 Poster: A snowHead
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Which wax do you apply?
Usually I see warm and or cold...I have some maplus at the moment.
How exactly do you know what temperature the snow is? Surely it's colder than the surrounding temperature? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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All temperature basic hydrocarbon wax does for me, unless it is bitterly cold in which case I use a bit of low temp stuff.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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GordonFreeman, if you're not racing & if you're waxing in the UK for unknown conditions overseas then it's easier/best to use a good universal wax. By good I mean one with a wide snow temperature operating range. I reckon Dominator Zoom uni is best but the Holmenkol uni is also very good. If it then gets either very cold or warm you can then supplement the wax with Zardoz Notwax teflon. I've a number of racing clients who use Dominator Zoom as their training wax & have been very impressed with both it's speed & durability. Multiple applications will considerably improve performance & longevity.
Due to wind chill etc the snow temp can be warmer than the air temp.
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Which Maplus do you have?
The snow temperature-of-the-moment is only one factor in deciding. Sharper crystals might require a 'colder' wax.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Okay, so of the outside temperature is 0 to -5 what is the snow temperature?
For me a universal would be fine I think...
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GordonFreeman, probably. The difference between universal and specialist in special conditions gets a lot smaller with more applications of universal, better scraping, and better brushing.
Which Maplus?
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I like the one you linked to quite a bit for a wax of the day, better than the Swix temperature equivalents.
Mostly for durability on warmish (up to 0C air temps**) artificial snow, durability at altitude, (down to -15C air temps even), also because in the middle of the range it is easily as fast as blends of low fluoro wax with the hardeners I use along the edges to stop base burn.
In fact, I need to prep some skis for a week in Utah in February. *grabs kilo tub of the stuff*
Weaknesses:
- doesn't soak into the bases as much as others. You will probably want a different prep wax/hot scrape wax.
- gets very slow very quickly above 0C air temps with any humidity at all (read: Utah and Colorado are exceptions) or when rain is mixed in with snow.
If you still have any left, there is absolutely nothing wrong with continuing to use it, particularly if you are looking for week-long durability in the middle of the 0/-15C (air temps) range on natural snow. Well brushed, it will save you quite a bit of skating/poling effort over a lot of other waxes for as long as it lasts.
If you have quite a bit left, the best additional purchases are probably:
- a warm wax that will fill the double role of prep wax and wax for the +10/-2C (air temps) range
- Zardoz*
*Fair notice: Zardoz give me things.
** the snow will probably be colder than this
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Out of interest, what happens if you use cold wax on a warm day and vice versa?
I have seen some Maplus universal waxes from -15 to -5 but I'm skiing in Europe most of the time, it hardly ever gets that cold and especially if you ski in March it's much warmer...
Wax is so bloody expensive in the UK though...
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GordonFreeman, I appreciate that, and I tailored my comments above with that in mind.
Using some, not all* specialty cold waxes in warm conditions can be quite unfun at the base of the mountain, when skating/poling to lifts, or when venturing just slightly off-piste where the free water hasn't been squeezed out of the snow by the piste bashers. The skis tend to brake to a halt, calling for higher effort in the first two instances and higher caution in the last.
Using some, not all warm-range waxes in cold conditions can make the skis feel like they have sandpaper on the bottoms, and can contribute to abrasion of the bases nearest the edges (referred to as base burn)
* which is why it is common practice to build a baseline "lexicon" of waxes, i.e. a complete context that you can compare things within, as I do with Maplus, Toko and Swix, and as I believe spyderjon does with Dominator and Holmenkol
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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can you mix hot and cold wax together? 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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GordonFreeman, yes. It gives you luke warm wax.
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rob@rar,
Worst of both worlds.
Kinda like Canadian outdoor tepid tubs.
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You know it makes sense.
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why mix though??
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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savetonight, no reason I can think of.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| savetonight wrote: |
| why mix though?? |
You can add a layer of, say, cold wax on top of all-temp or warm wax if you've got the waxing wrong. But for recreational skiing is there any need to use anything other than an all purpose wax? The only time I've felt that an all-temp wax was not up to the job was very cold, new snow.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hot and Brazilian... Brand does not matter so much.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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What's a good and easily appled wax to take if you're hiring skis and you just want to give them a quick wax each morning?
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What's a good and easily appled wax to take if you're hiring skis and you just want to give them a quick wax each morning? In La Plagne 2 weeks ago, my skis were coming to a complete halt when I hit some of the drier cr@ppy snow you get in well worn areas.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Has anyone any experience of Hertel's Super Hot Sauce wax? It's supposed to be a 'truly universal' wax.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hywel, Zardoz
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Zardoz it is then. Kel, I hire skis because I have a largish family and taking 7 bags and then skis is impractical at the moment 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| thewahwah wrote: |
| Has anyone any experience of Hertel's Super Hot Sauce wax? It's supposed to be a 'truly universal' wax. |
Yes. And it isn't. Think of it more as an extended-range warm wax with a Zardoz-like lubricant incorporated in it, along with a surfactant. Which make it pretty durn fast, but also completely unsuitable for cold snow or crayon application.
Their racing 739 is fantastic though. Blended with Swix LFG4 it can go to -40 even in new snow.
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Get a fluoro wax, low fluoro is fine, and cheaper then the really good stuff.
you can blend waxes, i sometimes blend the flouro stuff with a cold temp hydrocarbon wax to give it a 'longer lasting life'
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I also use Notwax. Applied during and after enhances lubrication and helps maintain a base 
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