What is ski wax made of?

These are molecules made from a mix of fluorine, hydrogen and carbon. These wax ingredients are designed for speed. They cut friction between the ski and the surface of the snow. (These chemicals are related to additives that manufacturers sometimes use to make rain gear repel water.)

What are the ingredients in ski wax?

Hydrocarbon waxes: These waxes are primarily made up of three types of hydrocarbons: paraffin, microcrystalline, and synthetic waxes that are combined together in various proportions. Paraffins are soft, candle-like waxes, that have low coefficients of friction allowing the ski to glide easily over the snow crystals.

What kind of wax is used on skis?

Ski wax is a material applied to the bottom of snow runners, including skis, snowboards, and toboggans, to improve their coefficient of friction performance under varying snow conditions. The two main types of wax used on skis are glide waxes and grip waxes.

How toxic is ski wax?

Now scientific research suggests that ski wax can expose users to perfluorochemicals (PFCs) that build up in their bodies and may carry potentially serious health risks, including cardiovascular disease, liver damage, hormone disruption and cancer.

How do you make your own ski wax?

DIY glide wax method and recipe

1. Cut up a tea candle into about 10 pieces and place about 7 of them into the pill bottle,
2. Half fill the bottle with clean mineral turpentine or mineral spirits (not gum turpentine),
3. Seal the bottle and allow it to stand for two days, giving it a shake 2-3 times a day,

Is ski wax the same as candle wax?

no, candle wax wont work. its not the wax that makes skis fast, it the compounds in them like moly, florocarbon, graphite, just to name a few. wax is just a medium of appling it to the ski. wax will help it stay in the base but not make it go faster.

Can you use soap to wax skis?

Wax won't stick if there's a bunch of oil, dust or dirt on your base. Clean that stuff off with a tiny bit of degreaser or dish soap. A small dab will do fine as you don't want to dry out your base. If you don't have either, a damp washcloth will get the job done.

Does ski wax have PFOA?

PFAS in products like ski waxes confer high-performance functions, but also have hazardous properties. Long-chain PFAS like PFOA and PFOS, in use for decades, are highly persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals (PBTs), and due to their widespread manufacture, use and disposal, are ubiquitous global pollutants.

Is ski wax eco friendly?

Hydrocarbon based wax is an eco-friendly, alternative wax that is both biodegradable and non-toxic to the environment. So, during spring snowmelt, no toxic chemicals make their way into the rivers, therefore no fish or humans are affected.

Is Swix wax toxic?

Swix started the work towards a fluoro-free line of ski wax back in 2013. It has been years of development and many thousand kilometers of testing different waxes on skis, but now we are happy to announce the brand new line called Pro by Swix. It is 100% fluoro free, non-toxic and biodegradable.

Does paraffin wax work on skis?

Ski wax companies have been using Paraffin based waxes to keep skiers and snowboarders gliding down the mountain for years. These waxes are costly, complicated, temperature specific, wear off quickly, and produce a huge amount of waste.

Does ski wax dry out?

Cold weather will speed up the deterioration of your wax job and if you go a few days or weeks between skiing sessions, it will cause your skis to dry out, requiring you do have them waxed once more.

Can you use beeswax on skis?

Beeswax works in all conditions for a few runs and re-apply, soap good for a 20-40sec run on just below freezing and above days (catches friend off guard when you leave them in the dust).

Is ski wax hydrophobic?

Most modern ski waxes are based on hydrocarbons. Users apply them to the bases of skis or snowboards, scrape off the excess, and then use a brush to give a smooth, hydrophobic surface. The wax protects skis from scratches in addition to giving them their glide.

What is Glide wax made of?

Glide wax consists of two main substances: fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon. High fluorocarbon waxes consist of a high percentage of fluorocarbon additive infused with paraffin wax. Low fluorocarbon waxes include a low percentage of fluorocarbon additive infused with paraffin wax.

How do you wax skis without an iron?

Roto wool is an excellent way to apply hot wax without using an iron. It has shown us some great test results in all types of conditions. – Roto wool gives you a thin layer with hot wax, which will bring forth the structure in your skis in a better way, says product developer in Swix Jan Olav Bjørn Gjermundshaug.

Is hydrocarbon wax toxic?

The CHX series of waxes are so labeled as they are “hydrocarbons” and not toxic.

What is Swix wax made of?

The products are wax-based, but also contain raw materials based on metal colloids, hydrocarbons with a low coefficient of friction and proprietary non-fluorinated hybrid ingredients,” explains Poulin.

Is fluorinated wax toxic?

Fluorinated ski wax has been proven toxic to humans and the environment, affecting thousands of shop employees, racers, Nordic skiers, and others for decades.

Does Swix ski wax have PFAS?

EPA alleged that Swix imported ski wax products on at least 83 occasions that contained six different PFAS chemicals (specific names claimed confidential business information) that were not included on the TSCA Inventory or otherwise exempt for commercial purposes.

Does Swix ski wax contain PFAS?

Brav owns ski wax leaders SWIX and Toko. As Poulin explained it, while waxing rules are complicated right now, he says the future of wax is PFAS-free.

Can you wax skis indoors?

Work Space / Ski Tuning Stand

Short of a dedicated work space, you can always lay down a drop cloth and set up a make-shift work zone in the kitchen. If your space is not heated and the temp is cold, bring your skis indoors to warm them up to room temperature before starting to wax.

Do you really need to wax skis?

Wax makes your skis hydrophobic, or water resistant. The more hydrophobic your skis, the faster they will be down the slopes. Keeping your skis waxed will also make them easier to make smoother turns.

How long should wax sit on skis?

Let the skis sit until the wax is cool, usually 30 minutes or more but the longer you leave them, the more the wax will soak into the base and fill all those grooves.

Can you wax skis with car wax?

What you need is a wax that will work on the plastic base of the ski, is designed to work in very cold temperatures, and stay on even with abrasion (such as you get when skiing), so I wouldn't use a car wax.