Lake Placid Loppet

The Lake Placid Loppet is a 25k and 50k race that can be done in the classic or skate technique. All of the races will be performed on a 25km loop at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.  The trails at Mt. Van Hoevenberg are generally pretty challenging with long climbs and technical descents, making wax durability a concern.

Weather: Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -1f.

Saturday: Snow likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 60%

Forecast Based Recommendation

Recommendation:

We recommend the following:

Base Layer: SkiGo LF Graphite iron, scrape brush.

Race Paraffin: SkiGo HF Blue, Holmenkol Matrix Blue, Swix HF 6

Fluoro Powder: SkiGo C105 Powder, Holmenkol Cold Powder, Swix FC7

Top Coat: Skigo C105 Block, Holmenkol Cold Block

Structure: Li2 for Classic and CV0 for Skate

Kick Recommendation:

Base Binder: Toko Green Carbon Base Binder, Ironed in, let cool, cork smooth.

Kick: SkiGo HF Violet, Rode Blue Multigrade, VR40, VR45, Rode Green Special

Discussion: For a race of this distance, wax durability is very important for both glide and kick.  To ensure that you get the most out of your glide wax it is highly recommended that a layer for graphite is put down to help harden the base and make it more durable.  Our favorite graphite for these conditions is SkiGo LF grapite.  Other good options are Rex Graphite and Start Graphite.

For paraffin’s our favorite wax for these conditions is Skigo HF Blue, as it is very good in new snow and will cover the full range of temperatures on race day, as it is projected to be in the low teens at race time and warm up to the mid 20s during the day.  Other waxes to consider would be Holmenkol Matrix Blue and Swix HF 6.  For Fluoro Powders SkiGo C105 Powder would be a good choice as it also runs very well in new snow, with Holmenkol Cold Powder and Swix FC7 also being good options.  Top Coats are a good idea to help with initial speed over the first 5 to10k.  Again SkiGo C105 solid would be a great choice as it runs very well in new snow and has a wide range. Another good option would be Holmenkol Cold Block.

For kick it is important to put down a thin ironed in binder to ensure durability and that the kick wax will stay on the ski.  For this our favorite binder is Toko Green base binder.  As for kick it is going to be colder at start time than it will be later in the day, so a wax that can cover this range is very important.  Our number one recommendation for this is SkiGo HF Violet kick wax which is made for new snow and covers the entire range during race time.  Other options would be Rode Multigrade blue, SwixVR40 and Swix VR45.  These other waxes may need to be covered earlier in the race with a colder wax to speed them up and for that we recommend waxes such as Rode Green Special and SkiGo XC Green.