Solda Wax Recommendations

Good old New England winter. First snow, then warm and rainy, now frigid. The snow is old and cold and hard.

The NOAA forecast is:

Friday: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy and cold, with a high near 6. Wind chill values as low as -15. Northwest wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around -2. Wind chill values as low as -16. Northwest wind between 8 and 13 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday: Cloudy, with a high near 12. Wind chill values as low as -18. North wind between 7 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Iam banking on a little new snow. I would select a pair of cold base skis with a fine grind.

SOLDA Glide wax: On clean bases start by rubbing on a layer of Solda HC28. Over this melt in a base of Solda Performance Green. Scrape and brush. Then a layer of Solda F15 Blue, scraped and brused. At this point I would cover with Solda S20 if there is a lot of windblown snow in the tracks, or long areas of wind blown snow. If the wind is not too bad, then I would finish with HP05 S30 mix 70/30. Should there actually turn out to be significant new snow I would prep the same up to the F15 Blue. After that I would go with Solda S30 and cover with HP06. In new natural snow it also runs in a wider temperature range.

Kick wax could be quite tricky. If new snow in tracks I would go with a binder of Swix VG30 ironed in and corked. Then look at snow temps morning of the race. If tracks are transformed fine grain or coarse grain then I would go with the VG35 as a binder. It could be a klister if there is lots of icy track. Go with a Swix KR30 and then cover with appropriate, probably KR20. Be ready to use a base klister and cover with a hard wax if it is snowing or has loose snow in tracks.

Good Luck

As always the Noque throws stuff at you. After the mild and wet, now the frigid and dry. Wind. Ice. Thin. Some possibility of new snow. Wind blown snow.

The NOAA forecast right now is:


Friday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 12. Wind chill values between -10 and -20. North wind between 5 and 10 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -6. Wind chill values between -10 and -20. West wind around 5 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 15. Wind chill values between -5 and -15. West wind between 5 and 10 mph. Looks as though the humidity will be about 90 % at the start and 59% at the finish.

If I were racing I would start with skis with a cold base and a fine grind. This would be for the classic or for the skate.

SOLDA Glide wax: On clean bases start by rubbing on a layer of Solda HC28. Over this melt in a base of Solda Performance Green. Scrape and brush. Then a layer of Solda F15 Blue, scraped and brused. At this point I would cover with Solda S20 if there is a lot of windblown snow in the tracks, or long areas of wind blown snow. If the wind is not too bad, then I would finish with HP05 S30 mix 50/50.

Glide wax could be quite tricky. If new snow in tracks I would go with a binder of Swix VG30 ironed in and corked. Then look at snow temps morning of the race. If tracks are transformed fine grain or coarse grain then I would go with the VG35 as a binder. It could be a klister if there is lots of icey track. Go with a Swix KR30 and then cover with appropriate, probably KR20. Be ready to cover the klister with a hard wax if it is snowing or has loose snow in tracks.

Good luck

This is a two day race with the classic on Saturday and Skate on Sunday. Located at the Garland Resort in Lewiston, MI

NOAA weather sounds wet:

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. East wind around 10 mph.

Saturday: A chance of drizzle or freezing drizzle after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Southeast wind around 10 mph.

Saturday Night: A chance of drizzle or freezing drizzle before 7pm, then rain or freezing rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 30. Southeast wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected.

Sunday: Rain before 1pm, then rain and snow. Areas of fog before 1pm. High near 37. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

SOLDA Glide wax: Pick your best klister skis. Prepare the glide zones with a base of SOLDA UF7, scrape and brush. If it is above 30, then go with SOLDA F31 or F40 Yellow. Apply a coarse linear rill after brushing. Top with SOLDA Fluor 100 or Powerjet 1. This should be the glide formula for both days.

Kick wax is likely to be a klister and must be tested on sight. I would be tempted to try a Rode Multigrade.

White Mt Classic

This is a 26km race. The first 15km is mostly uphill. 1500 ft elevation gain. It ends at North Star Ski area. The current (Friday) NOAA weather forecast is:

Today: Snow showers. Temperature falling to around 14 by 5pm. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tonight: A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. West wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.

Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

SOLDA Glide wax: Select a medium to soft flex ski with a medium grind. On clean bases start with a layer of SOLDA UF7 scraped and brushed. Next apply a layer of F31 Pink, scraped and brushed. It it looks like the humidity will be 80 to 100% finish with a layer of F40 Red and top with HP04. If it is warmer than 27F top with SOLDA Fluor 100.

Budget wax: SOLDA UF7 topped with F15 Pink.

For kick wax, I would recommend testing local conditions today, Saturday and Sunday morning. I like Rode waxes in new snow and would consider Rode Fast Blue Special, Rode Fast Super Blue and Rode Fast Violet Special as waxes to test.

Have a good race

Boy, can the weather man be wrong. It was sunny all day and the temp when we pulled into the parking lot before the sprint was 19F. SOLDA F40 Red with Fluoro 100 ran well on a pair of Plus base stiff Fischer RCS skis. HP04 was also running well.

I just skied the trail at Loup Loup Where the race is tomorrow. Snow temps ranged from -3 to -7C. Snow was a little new mixed in with old transformed. The forecast, for whatever it is worth is:

Tonight: A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly after 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 26. South wind between 5 and 8 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Sunday: Snow. High near 30. South wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

I am going out to prep skis now. Glide wax of F40 Red and HP04 is my current guess. I am picking a Plus base ski and will apply a medium linear rill after waxing. Always brush well after applying any new structure.

Budget wax: Go with SOLDA UF7.

Kick wax: I am starting with a Rex Power Grip purple ironed in as a base and binder. I will wait and see tomorrow. It could be snowing and about 30 (-1C).

Have a good race.

Seeley Hills Classic is on the Birkie Trails system in Wisconsin. The NOAA forecast for race day is :

Today: Patchy fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 29. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 18. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. South wind between 5 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Looks like transformed snow and mostly sunny.

SOLDA glide wax would be to start with medium flex skis with clean bases and a medium structure. You could apply a medium linear rill after waxing. Start wax with SOLDA UF7 scraped and brushed. Apply SOLDA F40 Red scraped and brushed. Finish with SOLDA FLUOR 100. Remember to let the skis cool before brushing with horse hair or fine nylon polishing brush.

Have a great race

I am headed up to the Methow tomorrow. I checked on the snow up there today. It has good coverage and is wet. The forecast is fairly warm and wet. I am prepping skis tonight with SOLDA UF7. My guess is that the glide will be similar to last week at the Patagoina Pursuit. I had A+ glide on my classic skis with SOLDA F40 Red and F40 Yellow mixed 50/50 and topped with SLODA Fluor 100. This is my guess at this point on Wednesday. I am prepping both skate and classic skis in that fashion.

Kick wax? Wait and see. If it rains and then gets cold, probably a klister. If there is new snow I will probabley sticky up the kick zone under foot with a soft wax and cover with a colder wax. I will have to wait and see.

Here is my gut.

Best Glide: Base of SOLDA UF7 scraped and brushed. Mix SOLDA F40 Red and F40 Yellow 50/50. Scrape and brush. Finish with SOLDA Fluor 100 powder or spray.

Good glide: Solda UF7 base with F15 Orange and F15 Yellow mixed 50/50.

Budget glide wax: Solda UF7

Kick Wax: Still going with one pair with Rode Rossa klister and one pair with Rode Silver Klister. If it is snowing I will be ready to cover with hard wax.

The race is a 15km skate race at Hanson Hills trail system near Grayling, MI.
The NOAA forecast for that region is:

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 18. Wind chill values as low as -3. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. West wind around 5 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.


If you have a choice, pick a pair of medium flex cold base skis with a fine grind. Start by applying a base layer of SOLDA Perfromance Green, scraped and brushed. Then go with a layer of SOLDA F31 or F40 Violet and if you have it, finish with Solda HP05.

For the budget wax I would go with base of SOLDA Perfromance Green and finish with SOLDA UF7.

Have a great race.

MICHIGAN CUP RELAYS
Saturday January 9
NOAA weather forecast:

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 1. Wind chill values as low as -6. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Scattered flurries. Partly cloudy, with a high near 17. Wind chill values as low as -6. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25.

Solda Glide wax for Saturday: Pick a pair of skis with medium flex, cold bases and a fine grind. Start with rubbing on a layer of SOLDA HC28. Cover this by dripping and ironing a layer of SOLDA F15 Blue. Scrape and brush. It wouldn’t hurt to apply a second layer to harden the bases more. Finish with SOLDA HP05/S30 mix 50/50. This is ironed in once with a hot (130C) iron taking about 8 seconds to pass the whole ski. Follow by corking by hand or with a roto cork and polish with a felt pad. Set the skis aside to cool. Finish by brushing the cool skis with a horse hair or soft nylon polishing brush.

Another choice for finishing could be to cover the F15 Blue with Powerjet 4 corked, polished and brushed.

Kick wax for Michigan Cup Relay
For this short race you may not need a binder. You could apply a binder of Swix VG30 or Toko Green Base. Iron it in, let it cool and then cork smooth. Let it cool and apply 4-6 thin layers of your favorite cold kick wax. Could be Swix V20 or VR30. Maybe Rode Green Special or Green. Carry a wax that is one temp range warmer. If your skis are a bit stiff or have a high wax pocket, try the warmer wax under foot to just in front of the binding.


NENSA BOG BURN, POMFRET, VT


This is and old style classic race at the farm. 13km of narrow up and down in the Vermont woods. Weather forecast is as follows:

Friday: Snow likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 20. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday Night: A slight chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 9. North wind around 6 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 15. North wind between 5 and 7 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

SOLDA GLIDE WAX
Pick a soft to medium flex classic ski with a cold base. Cover the kick zone with wide masking tape. On the glide zone apply a base layer of SOLDA Performance Green or Techno Green. Scrape and brush. Next apply a layer of F31 or F40 Violet. Finish with SOLDA HP05.


Economy wax could be Performance Green and F15 Violet.

Kick wax: Swix, start with a thin binder layer of VG30 ironed in. Let it cool and cork smooth. Then apply 7-10 layers of VR40. Make each two layers shorter than the previous layers to achieve a “pyramid” of kick wax. Keep Some VR45 to apply under foot if you need more kick.

Rode: Try Rode Green -4 to -10 applied the same as above. Then have some Rode Fast Blue Special or Blue Super if more kick needed.

I am holding off for right now on a complete wax recommendation because the weather forecast is changing every hour on the hour. I am pretty sure it will be warm and wet. The question is rain or snow and when. Currently the forecast is:

Friday Night: Snow and freezing rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 28. South southwest wind between 8 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Southwest wind around 11 mph.

Just an hour ago there was no frozen precip in the forecast.

This is a pursuit or relay with the first leg 6km of classic and then 6km of skate.

Glide wax should not be too hard. I am planning on klister skis with probably a red or silver klister covered with a 0 to -2C hard wax if we get some new snow. For skate I would chose some fairly soft plus base skis. Then prep with a layer of SOLDA UF7 on clean bases. If new snow then go with SOLDA F31 Pink and cover with Fluor 100 either powder or spray. Could use SOLDA Powerjet 1. If it doesn't snow could use SOLDA F31 Orange or F40 Red and cover with Fluor 100. Economy wax would be just UF7. Finish the skis with the coarse structure using the Toko Structurerite Tool, interupted for the skate skis and linear for the classic skis. Brush well after pressing in the rill. This rill is best applied after waxing and prior to Fluoros. Also remember to let the skis cool after ironing and corking the fluoro before you brush

Kick wax is the current mystery. I am going to wait until tomorrow and hope the weather picture becomes more clear.

Have fun,

Bert