by Mr.
Klister
How Glide Wax Works
Glide waxing is often overlooked by the novice cross-country
skier, which is too bad since gliding is the thing that
makes cross-country skiing so much fun. Without glide
wax, skis stick and it takes a lot more effort to go a
given distance; plus you hardly get any speed on a downhill,
reducing the thrill factor to near zero.
There are many theories about why a ski glides on snow.
The most widely accepted of these theories is that the
pressure of the ski on the snow forms a thin layer of
liquid water which serves as a friction-reducing lubricant
on which the ski rides. Glide waxes work in combination
with grip waxes on cross-country skis and their benefits
increase as snow temperatures rise. Because stickier grip
waxes must be used when the snow is warm (and usually
wet), it becomes more important to optimize glide in order
to compensate for the increased resistance created by
the use of the sticky grip wax. Things aren't as critical
when the snow is colder. Glide waxes are applied to the
parts of the ski that are in contact with the snow during
the glide portion of skiing motion. For classic style
skiing that means the tip (front 1/3) and tail (rear1/3)
of a ski. For skating the entire bottom of the ski is
glide waxed, since grip is obtained by edging the ski.
Glide wax serves other purposes, too. It protects the
ski base by helping to keep it clean and it also prevents
the base material from oxidizing. For these reasons, it
makes sense to glide wax "no-wax" skis, too.
Since glide waxes are more durable than grip waxes they
tend to last longer, so it is usually not necessary to
apply glide wax more than a couple of times a year, unless:
1) you ski a lot; 2) you ski in icy conditions; or 3)
the snow temperature changes drastically.
Generally, all you need are a cold/dry snow glider and
a warm/wet snow glider. The difference is that the warm/wet
snow glider is more water repellent, to reduce suction.
The other thing to remember about glide waxes is that
they should be applied in thin coats and polished or "corked
out" to form a uniform, smooth surface. The exception
to this rule is if you have "structured"' your
ski bases. Structuring is an advanced technique for enhancing
glide that will be discussed under Ski Base Preparation.
