The Noquemanon

BNS Mobile # - 303.656.3886

Well we have arrived in Marquette and wanted to lay our plans out for the week. We will be updating this post with more information as the week develops so please check back. We are excited to be here and be a part of the race and the Ski Expo. The organizers have been great to work with and reports say the course is in fantastic shape. We’re looking forward to testing wax and getting out our recommendations.

BNS Mobile will be at the Noquemanon January 26-29 with a full service team providing wax sales and brand-neutral race waxing service.  Treat yourself to a full race wax application by our pro service team so you can relax and focus on your race, or just drop by the Expo or our trailer to find out what wax is running fastest and stock up on whatever wax you need. We will be testing all brands of waxes to find the fastest solution.  BNS will post wax updates to Facebook (bouldernordic) and bouldernordic.com as well as at BNS Mobile and the Expo.

Testing Results and Discussion

For those of you more interested in this sort of thing I have pasted our data sheets at the bottom of this post. I will just be posting the results here to keep things a little cleaner.

Weather Forecast - NOAA.gov

Friday Night...Snow. Snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. Lows around 14. East winds 5 to 10 mph becoming northeast overnight. Chance of snow 90 percent.
Saturday...Snow showers likely. Highs around 19. Chance of snow 60 percent.

Thursday Testing:
We tested at two locations today. Near the start by Teal Lake and out at the Forestville Trailhead which is about 12K from the finish. At both locations we ran the speed trap for race paraffins and fluoro powders and for top coats and structure we tested by feel. We also tested a few kick waxes at Forestville.

Teal Lake was conducted starting at 9:30 and at Forestville at 12:00. Conditions stayed pretty consistent with the thick overcast sky, we expect today’s conditions to be representative for the race, even with the fresh snow that may fall.

We will be testing kick wax again on Friday morning.

Results:

Time shows time back from the winner for all except the winner.

Teal Lake - Race Paraffin - Speed Trap Results

Forestville Trail Head - Race Paraffin - Speed Trap Results

Teal Lake - Fluoro Powder - Speed Trap Results

Forestville Trail Head - Fluoro Powder - Speed Trap Results

Note: Our speed trap charge died after we had gotten through 15/24 passes. The FC7 and C105 only got 2 passes in, so the data isn't necessarily very helpful here. Given how close they are and C105's result at Teal Lake we feel really good about C105. Swix FC7 should also be a good choice.

Teal Lake - Topcoats - Ranked by Feel

It should be noted that all of these felt fantastic relative to the paraffins and powders and should make for a nice boost in speed in the initial kilometers.

1. SkiGo C107 Fluid

2. Holmenkol SpeedBlock Mid

3. SkiGo C55/99 Fluid

4. Holmenkol Mid Liquid

5. SkiGo C22 Solid

6. SkiGo C105 Solid

7. Swix FC7 Solid

8. Holmenkol SpeedBlock Cold

9. Rex TK-72

10. Holmenkol Speedblock Mid 08

Forestville Trailhead - Topcoats - Ranked by Feel

It should be noted that all of these felt fantastic relative to the paraffins and powders and should make for a nice boost in speed in the initial kilometers.

1. SkiGo C107 Fluid

2. SkiGo C105 Solid

3. Holmenkol SpeedBlock Mid

4. SkiGo C55/99 Fluid

5. Swix FC7 Solid

6. Holmenkol Mid Liquid

7. SkiGo C22 Solid

8. Holmenkol SpeedBlock Mid 08

9. Rex TK-72

10. Holmenkol SpeedBlock Mid

Wax Recommendation - Based on testing at the venue

Base Layer:  SkiGo LF Graphite, scrape, brush

Race Paraffin:  Holmenkol Matrix Blue. Matrix Blue was a bit far back at Teal Lake but really shined above at Forestville.

Fluoro:  SkiGo C105. We feel really good about this given the testing results and the forecast.

Topcoat:  SkiGo C107 Fluid was clearly the best at both locations. SkiGo C105 solid would be another good option given the slightly colder temps coming. Putting a cold application of fluoro block or liquid on top of the fluoro powder layer can provide optimal speed for the early part of the race.

Kick Recommendations:

As always with kick it is best to test morning of rather than going off a written recommendation.

Binder: Iron in Toko Carbon Base Grip. Given the new snow be sure to
keep the binder layer very thin.

Grip: It will laregly depend on how cold it gets overnight at. At this point new snow looks certain. SkiGo HF Violet, Swix VR30/VR40/V40, Guru Green, and Rode Blue Multigrade should all be considered. SkiGo HF Violet provide very sure kick. Depending on your ability you may want to cover that for a touch more speed, cover waxes to consider are SkiGo XC Green, Guru Green, Rode Blue Multigrade, or Swix VR30 among others.

BNS AT THE NOQUE THE DETAILS

Ski Expo:

BNS will be on hand at the Ski Expo in the Superior Dome. We will have Holmenkol, SkiGo, Guru and other brands on hand for your viewing and purchase. Staff will be on hand for wax recommendations and to answer any questions. Additionally we will be working in the trailer outside the event if you want to stop by and check it out.

Race Service Details:

If you would like to prepay for Race Service you can purchase it HERE.

Our race service includes base prep, LF & HF paraffins and pure fluoro powder.  For classic skis, we will iron in a binder layer in the kick zone you designate, but we will not wax with the final kick wax layers. You will want to apply those race morning to achieve the best results.  We will test kick waxes, provide recommendations, and sell you kick wax if you need it, but you will have to apply it yourself race morning.

NOTE: THIS IS NON-REFUNDABLE.  BNS will refund if the race or BNS has to cancel for any reason, but otherwise this is non-refundable.

Race Service Drop Off and Pickup Details: 

Wednesday/Thursday Drop Off – If you would like to drop off your skis early you can drop them at the BNS trailer parked at the Super 8 in Marquette located at 1275 US 41 West. Please call the BNS mobile number to arrange a drop off time 303.656.3886

Friday Drop Off – The BNS trailer will be parked outside of the Superior Dome. You can drop off skis from 12-5 at the trailer. The earlier we have the skis the sooner you get them back.

Ski Pickup – Skis will be available for pickup at the Superior Dome Expo from from 5-10pm on Friday. Pickup time will be dependent on when you drop them off and we will give you an estimate when we receive the skis. Skis will be completed in the order they were received, so skis that enter the queue late may not be completed the evening before the race. If special circumstances arrive or you are in need of a different arrangement please contact us and we will do our best.

Any questions you can email mobile@bouldernordic.com or call the BNS mobile number 303.656.3886

Thanks!

Teal Lake - Fluoro Powder - Speed Trap Results - Data Sheet

Forestville Trail Head - Fluoro Powder - Speed Trap Results - Data Sheet

Teal Lake - Race Paraffin - Speed Trap Results - Data Sheet

Forestville Trail Head - Race Paraffin - Speed Trap Results - Data Sheet