fluoro ban – FasterSkier

U.S. Biathlon Season Preview with Lowell Bailey. Part II

Ken RothNovember 28, 2022

This article is part of a series based on an interview with Lowell Bailey. Mr. Bailey represented the United States in biathlon in four Olympic games, 11 World Championships, and 15 World Cup seasons. He is currently Director of High Performance for U.S. Biathlon. His World Championship gold medal race is one of the most thrilling races ever. If you haven’t seen it, the race is available on YouTube and is a great watch. His...

News Racing World Cup

(News Brief) FIS Delays Fluoro Ban Implementation Again

Ben TheyerlAugust 11, 2022

The International Ski Federation (FIS) is again postponing its ban on the use of fluorinated (fluoro) waxes, originally passed in November 2019. The decision to delay the ban’s implementation until after the 2022-23 season was announced in a press release earlier today. The FIS cites the need for “further refinement of the fluoro testing device and to define procedures to protect the integrity of FIS competitions.” The same concerns over an efficient and effective testing...

Community Feature Resources Waxing

What makes a fast ski? A discussion on league-wide wax protocols and ski performance theory with Andy Gerlach, Zach Caldwell, and Knut Nystad (Part 2)

Rachel PerkinsMay 24, 2022

Click here to read part 1 of this story. In most states, youth skiing is divided between club and high school programming, where club programs support skiers looking to race competitively on a regional, national, or international level, perhaps with goals of NCAA skiing and beyond. High school ski programming is typically more participation focused, and comes with a much lower price tag for families, consequently with a much smaller program budget. It’s less about...

Community Feature Resources Waxing

What makes a fast ski? A discussion on league-wide wax protocols and ski performance theory with Andy Gerlach, Zach Caldwell, and Knut Nystad (Part 1)

Rachel PerkinsMay 22, 2022

In November 2021, the Wisconsin Nordic Ski League (WNSL), which oversees both high school and club level youth programming state-wide, accepted a sponsorship proposal from Swix and Salomon, which would provide the league with $10,000 in funding per year for three years. The proposal also included stipulation that a standardized wax protocol using Swix waxes would be adopted by the league at all affiliated races, including the state championship. In practice, this would look like...

Community News Resources Waxing

MountainFLOW Fluoro Takeback Program: Giving skiers the option to safely dispose of fluoro waxes from anywhere

Ben TheyerlApril 30, 2022

The ski community has known there’s a problem for awhile now. Fluorinated waxes, whose extreme hydrophobic properties make them ideal for fast skis, also are by that same property impossible to break down in the environment, allowing them to permeate through the soil into water supplies. The compounds are also known carcinogens, and frequent exposure to these compounds, particularly when heating and inhaling the fumes of waxes in which they are contained, is linked to...

Podcasts The 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...

General News

News Roundup: World Cup Cancellation, Canadian Olympic Trials, US Biathlon Olympic Team Naming, and Illegal Use of Fluorinated Waxes in Falun

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 12, 2022

Here’s a quick and non-exhaustive look at some recent news in the world of nordic sports. World Cup Cancellation in Les Rousses, FRA and Planica, SLO Earlier this week, the FIS announced the cancellation of the final World Cup stop before the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, which were scheduled for the 21st to 23rd of January in Planica, Slovenia. This news arrives a week after the cancellation of the Les Rousses, France mini tour,...

Biathlon News Racing

IBU Bans Some Fluorinated Products for the 2021-2022 Season

FasterSkierJune 1, 2021

With time to spare before the 2021-2022 race season, the International Biathlon Union clarified on Monday their fluoro wax policy. In a press release titled “IBU bans harmful fluor products from biathlon events,” the sport governing body banned the use of C8 fluorinated products. C8 compounds, also known as PFOAs, are eight chain fluorocarbons that have historically been used to enhance ski speed in certain conditions. The IBU’s stance brings it into compliance with current...

News Racing Resources Waxing

NRK and Expressen Report Fluoro Testing Device Flawed

Jason AlbertMarch 17, 2021

Over the past few years, FasterSkier has reported on per-fluorinated waxes, powders, liquids, and pastes. Entities like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Europe’s equivalent, the European Environment Agency, are phasing out eight-chain fluorocarbons. We know, after diving into the scientific literature, the evidence suggests these compounds are not good for your health, and they persist in the environment as they do not readily breakdown into inert substances. We also know that skiers love fluoros....

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...

News Racing

News Round Up: Canada Will Host 2023 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships

FasterSkierOctober 27, 2020

2023 World Juniors/U23 goes to Canada Recently, Canada was awarded the right to host the 2023 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships. The hosting club is Black Tusk Nordic which runs much of its ski training out of Whistler Olympic Park in the Callaghan Valley. The venue hosted nordic events that included cross-country, jumping, nordic combined, and biathlon at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. “We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to bring this prestigious event for...

Racing World Cup

FIS and IBU Pull Back from 2020-2021 Fluoro Ban

FasterSkierOctober 9, 2020

This morning the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and the International Ski Federation announced they were postponing their fluoro wax bans until the 2021-2022 season. The stated reason in the IBU press release was the following: “allow more time to test and refine the Fluorine Tracker device that is currently under development.” FIS also claimed the device was not ready for use on the World Cup: “Despite the accuracy of the device measurement technology, testing also...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Ollie Burruss and Shades of Green at Craftsbury

Jason AlbertApril 6, 2020

This past fall, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (COC) updated its wax use policy. The New England institution was one of the first and among the largest cross-country ski centers to implement a policy curbing the use of perfluorinated wax on its premises. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center supports values and practices that try to minimize its impact on the environment while still providing recreational opportunities for visitors. The Craftsbury Outdoor Center hopes to help lead the...

Multimedia Nordic Nation Podcasts

Nordic Nation: Reporting on the Reporting of Fluoro Use in Norway

Jason AlbertDecember 13, 2019

If you’ve been following along with the global ski scene and wax, you know this: perfluorinated waxes have been a hot button topic. From issues with importing into the U.S., stories on potential health and environmental risk, and new “green” wax products coming on-line…it’s been hard to keep up with trends. The International Ski Federation announced last month that it would move towards a fluoro-free race series next year. That caught the surprise of many...

General News

FIS Moves to Ban Fluorinated Ski Waxes for the 2020/2021 Season

FasterSkierNovember 23, 2019

News today from the International Ski Federation’s Autumn Meeting in Constance, Germany will disrupt modern race-ski prep methodology. The Committee for Competition Equipment which is tasked with defining the technical specifications of all equipment used across the spectrum of FIS sanctioned snow sports: Cross-country skiing, nordic combined, ski jumping, alpine, snowboard, freestyle, and freeski, is calling for a ban on the use of all fluorinated ski waxes for the 2020/2021 season. “The use of fluorinated...

General News Product News

From Scarcity to an “Ah Hah” Moment: Reclaimed Fluoros Keep Skis Fast

FasterSkierApril 1, 2019

For six in the morning, the text message was dark and terrifying. “They are not selling ski crack any more. WTF they can’t be out.” At the time of the message, Jarrod had no idea he had a substance abuse issue or how far it would take him down a path of desperation. He just wanted to ski faster. He continues recounting the morning he hit the bottom. “With the realization, I might be out...

General News

International News: Norway Bans 16 & Under Fluoro Use, Ustiugov Breaks Thumb (Updated)

Jason AlbertOctober 30, 2018

This article has been updated to include quotes from Torbjørn Skogstad. Here are a few international news items of note: According to an October 21, press release from the Norwegian Ski Federation, fluorinated wax products are banned from all race classes up through the age of 16. The decision came down from the federation’s Cross-Country Committee and will be enacted this season. The no-fluoro policy will be enforced by testing skis for fluorinated products. “We will use...

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.