Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Can small pieces of kick wax go in a regular envelope with stamp or will the weight be too much for regular postage?

I ask because there's a lot of kick waxes with different temp ranges and different properties and it is nice to try them out but many just won't get much use, even over a lifetime.

Ergo, my thought is if people here have waxes they wanted to trade part of for other waxes, maybe we could get something going. Of course this all hinges on whether it's feasible to mail a quarter tin of swix for a stamp.

Some kick waxes are expensive--the start oslos are, I believe, 28 bucks a tin or thereabouts. I would love to try all of the flavors but not at that price since I may not find them useful here.

What brought this thing to mind is a friend down south is going to get into waxing, but with the minimal number of ski days in northern Indiana/southwest Michigan along with a yearly visit or two to me, it makes no sense for him to spend a 100 bucks for some swix kick waxes and a start oslo and various others that he may never come close to finishing before he dies. As well, even me being far north, there are waxes I want to try but will use a few times a year tops. So I froze some (swix violet, red silver, and some green because my friend didn't have any colder than blue extra and I have a couple greens as I use them often), cut them with a utility knife, wrapped in parchment and aluminium foil, and will either mail or give him when he visits.

@fisheater I know you didn't care for start terva yellow. If you want to trade half of that for half of something else at midwest telefest let me know. I am kinda thinking the start oslo blue might have use when the ground is icy in spots but good for swix blue in other spots, like navigating shaded to open areas in certain situations, or especially my free local groomed tracks when it warmed then froze, so some tracks are icy and the ones not used during that warmth are not icy.

Another impetus for this is I think it would be neat to have every option available, to determine what works and what doesn't, in what scenarios, etc., so that one could then narrow it down. But I don't want to spend for 60 different kick waxes from a variety of maufacturers and another 60 glide waxes, though the latter will be much harder to trade given their bulk and weight.

This is kind of brilliant!

mca80 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 20, 2023 3:46 pm

Can small pieces of kick wax go in a regular envelope with stamp or will the weight be too much for regular postage?

It needs to be "machine-able" and not rigid, not more than 1/4" thick, of regular envelope dimensions (not square, see USPS), and not contain anything prohibited.

For kick wax, you'd want it in a strong bag that can't burst or tear when run through machines that scan and sort mail. The safer route is to used a padded mailer. I know if it exceeds certain specs it gets charged as a package.

I've seen a lot of thin hard stuff gone through like a flat key by taping it securely to piece of paper board (food box) cut to just smaller than the envelope, and another piece of paper board covering it.

Search "padded mailer usps rates" for more info.

I like the concept @mca80. I am planning on going to Telefest. So unless something goes wrong, I’ll have a package of spares, and didn’t make the cut. Your friend should be hooked up with what you decide to share.
Still a great idea.

TallGrass wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:36 pm

The safer route is to used a padded mailer. I know if it exceeds certain specs it gets charged as a package.

Damn. Anything costlier than a stamp is prohibitive for the idea.

At ~$10 a can and five cans sufficient for covering a very wide temperature range, it’s difficult to see anybody finding scales of efficiency chopping up and distributing small quantities of grip wax by mail.

There’s also the challenge of crayoning anything smaller than a quarter can… understanding you need to peel back the cover and have something to hold onto during application. (Anyone who has found hidden edge nicks with their fingers while waxing probably wants to avoid this).

Racing wax is more expensive but its use only makes sense for competition. Its typical advantages are durability over long distance or better tolerance at the edges of its temperature ranges. Ppl who are “racing curious” are more apt to fall prey to a placebo effect than any improvement in their skiing tbh. Add to that the challenge of reasonably assessing such waxes by an occasional skier in a snow-poor part of the country.

Not throwing shade on the idea of trying different waxes to find favs. Love trying new things, finding what works best. Just struggling with how to square the circle between the low cost of wax and the challenging logistics/economics of chopping it up and mailing it across states like it’s an illicit drug. As for racing wax… guess that depends on the race.

A swap meet between enthusiasts seems to be the way to go, particularly if someone has travelled overseas and obtained some cans of unobtanium.

Manney wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 21, 2023 8:28 am

the challenging logistics/economics of chopping it up and mailing it across states like it’s an illicit drug.

I can see how taking a blade to wax and putting it in an envelope and dropping it in a box is certainly a logistical nightmare.

Only for folks that may or may not work for swix;)

Don’t forget Toko… same company. LOL.

I can answer some of the mail ability question.


A business letter (single stamp) won’t work for this idea due to machining and automation. Buuuuuut large envelope class (three stamps) would, they don’t go through automation.

Doesn’t necessarily have to be “padded” either. Just something larger than a business letter so the carrier will separate it out.

Think if you stick a chunk of wax folded in kitchen parchment paper and ziplock bag would do the trick. Just tape over the brass tab, they cut finger tips. Add a fourth stamp if it’s a larger chunk.