A GRip Wax Testing AppRoach

Preparing for a classic ski race and testing classic skis on race day can seem like a daunting task for less experienced athletes and coaches. Like we have discussed in previous posts, sometimes keeping it simple for younger athletes is the best approach. Once athletes begin racing higher level races it becomes crucial that they have at least a few pairs of classic skis for various conditions. We recommend focusing on one hard wax ski, one zero or harries ski, and a klister ski. Once an athlete begins racing at a National level they will need to expand their fleet. For more info on the characteristics of classic wax pockets and what makes a ski suitable for certain conditions, check out the entry Wax Pockets Explained and Ski Selection with Zach Caldwell.

On race day, and the days leading up to the competition, it helps when coaches and athletes are on the same page. Coaches are often responsible for the selection of which grip waxes to test and athletes are responsible for feeling and testing their own skis. This means open communication about a testing plan and ski selection are crucial to success. 

For this entry, I have recruited the help of former US Ski Team wax technician and BSF Nordic Director Andrew Morehouse and ski waxing expert Zach Caldwell to share some thoughts: 

When weather patterns are stable, testing different classic skis in the days leading up to the race can be useful. Elite skiers generally start with a wide range of tests skis the days before the competition and narrow their ski selections down for race day. Many athletes, myself included, will try to pre-test so that on race day we only have two different pairs to test. 

“Once you get into the realm of three or more pairs of skis that could work on race day it’s likely that you’re going to want to test skis, and you need to have a clear plan for which skis should be tested in which conditions. If you have the opportunity to pre-test skis the day before the race, then go for it! Put more material on the snow and choose which two you are going to test for the race,” advises Zach Caldwell.

For coaches that are trying to determine which grip waxes to apply for testing, it helps to find an accurate weather forecast beforehand, but there are also telltale signs to look for at the venue. 

“Check the weather the night before and morning but then investigate the snow in the classic tracks once at the venue.  I scrape snow out of the track and try to make a snowball. If I find more fine-grained snow in the tracks, I will target the low end of the temperature waxing range. If I find more coarse or granular snow crystals in the track I will target the higher end. If snow sticks together like a snowball, then there is more moisture in the track and I know I want to be targeting the higher end of your wax window for a given temperature,” says Andrew Morehouse 

“For my first grip tests of the day I like to start with a wider variety of brands – Swix, Toko, Start, Rex – I try to find a wax within each brand that kicks, then determine which one feels faster. When feeling the kick it can be a good idea to sometimes ski without poles and remember to test with a realistic race kick. Meaning, don’t go charging up a hill at 100%. A youth or junior athlete might not be able to ski that way for an entire race. So try taking that into consideration when testing,” says Morehouse. 

Once a coach begins to narrow down which wax is working best for the day it is also a good idea to plan ahead for adjustments. The two most basic adjustments to consider are a bump and a cover. 

Bump: applying a layer of warmer wax for athletes that need more grip

Cover: applying a slightly colder wax as the final layer to speed up the wax pocket 

Morehouse explains, “I like to keep things simple. So once a race wax is determined I will often bump and cover within that same wax line. So if we chose to race on a Swix wax, it makes things easier to stick with that brand and either go a little bit warmer or a little bit colder for athletes who need adjustments.” 

Sometimes determining which athletes should ski with more grip versus more glide can be tricky and also race dependent. Some race formats (mass start or individual) and hilly versus flat courses lend themselves to focusing on more glide or more kick. 

“When testing and selecting skis, it’s important to remember that race success is based on your average speed from start to finish, and that isn’t always based only on glide. This is obvious when you consider whether you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of glide for really good kick in a classic race. Most of the speed you have during a race is speed that you “produce” – it’s not free. Your production of speed needs to be supported by the ski characteristics,” says Zach Caldwell.

For Zach this means understanding the difference between passive speed and active speed. 

He explains, “Passive speed is the coefficient of friction when you’re just standing on the skis. It’s easy to measure this with glide-outs, or a speed trap. Active speed is that speed that you carry in your center of mass. Every stride that you make generates momentum in your center of mass, and skis that turn your power into more momentum help you produce more active speed. It’s worth asking yourself which scenario is preferable – to have no resistance to glide, but an inefficient transmission of power, or some resistance to glide, but perfect efficiency turning power into momentum.” 

I agree 100% with what Zach is describing here and can admit that as an athlete I was sometimes pretty bad at adjusting my ski testing for the event. In many instances I would test classic skis on a distance race day with the same powerful kick I would sprint with. This often leads to slippery skis once I get tired during a 15k. 

On mass start days when you will be drafting and skiing behind people for a big part of the race it can sometimes makes sense to cut the pocket back in the front to ensure fast double poling speed, but use a slightly warmer layer of grip wax under the foot to ensure confident grip on the uphills. These are all small personal adjustments that coaches and athletes will learn to make together as they gain experience with race day grip waxing.