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I signed up to race at the Noquemanon this last weekend. With previous day temperatures in the 40’s, the night temps in the high 20’s, and the race day temps starting in the high 20’s, everyone seemed to have a different take on Kick wax for the race. This was my first race and I did the classic 25 K half marathon. I ironed in green hard wax then blue for the base, then I mixed red and blue klister for the kick. At the last minute, I copied some folks next to me and I put a layer of hard wax VR45 over the klister. The overall result was superb for the first 18 K. I had great kick on the hills and great glide, until the VR 45 wore off on all the ice and broken ski poles. Here’s my questions:

1. How does one properly apply a hard wax over Klister for longevity and why would we do this? I never heard of this before.

2. Are there different binders to use on the bare kick base for Klister as well as hard wax?

3. When multiple thin layers of kick wax are applied after the base is ironed in, should they also be ironed in or just rubbed in?

After skiing for a few years, and preparing for this race, I have learned that excellent wax jobs require a subtle touch. Anything you can do to shed light on these arcane rules of thumb would be most appreciated.

Regards

Hello,

1. Hard wax is often applied over klister when there are very hard tracks that have a little light snow in them at different points in the race. The klister is what is going to hold the hard wax down, and if it pokes through it is going to also hold your kick. I found that this trick was used often in the Eastern US, and when I moved to the West it was gaining popularity. It's a good trick to have in the back of your mind when you encounter klister conditions. You simply need to make sure your klister is cooled down (remember you are blowing fire on your base to melt the stuff in - it could take a few minutes in the cold to harden up), and then apply the hard wax as you would over your Hard wax binder.

2. Cold klister works for klisters like VG35 (SWIX Binder) works for Hard wax (this will be on the SAT someday!).

3. You always want to let your Hard wax binder cool down before you layer your warmer waxes over the top. These layers should be applied over the binder with a cork, and smoothed. They will often mix a bit. SWIX is telling people to use the VG35 as your binder, then use Blue Extra (you may iron or cork this in), and then add the wax of the day. VG35 and Blue Extra have similar ranges, so if the warmer waxes wear off you will still have a good wax under - even for 50km.

I was at the Noquemanon two weeks ago, and we used KR40 with KR21. The KR21 has silver in it, and will combat the icing problem. I am sure that icing is what your friends were thinking of when they added the Hard wax over the klister. Explore the silvers when you are getting into conditions where there is just a little loose, cold snow gracing the tracks. This often works well. What I think happened to your wax was the same thing that happened to ours - you encountered some crazy ice at around 18km. There is very little you can do at this point, because it was so much different than the snow you started on. Hit the dip bar, and hammer on some pull-ups this summer - you'll be able to double pole your way through something like that in the future.

Thanks for your questions!
Justin Easter

Swix Launches Revolutionary New Concept Pole for Cross Country Skiing

Swix is introducing The Direct Force Concept Pole in time for the 2006 Olympics. The FORCE 10 Ski Pole design uses proprietary IPM carbon fiber technology already proven successful with Swix’ World Championship winning Alpine Poles. The FORCE 10 Concept uses a monocoque airfoil construction internally pressure molded so that the shaft and handle are integrated as one, resulting in far greater stiffness and more Direct Force to the snow. The aerodynamic profile provides reduced wind drag while adding extra high directional stiffness and improved swing-weight.

Conventional cross country ski poles are reaching the limit for what can be done in terms of the ideal combination of weight, strength, and stiffness. At the same time, racers are asking for stiffer shafts without an increase in weight. The primary concern is in the Skate Sprint event in which the longest length poles are used and the arm strength of the athletes is increasing. In all cross country events, bending and vibration of the poles results in a loss of energy and less power directed to the basket.

The solution--- The Swix FORCE 10. The tapered airfoil shape of the FORCE 10 pole provides more than double the directional stiffness without an increased weight or a reduction in impact strength. The primary benefit of the Direct Force Concept is a complete transfer of poling power to the basket. The single-unit pole body takes on a handle shape near the top that maximizes benefits of the strap design and features the perfect angles for better comfort, power, and control.

FORCE 10 Poles come with three basket size options. The weight of the standard basket is reduced by 30% versus the conventional basket. At the bottom end of the pole body the airfoil shape evolves into a smaller, distinct cross-section that assures correct basket alignment. The combination of single-unit construction, basket weight reduction, and airfoil shape give the FORCE 10 a super light and fast swinging action.

The FORCE 10 Poles come in four main lengths. Custom sizing is done by shaft cutting from the basket end of the pole where each primary length allows individual adjustments up to 10 centimeters.

FORCE 10 Poles have been available for racer testing for over a year, and will be available to the market on February 1, 2006. The FORCE 10 has already had its first World Cup win with Katherina Neumanova outperforming the field by half a minute in a 10 kilometer skating race in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. There will certainly be more to come!

“Let The FORCE Be With You!” (When you ski)