How to Prioritise Like a Ski Waxing Professional

What matters most for good glide and grip? What sets ski waxing professionals apart from the rest of us is that they place greater value on the properties of the ski itself than on the wax. A new research study examined how Swedish cross-country skiers and ski technicians reason about glide, snow and ski preparation. The study also identifies some snow conditions that are easier to prepare for, and others that are particularly challenging.

Amateur waxers and experts often agree, but not when it comes to how important the ski’s own properties are. There are also certain especially challenging snow conditions where there is considerable disagreement, even among professionals, about how skis should be prepared.

“Experts believe it is most important to choose the right ski before you start thinking about exactly which wax to use,” says Anton Kalén, researcher in Information systems at Luleå University of Technology.

Comparing experts to non-experts

The researchers collected responses from skiers and ski technicians in Sweden to questions relating to glide, materials and wax on different surfaces. Participants in the survey were divided into experts and non-experts, with the expert group stating that they prepare more than 500 pairs of skis and ski at least 1,000 kilometres per year.

“Experts start from the ski’s camber, as this governs contact with the snow. Once that works properly, the next step is to choose the right stone grind and fine-tune the structure with rilling. The wax then becomes more of a finishing touch than a rescue solution,” says Andreas Almqvist, Professor of Machine Elements at Luleå University of Technology and an expert in tribology, the science of surfaces in contact during motion.

Advice for skiers

However, the problem for non-experts is that they rarely have several different types of skis to choose from. So how can they approach the professionals’ way of working?

“To optimise your skis, you need to try to understand what they are good at and how best to compensate for their weaknesses. If you have two pairs, choose the one best suited to the day’s conditions. My most important advice is to move the binding, if possible, to influence where the ski bears weight, and to fine-tune the structure with rilling so that contact with the snow functions in the specific load-bearing zones,” says Andreas Almqvist, echoing the views of the waxing experts in the study.

Most difficult contidions

In fresh snow and moist fine-grained snow, even the experts disagreed on the best way to prepare their skis, indicating that these are difficult conditions to handle. According to Andreas Almqvist, the challenge arises because fresh snow consists of small crystals that become lodged in the ski structure. If the crystals are small and also moist, it is difficult to use the structure to drain away excess water. However, he offers a research-based advice:

“You will never achieve truly good glide in moist fresh snow. In these conditions, you need shorter glide zones and a relatively fine structure that carries the load, along with a rounded and deeper rill that provides effective drainage.”

Judging from the survey responses, the easiest conditions to wax for are frozen wet snow. In these conditions, both experts and others used hard glide wax and klister for grip. However, experts tended also to apply a layer of hard kick wax over the klister, but not all of them did.

“The main takeaway for the average skier is that it is not just about choosing a suitable glide wax. The skis you have and how their structure are more important,” says Anton Kalén.

“We hope the results can strengthen knowledge transfer between elite and recreational skiers. For us as tribology researchers, the findings also highlight where our future research can be of greatest benefit, namely in areas where consensus is currently low,” says Andreas Almqvist.

Participating researchers from Luleå University of Technology are Anton Kalén, postdoctoral researcher in Information Systems at Luleå University of Technology and analyst at the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK); Joakim Abrahamsson, Head of the Elite Sport-Friendly University initiative at Luleå University of Technology; Kalle Kalliorinne, PhD in Machine Elements; Hans-Christer Holmberg, Adjunct Professor of Machine Elements; and Andreas Almqvist, Professor of Machine Elements and Director of the Swedish Research Centre for Sports and Performance Technology (SPORTC) at Luleå University of Technology.

Read more

• The scientific article, Perceptual consensus on cross-country ski–snow performance: a questionnaire study of experts and non-experts is published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
• The Swedish Research Centre for Sports and Performance Technology (SPORTC) is a new research centre at Luleå University of Technology aimed at conducting multidisciplinary, activity-centred research, focused on performance and technology within sports and health.