Recommendation:
Base Wax: We recommend starting with a hard layer of moly or graphite such as SkiGo LF Graphite or Toko LF Moly. This will provide durability, some antistatic properties and dry lubrication as well as hardening up the base a bit.
Paraffin: Swix HF6BW or Holmenkol Matrix Blue
Fluoro Powder: Holmenkol Speedpowder Mid 08 or Swix FC78 SuperCera powder. Iron in the powder, let it cool, brush it out.
Fluoro Top Coat: For best results, hand cork an optimizer in on top of the fluoro powder. This can be done by rubbing on the solid (Holmenkol Mid08 or Swix FC7BS) or sprinkling on the powder (Mid 08 or FC78) and corking in by hand with a natural cork.
Visit Swix and Toko for their recommendations.
Discussion and Test Results:
The temps warmed up more than expected Friday morning on the Boulder Mountain Tour course. Light new snow was getting groomed into the track to form a hard pack that was surprisingly fast. We had a mixture of test results at different locations. As always for the BMT, picking the best wax is an exercise in finding what will be fast in the wide range of conditions from the cold, newer snow at the start in Galena to the typically faster, more transformed snow lower down and the more humid snow along the river.
We had results from two tests at Prairie Creek (halfway) and at Galena. Feel tests were run at both places and a speed trap test was run at Galena.
Test Results at Galena 10am, air 24f/ snow24f, 1" new
1. Swix HF6BW, no top coat Avg. 12.46
2. Swix HF6BW, FC78 SuperCera 12.69
3. Holmenkol Matrix Blue/ Mid 08 powder 12.79
4. Swix LF6/ supercera 13.1
5. Ski-Go hfblue/ c105solid 13.2
6. Swix HF7BW 13.4
Pair 3 was testing slower during the zero test yesterday, putting the Matrix Blue/Mid 08 in the mix when the results are adjusted for skis.
Test Results at Prairie Creek (ranked by feel)
- Holmenkol Matrix Red
- Toko HF Red/Blue Mix
These waxes at Prairie Creek were quite close.
Discussion: We feel that even though the fluoro top coats were slower at Galena, they are definitely faster lower on the course and should be good during the race. Given the uncertainty with the weather forecast, it may be a smart move to leave fluoros off on a second pair in case it turns colder than expected.