What would you do?

[davidb]

So, here's the deal 25k, new snow at 19 degrees, very hilly course with long, steep climbs, and of course, steep downs. Temperature expected to rise maybe 20 degrees after a 9 AM start

Three layers of Rode Multi blue seemed better than VR30 which seemed a bit grabby,and all's well for 7k or so, then a long steep downhill followed by a climb, but then no grip! Long herringbone/DP until at some point the snow was colder and the blue started to work again. This pattern repeated several times until it got really hot and I added VR50 which worked until, after another long climb to colder snow I was icing badly and getting smoked by guys on fishscales!

Finallly, ran out of arms/abductors, or what ever one uses to herringbone with, and straggled in, close to death.

Too many days like this could turn a guy into a skater!

Any suggestions, other than fishscales/skates, would be greatly appreciated.

[Magnus Johansson]

I recommend trying skin skis or hairies.

[Neuro]

+1

[Blah]

I'm guessing the snow was abrasive?

Moving up in temp ranges with the wrong brand of kick wax doesn't really work very well. You end up with slow skis and a kick wax that will eventually ice up or strip off.


Some good hard wax kick waxes for colder abrasive snow include Start Oslo, Guru, Rode Weiss. Rex powergrip works but it's slow.

Best thing you can do though is get yourself a good base binder.Vauhti Super or K-Base and Start Base Extra are great in abrasive snow

[davidb]

Blah- No, not very abrasive at all. Seemed to me that just the change in snow temperature as the elevation changed was the issue; I'd wax for higher temps then ice on the climb out. I recall thinking, with respect to Rode Multi blue: "This wax has no range," but then the VR50 did the same thing to me. The front runners seemed to have it nailed, but maybe just stronger.

Frankly, I sometimes wonder if you midwesterners really know what a steady 8k hill at altitude does to your ability to kick.

Magnus/Nuero : I considered those options, but given my lack of talent/fitness/general ability, I need skis that glide most of the time.

[Blah]

I've spent plenty of time at elevation, I just got back from a 10 day trip out West and skied nearly every day.

Try the Oslo waxes out for a day like that. They have a really big range for temps and snow conditions

[Neuro]

Magnus/Nuero : I considered those options, but given my lack of talent/fitness/general ability, I need skis that glide most of the time.

I got a pair of racing skin skis and the glide is really very good, much better than expected. And I didn't even treat them yet. You can even win races on skin skis if conditions are variable like happened in Fredagsbirken (Friday Birkie).

[davidb]

Thanks Magnus, neuro. I'll begin taking those skis a lot more seriously.

Blah, I'll try the Start stuff; what's the down side; what should I watch for? Thanks.

[bmullin]

I thought I read that the Oslo was was specifically for those changing snow conditions. Something about starting down in the transformed fjords and climbing up into fresh powder or something.

Around here it gets a lot of use on the manmade snow loops.

I hear the application is the trick. It's a dab and twist action instead of the normal crayoning on. You'll also want a super hard synthetic cork. I saw a video demonstrating the technique but I can't seem to find it now.

[Blah]

Oslo was made for the Norweigan Birkie when you start in klister conditions and climb up and end up in hard wax conditions.

It's made up of klister, moly, hard wax and pine tar. I have had it work really well in both icy conditions and new snow when needed. That is why I think it would work in the conditions you are describing. In fresh snow you could experience some dragging depending on what it's like but as the tracks get skied in it will perform better.

Right on with the dab and twist method as well as a new cork or a more dense cork. If you go to Start's Youtube video they show how to do this with their FHF wax.