Unwaxed skis work better?

[snow_hippie2 0]

I came across this article http://www.gizmag.co...k-better/15402/ about research at a Sweedish university which says modern skis glide better without wax . It says the base alone is the best surface to make contact with the snow, and that wax attracts dirt which increases friction. They recommend just cleaning the base with a metal scraper.

 

I've always had the impression I go faster with a freshly waxed board. But the article makes a good point about it being difficult to objectively assess because snow is a constantly changing surface. It says using wax is a throwback to wooden skis, when it was necessary, and still carries on partly thanks to being promoted by wax companies and partly due to a mystique surrounding the "art" of waxing.

 

Has anyone experimented riding without wax?

[kokodoko 67]

I never use wax.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Late season without wax can result in you stopping before you hit the lip of the kicker.....as happened to me at Hotaka Bokujo 2 years back. No matter how fast I tried to go, the snow was that sticky n wet that I didn't make it off the kicker. Having wax then deffo would have helped

[Chriselle 158]

It entirely makes sense. I wax, but really.... it's impossible to be completely objective when it's not a blind test. I think it's good on older skis that have been scratched or dinged up to fill in some of the low spots but on new gear....maybe not.

[anything 6]

those ultra top racers have specialized staff that manage their wax even minutes before a race. so if theyre doing it it must make some sort of difference.

i thought id also note that that report also seems to be centered around cross country skiing.

 

for us non-pro plebs its obviously not as important, but I still only wax my skis once, at most twice a year.

 

mostly because i cant be bothered. but also cause in powder it doesnt matter.

and if im not skiing powder, id rather be doing something else .... (insert wax joke here?)

but i do definitely notice a difference after a fresh wax tho. especially in the lift line/maze.

 

 

afaik it also makes a difference depending on the base you have

google for some stuff about sintered vs extruded bases, from what i understand:

waxing an extruded base makes no difference, and can even slow you down! it just tears off in chunks, until theres nothing left.

almost all skis are sintered which absorbs the wax into tiny pours and glide better because it makes an ultra nice (microscopic scale) surface area.

extruded snowboard bases are heaps cheaper to make (something to do with the width). so most snowboards on the mountain are extruded (unless you went out of your way to get sintered). but the downside is that its much slower.

 

 

its kind of ironic.

skiiers are faster on the flat and cat tracks because we have poles, can skate, and have the technology behind us.

youd think it'd be stupid to not make a sintered snowboard... but i guess $ wins in the end and they have to go with whatever is cheapest.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I wouldn't say that most are extruded, just browsing boards you come up about 50-50 with extruded and sintered bases in my experience

[NECK 14]

I have a sintered base on my 'any day' snowboard. I waxed it before I used it for the first time, then didn't wax it again for 2 seasons. It still flies!

 

You really don't even need to wax your extruded base at all, but out of habit I still wax them once before I use them.

[snow_hippie2 0]

afaik it also makes a difference depending on the base you have

google for some stuff about sintered vs extruded bases

Thanks man, good info. I've just checked the spec for my Lib Tech and it's sintered UHMW (whatever that is).

 

I'm kind of relieved all of that all that waxing last season wasn't a waste of time. But on powder does wax make no difference even with a sintered board? The thing that impressed me most about that board was how it kept moving forward even on almost flat powder. It's like it had an engine! Would that kind of behaviour not be helped by wax, even thought it's on powder?