Canadian Birkie Wax Info
Birkie Waxing Services - drop skis off Tues 8th, pick up Thurs 10th/Fri 11th
Information courtesy of Patrick Moore/Paul Moore/Jack Cook & Fast Trax staff
Feb 11th Update
Forecast - -6/-7C at the start warming to 0/+1C for the high
Jack was out at Blackfoot this morning. No grooming done as yet, hard icy conditions everywhere. Little or zero new snow. He tested wax at SWC which was groomed so representative of Blackfoot once groomed - same recommendations as before. Mid temp Glide, Klister for grip, see notes below.
Feb 9th Update
Forecast - Friday night low, -8, Sat high +4. Testing this morning courtesy of Jack Cook
Glide - Mid temp glider working well. eg Swix HS7 or Rode RL/RXL. Med. Staff have been skating on RXL Med over the last few mornings and it's been great..
Grip - Klister. This morning Universal worked well. Universal & purple mixed 50/50 also worked well giving slightly more secure grip.
Skins - also a good option. Remember (for most skins) the binding is moveable. Back for more glide, forward for grip
Feb 7th Update
Forecast - in the days leading up to Saturday, warm daytime highs with below zero lows! Raceday start is looking like -4 or so then climbing to anywhere between +3C and +10C
Glide - fairly straightforward, just using an appropriate wax for the temperature. If between waxes, go colder for better durability. If using liquid, allow plenty of drying time (hours), again for durability. Some options are Swix HS7, Rode RL/RXL Mid, Vauhti Race Mid.
Grip - this is trickier. Here's a collection of our musings over the last 24 hrs:
Jan 30th Update
Forecast - the long-range suggests a fairly mild day on Feb 12th with early temps -5C and a daytime high of -3C. Good temperatures for skiing! Still too far out to be accurate however &. how will the conditions in the lead-up affect race day?
With an eye on the forecast we'll be out wax testing next weekend & we'll iterate updates as we get closer. Here's some generic info for now:
Glide - We would recommend liquid/spray glide of the appropriate temperature range from the given manufacturer. If there are two glides that overlap a bit in temperature (eg Swix HS7/Swix HS6, Rode RXL Mid/RXL Warm), better to err on the side of the colder option given the transformed snow and long distance of the race. The colder choice will be less likely to pick up dirt and be more durable. We also recommend applying the wax hours the night before & brushing next morning - this will help both durability & speed
Grip - Binder. As always, a binder is important for the Birkie. This improves both the quality and longevity of the kick.
For klister (and also hardwax if the snow ends up being super abrasive), the Swix base klister spray is excellent as is Vauhti Klister Base. If it ends up being a purely hardwax scenario (not klister), two good options are Vauhti Super Base (liquid or hardwax) or Swix hardwax base binder spray
Grip - KIck wax.. This is the hard part of the formula at the moment. Last weekend, classic skiing absolutely required klister; too warm and the tracks were too glazed for hardwax.. Options to follow as we get closer - plenty of hardwax & klister options in-store from Swix, Vauhti, Rode. Rex
Information courtesy of Patrick Moore/Paul Moore/Jack Cook & Fast Trax staff
Feb 11th Update
Forecast - -6/-7C at the start warming to 0/+1C for the high
Jack was out at Blackfoot this morning. No grooming done as yet, hard icy conditions everywhere. Little or zero new snow. He tested wax at SWC which was groomed so representative of Blackfoot once groomed - same recommendations as before. Mid temp Glide, Klister for grip, see notes below.
Feb 9th Update
Forecast - Friday night low, -8, Sat high +4. Testing this morning courtesy of Jack Cook
Glide - Mid temp glider working well. eg Swix HS7 or Rode RL/RXL. Med. Staff have been skating on RXL Med over the last few mornings and it's been great..
Grip - Klister. This morning Universal worked well. Universal & purple mixed 50/50 also worked well giving slightly more secure grip.
Skins - also a good option. Remember (for most skins) the binding is moveable. Back for more glide, forward for grip
Feb 7th Update
Forecast - in the days leading up to Saturday, warm daytime highs with below zero lows! Raceday start is looking like -4 or so then climbing to anywhere between +3C and +10C
Glide - fairly straightforward, just using an appropriate wax for the temperature. If between waxes, go colder for better durability. If using liquid, allow plenty of drying time (hours), again for durability. Some options are Swix HS7, Rode RL/RXL Mid, Vauhti Race Mid.
Grip - this is trickier. Here's a collection of our musings over the last 24 hrs:
- with the forecasted weather there will be a lot of snow transformation
- It is hard to imagine any hardwax working well especially as it warms up & glazes over. Klister will be best.
- Binder will be important for durability - a klister binder such as Swix Klister Spray (also Vauhti Klister Base) are versatile for both hardwax & klister
- Universal klisters will be a good choice, available from all the main brands
- There are also 'quick klisters' that are easy to apply and work well - much better than their liquid grip counterparts
Jan 30th Update
Forecast - the long-range suggests a fairly mild day on Feb 12th with early temps -5C and a daytime high of -3C. Good temperatures for skiing! Still too far out to be accurate however &. how will the conditions in the lead-up affect race day?
With an eye on the forecast we'll be out wax testing next weekend & we'll iterate updates as we get closer. Here's some generic info for now:
Glide - We would recommend liquid/spray glide of the appropriate temperature range from the given manufacturer. If there are two glides that overlap a bit in temperature (eg Swix HS7/Swix HS6, Rode RXL Mid/RXL Warm), better to err on the side of the colder option given the transformed snow and long distance of the race. The colder choice will be less likely to pick up dirt and be more durable. We also recommend applying the wax hours the night before & brushing next morning - this will help both durability & speed
Grip - Binder. As always, a binder is important for the Birkie. This improves both the quality and longevity of the kick.
For klister (and also hardwax if the snow ends up being super abrasive), the Swix base klister spray is excellent as is Vauhti Klister Base. If it ends up being a purely hardwax scenario (not klister), two good options are Vauhti Super Base (liquid or hardwax) or Swix hardwax base binder spray
Grip - KIck wax.. This is the hard part of the formula at the moment. Last weekend, classic skiing absolutely required klister; too warm and the tracks were too glazed for hardwax.. Options to follow as we get closer - plenty of hardwax & klister options in-store from Swix, Vauhti, Rode. Rex