Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

I've read that using just kick wax like swix polar as a base is very popular. Will this also work for in-track skiing, or is glide wax the better choice? I know this is slightly outside the purview of TT, but I was just curious.

Genoah77 wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 02, 2019 11:50 am

I've read that using just kick wax like swix polar as a base is very popular. Will this also work for in-track skiing, or is glide wax the better choice? I know this is slightly outside the purview of TT, but I was just curious.

I tried exactly that for my in-track ultra skinnys and it work great for me!

Funny, that is what I was saying to Lilcliffy this week. If I am not mistaken he was the one who brought that subject last winter.

All I have to say

It's snowing

For track skiing, a polar base is OK for your kick zone, but a dedicated glide wax is generally preferred for tips and tails.
Wouldn't matter to me personally, but glider's common practice for the more dedicated nordic crowd.

Grip waxing the entire base does work on the groomed track- though it is certainly not as high performance as a perfectly kick-waxed ski (i.e. kick wax only in the kick zone of a double-cambred ski) with perfectly glide-waxed glide zones.

HOWEVER- I personally do not spend enough time at the groomed track to be bothered with constantly stripping and prepping the bases of my Classic track skis. ALSO- my local groomed track is at lower elevation than my backcountry skiing and the temperature and snow conditions are more variable from day-to-day. So for me- I have VERY happily abandoned performance waxing on my track skis- I am grip waxing the entire base.
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My experience- if you can live without having a race-level grip-glide performance- you will get more than adequate glide- and excellent grip- with a grip-waxed base and you will spend more time skiing- and less time stripping and prepping your skis!

not that it matters a hill'a'beans, but i am a convert to cliffy's full base wax method. served me well many times. the only wax police i've run into wore lycra uniforms and sucked at skiing...and most people laugh at me anyway so i don't care what people think, i only care if my skis stick when climbing.

Same here, it works great and I'll gladly sacrifice a bit of top end speed if it means not slipping backwards on steeper climbs!

t-$ wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:55 am

the only wax police i've run into wore lycra uniforms and sucked at skiing...

This made me laugh out loud man!!
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Grip waxing for touring is not a lot of work- it is fun and very satisfying.

Kick waxing and glide waxing for maximum track performance is a lot of work and needs to be perfectly matched to snow conditions.

There is no question that I have gone faster when I have had my kick wax and glide wax PERFECT- but I have spent way too much time stripping and prepping bases for that extra speed. If I was a competitive Classic skier it would be worth it.

Grip wax grips- but it also glides.
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Getting back to T-$'s comment-

Not only am I spending less time fussing with my wax before skiing- I am also spending very little time fussing with it when I am skiing.

But I am not a track skier- I am a backcountry tourer and hit the track on occasion during the workweek and am willing to scarifice a little speed for optimum grip, decent glide, and minimal wax maintenance.

waxing your entire base with polar won't necessarily make your skis climb better in most temps, that is the job of the kick wax of the day. It is a lot easier and quicker to apply than hot wax with almost as good of a glide and you will have better kick wax retention than waxing over hot wax. I used to race xc in a not very competitive league and was always in the top 5 out of about 70 racers with just polar wax for glide, so I'd say it's good enough.

Thanks for the tips, and I certainly will be on the lookout for lycra ninjas