Solda Wax Recommendations

I have been checking the weather forecast. It is snowing now (1:00 PM Saturday) and 35F. Looks like a low tonight of high teens to low 20s. Possibility of 10+ inches of snow tonight and snow showers during the day on Sunday.

Same ski selection: fairly soft warm base skis. Apply medium interupted or linear rill after waxing. Brush again.

I believe that I would keep the base layers the same and cover with Solda HPO4. If it is cold at the start, and you feel it is really going to warm you could use Solda Fluor 100 over the Solda F40 Red and then cover that with a spray application of Solda HPO4. cork it in and brush. That colder fluor with abrade away in the first few Ks and you will be left with Fluor 100 for the latter parts of the race.

Enjoy the late season strom.

Bert

It looks like a snowy one.

Forecast is as follows:
Saturday night snow is probable. Low temp of 24F. Sunday start time temp of 25F. Possibility of snow. Humidity 89%.

I would take a pair of medium to softer flex warm base skis with a medium grind. Clean the base with a hot scrape of Solda F15 yellow. Follow up with a layer of Solda F31 Pink. Next a layer of F40 Red. Finish with Solda Fluor 100. You could use Powerjet 1. It can be applied in a couple of ways. One is to crayon on a layer and cork it in. You could use a roto-cork or Solda cork brush. Then apply the Fluor 100 powder and iron it in. An alternative method is to apply the Powerjet 1 over the ironed in Fluor 100. Iron it in, light scrape and bursh well. I prefer the first method. You might want to apply an medium interupted structure after waxing. Brush well again.

Have a good one.

Bert

The snow has been very cold for the last few days. Right now it is only 9F (-13C). I know it is sunny today, but I have a feeling the snow will remain cold. Cloud cover coming in this afternoon should slow warming of the snow and with a low of 21F overnight, cloudy and 28 at race start time, I think I would mix Solda F31 or F40 violet in with the Solda F40 Red. If you have not yet waxed, I would suggest waiting until tonight. I would cover with HPO5 if conditions stay cold.

It has been a typical New England March. A couple of days ago Bretton Woods Norcic Center received about 1.5 inches of sleety, rainy, snowy mix. On Friday night the forecast is calling for a low temperature of 1F. It looks like a temperature of 10F at start time.

The race is 25 or 50km classic race.

The snow will be transformed,old, thawed and frozen and groomed granular. This is abrasive, cold snow. I would start with skis that have a good klister pocket and a fairly fine grind. You could use skis with long contact zones and a fine linear rill.

Glide wax: Start with Solda HC 28 and F15 Blue. apply at least two layers of Solda F15 Blue scraped and brushed. Next apply a mix of Solda S20 and S30 mixed 50/50 or Solda S32 ironed scraped and brushed. This should give you a hard, shiny black base ready for aggressive snow.

Kick wax: Over a thin layer of klister binder apply a layer of your favorite ice klister. If the track has a lot of fine loose granular, cover with a thin layer of cold hard wax.

Enjoy Mt Washington.

Bert

The Cascade Crest race is a freestyle race with 15km and 25km opitons. Race date is March 14.

Current NOAA weather forecast is for overnight low of 21F (-6C). 80% chance of snow. Race start temperature of 28F (-1C). Current guess is new snow, windy, humidity 80%.

I would pick a pair of fairly soft skis, medium grind, warm base. Clean the bases with a hot scrape with a warm wax. Solda Universal base or Solda Performance Yellow would work. Then start with a base of Solda UF7, scrape and brush. Next layer is Solda F31 Pink, scraped and brushed. Follow with Solda F40 Red, scraped and brushed. Finish with Solda HPO4 or Powerjet 1.

If you are skiing Thursday and Friday and take some snow temps, let me know. If weather and snow are warmer than anticipated I would finish with Solda Fluor 100.

Have a good race.

Bert

For West Yellowstone I am staying with my original forecast. Just talked to Scott at West and he said it has been snowing, some big flakes, some little fine crystals. 28F right now, 4:30 pm PST. Getting pretty cold tonight. Overnight 3F if the clouds blow out.

So I am staying with my last post. HC28 + F15 Blue, covered with F31 Violet, covered with F40 Green and finish with HPO6. If it looks like it will be warmer than 14F at the start time and will warm to 28F, cover with HPO5 instead.



Great Bear Chase in Michigan, I am making a small change. Instead of SOLDA F31 Pink as in the forecast, substitute F31 Orange. Looks like no new snow on the course. Still warmish today transforming the snow more. Looks like it will be about 15F overnight on Saturday and 20-23 by start time. So, in the SOLDA LINE, FC27, covered with UF7, covered with F31 Orange, Covered with F40 Red and finish with HPO4.

Bert

Weather is fickle in March. It has been very warm in the upper mid-west. I just spoke with folks at the Swedetown ski trails. Looks like there will be a mix of rain and snow tomorrow. Highs could push 40. Friday it looks like a cool down with a chance of snow by Sunday. Grooming will happen most of the night on Saturday. Saturday overnight low looks like high teens to maybe 20. Sunday high forecast at 29F.

This is how I would wax now with the current forecast. Pick a pair of plus base skis with a medium grind. Start with a layer SOLDA FC27 crayoned on and then melt in a layer of SOLDA UF7, scraped and brushed. Follow with a layer of SODLA F31 Pink scraped and brushed. Next a layer of SOLDA F40 Red scraped and brushed. If it stays below 29 overnight, finish with SOLDA HPO4. If the temps are warmer and the snow temp comes up to 30F (-1C) finish with SOLDA FLUOR 100.

Enjoy one of the oldest ski races in Upper Michigan.

Bert

We are entering the season of variable weather. It is rainy and warm right now at West Yellowstone. It looks like after this warm spell will end and there will be a return of more Montana winter weather. Snow is likely Friday. By Friday night the current forecast is for a low of -9F.

The forecasters are calling for a race start temp of 7F at 9:15 am. It could be 27 by 1:00 pm. My guess is that it will be a mix of old and new snow. Humidity should be fairly high.

Here is what I would do. Pick a pair of cold base skis with a fairly fine grind and longish contact zones. Clean the bases and then prep by crayoning on a fairly thick layer of SOLDA HC28. Cover this with F15 Blue. I like to iron this in with a couple passes from tip to tail and set it aside. Do the other ski. Come back to ski #1 and iron it again. Set it aside. Re-iron ski # 2. Now scrape #1. Be sure before you scrape that there are no white patches under the wax. The wax should come off in a powder and not in splintering shards of shrapnel. Next SOLDA F31 Violet, scraped and brushed. Follow up with SOLDA F40 Green scraped and brushed. You should now have a nice shinny black ski. Finish it with SOLDA HPO6. If the snow is windblown and very abrasive, harden the base after the green with S32 or S30 after the Green and finish with HPO6.

I will post an update on Friday if it looks like a change is necessary.

May you have fast skis, strong legs and a stout heart.

Bert