What do ski wax, a luxurious Mercedes, a brand-new Lada and independent thinking have in common? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
A Partnership Where Everyone Wins?
Anyone involved in ski preparation knows how important cooperation with ski wax manufacturers has become.
Preparing racing skis is now so complex that the research, development and testing carried out by wax manufacturers are almost indispensable.
Their enormous investment in time, money and resources benefits not only elite athletes hoping to gain another few seconds next season, but also recreational skiers who simply want their skis to glide properly and avoid snow sticking to the grip zone.
The benefits for skiers seem obvious.
The benefits for manufacturers are equally obvious: better products, technological advantages, greater prestige, increased sales, higher profit margins and, ultimately, more money.
Invest wisely, and you can earn more!
It looks like a perfect win-win situation.
But is this seemingly harmonious relationship really as perfect as it appears?
To answer that question, we should first ask another:
Are the goals of ski wax manufacturers truly aligned with the goals of skiers?
I am afraid the answer is not quite so straightforward.
A Mercedes, a Lada and Plenty of Ski Wax
Enough general discussion. Let me tell you a story from my youth.
I grew up in a former communist country. Surprisingly, even under socialism, ski waxes and accessories from a leading Western manufacturer were available.
I was about fourteen years old at the time.
My uncle was an important official in an organisation responsible for training young competitive athletes.
I can still remember how, at every major competition, the local representative of that leading manufacturer arrived from Prague in his big Mercedes, bringing small and not-so-small gifts.
Naturally, the value of the gifts depended on one's position within the hierarchy of the socialist sports organisation.
The lower-ranking officials received the familiar BE kick wax.
The really important gentlemen, however, had to open the boot of their brand-new Ladas in a dark corner of the car park.
Their presents were simply too large to fit into their pockets.
Anyone imagining that the Western company was merely trying to help poor athletes behind the Iron Curtain would probably be mistaken.
Elite athletes were a showcase for socialist countries and received substantial support.
My uncle had a budget for ski waxes and accessories that many modern sports organisations could only dream of.
And that generous budget was probably exactly what the manufacturer's representative had in mind.
Once again, our familiar principle:
Invest wisely, and you can earn more!
Different Times, Different Scenery
Anyone who believes these practices disappeared together with socialism may be mistaken once again.
Sometimes I have the impression that only the scenery has changed.
In the old days, waxes, brushes, waxing irons, gloves, jackets, hats, ski poles and various other items were transferred from the boot of a large Mercedes into the boot of a brand-new Lada in a deserted car park.
Today, things might look considerably more sophisticated.
Perhaps a training seminar, a product presentation or a research meeting at a sunny ski resort in one of the most beautiful corners of Europe or America.
Naturally, the exhausting journey requires arriving several days early.
And after an equally exhausting two-hour presentation of the latest glide wax, a few additional days of recovery are surely necessary.
Preferably with the whole family.
After all, who would want to spend so much time away from their loved ones?
And because the new wax still needs extensive testing under various snow conditions, every participant takes home a few complimentary packages.
Times change. The scenery changes. But do the mechanisms behind it really change as much?
When Cooperation Replaces Independent Thinking
What consequences can arise when ski service technicians become too closely involved in manufacturers' research and testing programmes?
In my view, the consequences can be serious. Perhaps more serious than we might initially imagine.
Let me offer another example.
Some time ago, I read an online survey concerning the ban on fluorinated ski waxes.
Among those interviewed were leading Czech ski service technicians, including heads of national service teams and specialists working for national teams abroad.
What troubled me most was the striking similarity between their statements and the recommendations published by wax manufacturers.
Reading their responses, I had the impression that even highly experienced professionals sometimes simply repeated what manufacturers had told them.
Where was the independent verification?
Where was the critical question of whether a particular product or application was actually necessary, effective or reasonable?
That, to me, is the real problem.
Close cooperation between manufacturers and ski service technicians can undoubtedly generate valuable knowledge.
But it can also create an environment in which manufacturers' recommendations gradually become accepted as unquestionable technical truths.
Independent experiments, personal observations and critical questions may then fade into the background.
And the greatest beneficiaries may be those whose primary objective is to sell more products.
Possible consequences include excessive wax consumption, unnecessary application of certain products and additional risks to the environment and health.
I find it particularly troubling when potential health risks for ski service technicians and other people involved receive less attention than commercial interests.
Conclusion: What We May Really Lose
An excessively close relationship with ski wax manufacturers may eventually cost us something far more valuable than money:
our ability to think independently.
For a little gold, we may allow ourselves to be guided like puppets, without even noticing that we are gradually surrendering our independence.
My uncle accepted plenty of presents in those days.
But as far as I remember, there was one thing he never gave away:
his own judgement.
He still knew how to distinguish between what was right and what was wrong.
And perhaps that was the most valuable thing he possessed.