Ski wax

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Historic ski wax in a can: “Steig- u. Glide wax, powder snow "

Ski wax ( engl. Wax ) is a wax , which on the lining of skis and snowboards is applied. It prevents friction due to the water-repellent effect on the sliding surface. The melt water is created either by the pressure of the ski on the snow or generally due to the temperature in wet snow . The sliding ability of the sports equipment is increased.

Climbing wax (nordic)

There is climbing wax for the imprint zone in the binding area of ​​classic cross-country skis, which, in contrast to glide wax, should adhere to the snow when the imprint zone is stressed by the movement sequence when pushing off. This should enable the athlete to move forward. Climbing waxes are divided into hard waxes and klister . Hard waxes are used for crystalline snow, while the klister packaged in tubes is used for ice and wet snow.

Glide wax (nordic and alpine)

Glide wax, melting on the household iron

Glide waxes are available as hot wax and cold wax. Hot wax is available in sticks and is liquefied with low heat, for example, a household iron or a special wax iron (more precisely adjustable) and incorporated into the base. Cold wax is available as a liquid wax for spraying or application and as a hard wax for rubbing on the base. The hot wax application is much more durable than the cold wax application.

The wax layer has the welcome side effect of protecting the running surfaces of the skis. One disadvantage, however, is that dirt particles collect in the wax; After a certain distance, a waxed ski can become slower than an unwaxed one.

Waxes according to their nature and composition

Wax instructions

Ski wax is differentiated according to its hardness and its fluorinated wax content.

Soft waxes melt at lower temperatures (around 120 ° C) than hard waxes (around 150 ° C). Because the snow crystals are shaped differently according to age and temperature, the hardness of the wax used must be selected according to the nature of the snow and its temperature. Soft waxes tend to be used for old snow with round snow grains and at high temperatures, while hard waxes are used for new snow with loose snow crystals and at low temperatures. The difficulty and the "art" that is decisive for hundredths of a second in competition is to adjust the wax to the prevailing conditions.

Fluorine waxes

Fluorine waxes are a mixture of simple waxes and fluorinated waxes available in different proportions. They slide a little better and repel dirt a little better than conventional waxes (also called hydrocarbon waxes), as they are a little more hydrophobic due to the fluorination . The price increases with the proportion of fluorinated waxes. Special finish waxes, which are available on the market in different consistencies as powders, sprays and in blocks, are used as the final fine-tuning in racing. Fluorinated waxes must be applied to the ski at exactly the temperature specified by the manufacturer.

In sports retailers, waxing is usually not done by hand, but with a conventional hot wax machine or in well-known specialist shops with an infrared wax machine. There are over forty manufacturers of ski waxes worldwide.

Since July 4, 2020, the production and marketing of certain fluorine compounds has been prohibited in the EU , namely perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA precursor compounds , etc. a. since these are particularly difficult to break down in the environment. From December 3, 2020, a similar ban will also apply in the other contracting states of the Stockholm Convention . The FIS reacted and announced that from the winter season 2020/21 a ban on all per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) in waxes will be introduced in all ski disciplines. It has been shown that ski service people have increased levels of PFAS in their blood and that these have high biological half-lives . When skiing, part of the wax is rubbed off and remains in the environment. There the PFAS can accumulate in the food web .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Applying the glide wax with a wax iron. Retrieved on August 2, 2019 (German).
  2. ↑ Press release Mid Sweden University (English) ( Memento of 13 January 2011 at the Internet Archive )
    makes growing slowly. On: Wissenschaft.de from December 12, 2005.
  3. ↑ Ralf Streule: Turmoil in the world of waxes: An EU fluorine ban unsettles Dario Cologna and Co. In: tagblatt.ch . November 13, 2019, accessed November 14, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Regulation (EU) 2017/1000 of the Commission of 13 June 2017 amending Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA precursor compounds
  5. ↑ SC-9/12: Listing of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds, Reference: CN588.2019.TREATIES-XXVII.15 (Depositary Notification) , December 3, 2019.
  6. ↑ Emma Davies: International Ski Federation to ban PFASs in ski waxes. In: ChemicalWatch. November 28, 2019, accessed December 13, 2019 .
  7. ↑ FIS board confirms fluorine ban from the 2020/2021 season. In: xc-ski.de. November 23, 2019, accessed January 3, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Helena Nilsson, Anna Kärrman, Håkan Westberg, Anna Rotander, Bert van Bavel, Gunilla Lindström: A Time Trend Study of Significantly Elevated Perfluorocarboxylate Levels in Humans after Using Fluorinated Ski Wax . In: Environmental Science & Technology . tape 44 , no. 6 , 2010, p. 2150-2155 , doi : 10.1021 / es9034733 .
  9. ↑ Baard Ingegerdsson Freberg, Line Småstuen Haug, Raymond Olsen, Hanne Line Daae, Merete Hersson, Cathrine Thomsen, Syvert Thorud, Georg Becher, Paal Molander, Dag G. Ellingsen: Occupational Exposure to Airborne Perfluorinated Compounds during Professional Ski Waxing . In: Environmental Science & Technology . tape 44 , no. 19 , 2010, p. 7723-7728 , doi : 10.1021 / es102033k .
  10. ↑ Randi Grønnestad, Berta Pérez Vázquez, Augustine Arukwe, Veerle LB Jaspers, Bjørn Munro Jenssen, Mahin Karimi, Jan L. Lyche, Åse Krøkje: Levels, Patterns, and Biomagnification Potential of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in a Terrestrial Food Chain in a Nordic Skiing Area . In: Environmental Science & Technology . tape 53 , no. 22 , 2019, p. 13390-13397 , doi : 10.1021 / acs.est.9b02533 .