the Sognefjord. Its elevation is about 4500ft and holds snow well into the summer. There is a hostel-like lodge there...

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InterviewsNews

From Vermont to Altenmarkt, Caldwell Gears Up for A New Season

Audrey ManganSeptember 1, 20111

Zach Caldwell’s role within the ski industry is hard to define. In trying to come up with a single phrase to describe his job, ‘ski technician’ isn’t nearly sufficient, as it doesn’t quite capture everything he is—structure designer, snow whisperer, wax chemist, engineer, ski evangelist, and occasional coach (he calls it his “hobby,” as if working with Kris Freeman and Noah Hoffman were as ordinary a pastime as fly fishing). Caldwell’s expertise in everything from kinetic...

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