Having Trouble Picking The Right Kind of Wax? The Descriptions Below Will Help Inform You About The Types of Waxes and There Uses.

So many waxes, so little time. At first glance nordic waxing can be really intimidating and overwhelming, but with a few key concepts you can have a better understanding of what waxes will help you fly across the snow efficiently.

Glide Wax VS. Kick Wax and Klisters
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• The first key point and probably the most important to understanding nordic waxes, is the difference between glide waxes and kick waxes or klisters. Glide waxes are used on both skate and classic skis, but only on the tips and tails of classic skis. Glide waxes lubricate your bases, repel water and provide abrasion resistance against snow structures. When used correctly, they allow your skis to glide across the snow with less resistance and provide protection against base burn. Kick waxes and klisters on the other hand, are ONLY used on classic skis and ONLY used on the pocket or kick zone of classic skis and NOT on the tips or tails. Kick waxes or klisters are specially designed to actually stick or bond to the snow crystals and allow for support and traction, that in turn, allow you to push off without slipping. Once the kick is made, you are then on the tip and tail of the ski which glides across the snow.
• Glide waxes are most commonly ironed on to the ski and then scraped and brushed, although, there are other application methods, including crayon-on style, corking and thermo-padding. Kick waxes are most commonly a rub-on application followed by corking. Klisters are applied directly from a tube and then either rubbed in with a thumb or at certain times, with a heating device. Klister waxing can be relatively difficult, so if you are unsure about what you are doing, you should contact us or another shop professional.

Temperature and Wax Type:

• Temperature is another key component to choosing the right wax. Wax manufacturers vary as to the way that they correlate their waxes to the temperature, some measure air temp. and others measure snow temp. For example, Toko bases their temperature ranges on snow temperatures and Swix bases their waxes on air temperatures. Nearly all waxes will have a specific temperature range that they are most effective in and those are the temperatures that they should be used in. The wax temperature ranges will appear in our detailed descriptions and are also labeled on the packaging. Colors are often times similar between different manufacturers, but they can differ, so it is best to check the specific description and not base an assumption strictly on color. By having an assortment of different temperature range waxes you can adapt to the weather changes throughout the ski season and optimize your efficiency. A good way to start is to cover at least 3 ranges of temperatures, a cold weather wax, an average temperature wax, and a warm weather wax, however, this can be entirely different depending on where you live and when you ski. There are also multi-temp waxes that work in all conditions, they are not as effective as selecting the correct temperature range, but they can be a fairly effective wax that takes away a lot of the trivial aspects associated with waxing.

Hydrocarbon, Fluorocarbon, Graphite, No One Told Me I Had to Be A Chemist to Understand Nordic Waxing.

• Luckily, you don't. By knowing just a few aspects about wax properties, you can be totally effective in choosing waxes. Different types of waxes are composed of different properties, with the main two being hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon, for glide waxes that is. There are also different percentages of each compound in different types of waxes. Glide waxes can be broken down into five main categories, pure fluorocarbon, high fluorocarbon, low fluorocarbon, hydrocarbon and graphite.

• Pure Fluorocarbon: Fluorocarbon repels water and dirt better than any other substance found in waxes, which in turn makes it really fast on snow. Some would even say it's hydrophobic. Fluorocarbon is also extremely resistant to abrasive snow, as it takes longer to be broken down than other substances. Thusly, pure fluorocarbon is pretty expensive, which is why it is usually used as an overlay on top of other waxes, most commonly a high fluorocarbon. This is the wax you need when one second can mean the difference between winning and loosing.
• High Fluorocarbon: High fluorocarbon waxes, as the name suggests are a high percentage of fluorocarbon and a low percentage of hydrocarbon. This type of wax is best used on top of a low fluorocarbon layer as fluorcarbon has a difficult time sticking to hydrocarbon, so it is best done with minor increases. This is a great combination with a pure fluorocarbon overlay or as a race or high performance wax when speed is the sole concern.
• Low Fluorocarbon: A minor decrease in the amount of fluorocarbon and an increase in hydrocarbon. A great layer in-between a hydrocarbon base layer and a high fluorocarbon layer. This wax is also a great final layer for recreational racers or those who want to blow their buddy's away while on their weekly session.
• Hydrocarbon: Pure hydrocarbon wax that is also fairly water and dirt repellent. This is a great base layer to start with when adding additional fluorocarbon layers and it is also a great final layer for training and recreational skiing. Hydrocarbon waxes are a must have in all nordic skiers wax boxes, regardless of what type of skiing they do.
• Graphite: Graphite waxes are great for repelling dirt and static. They are best used as a layer in combination with other waxes. Great for racers in need of dirt and static protection, or recreational skiers on dirt or clingy snow.

Hard Waxes and Klisters:

• Hard Waxes: An almost crayon like material that bonds to normally structured snow crystals. Hard waxes are designed to grip the pocket of the ski to the snow, which allows for traction when kicking. These are best used when the snow conditions are normal and the crystals are in full form.
• Klisters: Klisters are an extremely tacky, almost glue like material that bonds to rounded off snow crystals, like icy snow or old wet snow. Klisters are the ticket when your hardwax just won't seem to grip the snow.

* If you are still unsure about what type of wax you need, feel free to contact us and we will do our best to help you find the right waxes. E-mail us at: sales@webskis.com