Craftsbury Marathon Wax Recommendation

Wax recommendations from Coach Adam! This list is based on products currently available at Skirack

Craftsbury Marathon Wax Recommendation

Conditions this week:

-Average winter temperatures all week, with little-to-no new snowfall

-Expect snow to be more transformed than other areas due to Craftsbury’s regular and heavy grooming

-Course will have manmade snow mixed in close to the center, with natural snow on outlying portions

Conditions on race day:

-Low of 17F the night before the race. 23F at race start, warming to 33F by noon

Wax choices: Binder

Binder will be very important for this race given the potentially abrasive conditions. Possible options include:

-Start Base “Extra” which is designed for more coarse snow

-Swix VG35 Binder which is designed for more coarse snow

-Swix or Toko spray klister binder (spray on, then 1-2 passes with an iron at 130C. Smooth with cork)

-Swix KX30 blue klister ironed in a VERY thin layer

Other options which are not designed specifically for coarse snow (use a thicker layer)

-Toko Base Green

-Swix VG30

-Vauhti Base Super

Wax choices: Kick

Kick should always be tested on race morning. If you have an older/non-race pair of classic skis they can serve the purpose of test skis. It is recommended to test one ski with klister on it, and another with hardwax. 

Hardwax options to try

-Start Olso Blue, ironed-in and cooled

-Toko Red

-Swix V or VR55, cooled and covered with VR45

Klister options to try

-Swix K22N Universal and KX35 Purple or Start Purple mixed 1:1

-Swix KN33 Nero (colder of the Nero waxes). Add K22N Universal for more kick

Wax choices: Glide

Durability will be key. All glide wax jobs should begin with a “hardener” layer of a cold glide wax. Recommended hardeners include

-Start SG10 Green

-Swix CH4

-Toko Base Performance Blue + X-Cold Powder

A race layer needs to be applied to cooled/dried completely whether it is a traditional iron-on paraffin or a liquid/spray paraffin. On transformed snow it is advised to wax colder than the air temp. Recommended glide waxes include

-Swix CH7 (if using spray, apply the night before and allow to completely dry. Brush with nylon brush)

-Toko Base Performance Red (is using spray, see note above)

-Start SG6