XC Ski For Women

[mca80]

you can ask a qualified US Ski and Snowbaord Association certified instructor all kinds of stuff…

I have. Response was it will be slower than using glide wax. Fair enough, but I have to go up (and down) steep short hills in the backcountry ad infinutum the extra grip may be worth it? Yes, I suppose so for that situation.

[Musk Ox]

Just like focusing on glide waxing for speed may not do the job as well as an alternative method for a particular terrain and skiing style.

HEX-ACT-LY.

a) I am skiing up and down a frozen riverbed in temperatures of -20°C, with no load, on nice new 3D snow. I want the option of skins, but Polar goes in the grip zone, as Swix say it should, and I want hard proper authentic glide wax on the glidy bits (if I can be bothered, because sometimes I just can't, I'll probably use some of the spray). This is going to be fun. Whee.

b) I am going to spend the night in a hut up a hill and I'm carrying a load but I'm not in a hurry and I've got my Nansens on and a thermos of hot chocolate and I've got skins on and I've got Polar in the glide zones because I'm lazy and it's -4°C here, it's -1° on the sunny side of the mountain, and it's going to get to -8° later, and tomorrow morning it's going to be -9° on fresh snow, and I'm not putting fresh glide wax on in a hut for these changing conditions, I'm going to be drinking beer and having a steak dehydrated chilli con carne, so I have Polar on the glide zones of my skis because I've done this before and it's actually pretty good.

Manney: "You are not enjoying yourself, what you are doing is impossible, can you not read, have you not been to Swix dot com?"

[Manney]

This is really going nowhere @mca80. You’re not arguing against me, you’re arguing against wax companies that have been in the business for decades, put winners on the Olympic podium, and employ specialists ranging from chemical engineers to professional skiers.

Your analogy is based on the fallacy that wax technology hasn’t changed. It has gone from paraffin based products to engineered ones. Testing equipment has evolved with it. All to arrive at formulations that work better and better. But those formulations are use-specific. They’re use-specific because specialization is one of the ways to enhance performance.

Do you actually think that wax manufacturers don’t formulate products for practically ALL snow conditions? Really? Come on, @mca80. These are global industries serving international markets ffs.

So unlike a home, which is built to local, regional or national standards that last for decades, consumables like wax will change as new formulations are developed for a worldwide market.

This explains why anyone who has been tracking this for more than ten years will have seen at least two major formulation changes (graphite and floro). We’re now onto a third (post-floro), after FIS banned C8 compinds and manufacturers needed to develop compositions that worked as well to repel dirt and moisture. Graphite based formulations are is still out there and quite useful in certain conditions tho.

But don’t let any of this change your mind. This is the internet, that magical place where reality gives way to all manner of belief systems.

And insofar as @Musk Ox’s straw man on changing temperatures, that’s why glide waxes are formulated for a temperature RANGE. They also have the characteristic of working up the temperature scale better than they work down, so performance is still really good if the temperatures rise outside the wax range.

But instead of accepting this, ppl would rather use grip wax in place glide wax. Why? Simplicity, because it sure as heck isn’t performance or even cost.

“Pretty good”, @Musk Ox? Is that your standard? LOL. You can do better than that. We all can.

And what happens when it gets really cold? What wax do you use then? Certainly not Polar Glide wax, because you’ve already fucked your bases with grip wax and dirt. Or do you not ski in cold weather?

You can’t lay grip wax over glide wax. You can’t lay glide wax over grip wax. It won’t hold. This is why you never mix the two and do things like use Base Prep waxes on the glide zones when you buy new skis.

[mca80]

So unlike a home, which is built to local, regional or national standards that last for decades, consumables like wax will change as new formulations are developed for a worldwide market.

Made my point for me. These glide waxes are developed for a "worldwide market" and for racing, meaning they aren't specific enough for a tiny niche like backcountry.

And lol, building a home to last for decades. Wise use of resources. Homes used to be built to last for centuries. Also the "local standards" are often like trying to put a square peg in a round hole because they are just going off of what are global standards minimums. Lastly, the trend in home construction has changed as new formulations are developed for a worldwide market. Homes are essentially "consumables" now, with new developments and a generalized direction of use.

[Manney]

You’re hopelessly lost. A worldwide market doesn’t mean one size fits all ffs. It means that they’re designing their products to work from one end of the planet to another. That’s why glide waxes come in multiple formulations. They cater to a variety of temperature and moisture conditions. They even account for differences between old and new snow.

Which is the DIRECT OPPOSITE of “just use Polar Grip” for all your glide wax needs.

And you need to read up on house construction standards in the US. They actually vary by zone… framing, roofing, windows, insulation, HVAC etc. The climate in this country is too diverse to have one construction standard for all homes.

[Musk Ox]

Edit. a deleted post, this is pointless. Moo

[mca80]

You’re hopelessly lost. A worldwide market doesn’t mean one size fits all ffs. It means that they’re designing their products to work from one end of the planet to another. That’s why glide waxes come in multiple formulations. They cater to a variety of temperature and moisture conditions. They even account for differences between old and new snow.

Which is the DIRECT OPPOSITE of “just use Polar Grip” for all your glide wax needs.

And you need to read up on house construction standards in the US. They actually vary by zone… framing, roofing, windows, insulation, HVAC etc. The climate in this country is too diverse to have one construction standard for all homes.

So they're designing products to work from one side of the planet to the other. But not really, insofar as they are focused on racing which is their major mkt. What they develop for racing globally has no impact on recreational backcountry, globally or locally.

Re housing codes they vary only insofar as additional requirements are added to an international standard for minimums, which is what I said--not that there is no variation. I can cite a whole lot if you wish, though it is probably not worth either of our time. I spent so much time researching before I started building my cabin, which I did by myself, that friend's even harrassed me and said quit reading and just put something up.

I never said "just use polar grip," you must have me confused with someone else. Until you actually start reading my posts rather than merely lashing out I have no interest in your comments.

[mca80]

Not only that, you are missing the point entirely re housing. There are no codes in USA specific to unusual building materials, or even materials not unusual in the past but not used now. The codes are all about stick framed houses. To build anything unconventional requires a damn headache and meetings with planning and inspectors--far more than a standard stick house-- even if doing a style of construction that has existed for centuries.

If we can transpose your insistence that Swix knows all and their usage directives are gospel, then there's no room for any house not built on the industrial methodology.

To take this line of thought even further astray from skiing, are you saying I am dumb for refusing covid vaccines because Pfizer et al are all-knowing about their product, its effects, and the disease it is supppsed to... well I don't know what it's supposed to do anymore, they keep changing the narrative.

[Manney]

Nobody said Swix recommendations were “gospel”. Neither that word, nor it’s meaning we’re used… except by you just now.

The issue is choosing to use grip wax as a glide wax, which is unnecessary, unwise, uneconomical, and less effective than a purposely formulated glide wax.

Swix, to focus on just one manufacturer, makes glide wax for recreation, performance, and competition. So it’s not all about racing. There are three specific formulations… PS, HS, and TS.

The customer can choose what level of performance they want or can afford… all of which will enhance glide far more than a grip wax.

I never said "just use polar grip," you must have me confused with someone else. Until you actually start reading my posts rather than merely lashing out I have no interest in your comments.

Nobody directly attributed this comment to you. You spoke of global markets, like it meant universality. Which it doesn’t.

If you don’t accept one size fits all, as it appears you don’t, how can you accept the notion of using one “thing” for all your glide wax needs?

Nobody is lashing out at anybody @mca80. We’re discussing things here, not people.

To take this line of thought even further astray from skiing, are you saying I am dumb for refusing covid vaccines because Pfizer et al are all-knowing about their product, its effects, and the disease it is supppsed to... well I don't know what it's supposed to do anymore, they keep changing the narrative.

This is an attempt to turn this into a personal discussion, which it isn’t. Not biting.

[mca80]

If you don’t accept one size fits all, as it appears you don’t, how can you accept the notion of using one “thing” for all your glide wax needs?

I don't. So you're either retarded and don't know how to read, or just an asshole trying to frame things your way despite documented evidence to the contrary. Either way not worth my time.