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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

It was another busy week for our Masters racers, but a banner day on Saturday in particular. I don’t have details or data, but as far as non-MNC (Skiathlon, Club Relay, etc) goes this might’ve been our biggest and most dominating presence on the course! After the Eastern Cup/Supertour/UVM Carnival on Saturday, a pretty sizeable field lined up for a mass start on the same course. The MNC suits were clearly the biggest contingent in the pack, and it was one of the harder courses that could’ve been devised as far as Craftsbury goes!

The full squad included many of the coaches, who finished up waxing Junior athlete skis and managed so get some fancy wax on their own skis just in time for their turn at the course. Cheered (heckled?) on by the Juniors from the MNC team and other programs, these coaches and Masters pushed the limits of toughness and scored many, many Club Cup points due not just to their performances but by the big turnout.

Not even all of our participants, but a good sampling of the squad at the finish

On Sunday some more of our members took to the classic boards to score some more points in the White Mountain Classic. It sounds like Dave Johnstone had one heck of a race AFTER handling the brutal Craftsbury course with ease less than 24 hours prior. Karen reported nice conditions and a fun atmosphere.

That’s the key component here…these races are FUN! If you haven’t given racing a try there is the best weekend for it just ahead: the Craftsbury Marathon! Don’t let the name fool you…there’s options for every discipline and multiple distances. No 50-kilometer grind required. Find out more HERE, and keep an eye out for a wax recommendation on Thursday.

Sign up for the Masters Race Roster for additional info HERE.