What is crucial to achieve a reliable kick? Part IV.: correctly choosen kick waxes

Kick ski waxes are not easily to be used, for this reason they are often replaced by different alternatives as e.g. mohair skis, wax tapes, no wax skis with nano-structure etc.

We recommend to use kick waxes if snow conditions are stable and predictable, for example when they do not change for longer time (e.g. several days).

Under stable and predictable snow and weather conditions kick ski waxes can be used safely and reliably without any big issues.

If you are not experienced enough DO NOT USE kick ski waxes in case of snow fall, close to zero degrees, any time when snow or weather conditions change fast.

General advice how to use kick waxes:

• apply kick waxes in kick zone only
• NEVER combine kick waxes with alternatives
• always start with a colder / harder wax applied in a thin layer
• hard kick waxes need to be rubbed by a cork
• before you “go” to a warmer / softer wax, try to apply more thin layers of a colder / harder wax
• do not apply more than ca. 4 thin layers
• hard waxes are dedicated for crystalline snow conditons or snow conditions where the snow crystalls did not lose their forms and shapes completely
• clisters are dedicated for transformed snow conditions or snow conditions where original snow crystalls have transformed to more or less oval cornes of different size
• you can put clisters on hard waxes but not vice versa

What is crucial to achieve a reliable kick? Part II.: the right ski base

In the previous article we explained that the right stiffness of the ski for classic cross-country skiing style is the first crucial parameter to achieve a reliable kick.

Today’s part is dealing with the ski base.

We know that the ski base consists of three areas in case of skis for classic cross-country skiing style. In the front and back there is the gliding area, in the middle there is the kick area. In the front and back gliding waxes and agents are applied, in the middle kick waxes or means are used. Alternatives for kick waxes are mohair, kick strip, zero ski base patterns etc.

Ski base is responsible for both gliding and kicking properties.

Kicking features

It can be very surprising but kick waxes or kick means decide not only about how reliable the kick is but also how well or badly the skis glide.

Why?

If a liquid kick wax is freezing or a hard kick wax layer is too thick, this bad kick quality is impacting the gliding qualities so significantly that any gliding wax can compensate this.

If you are a beginner skier or ski tourist you need to concetrate on the quality of the kick agents because they influence both gliding and kicking properties.

Gliding properties of kick waxes depend especially on

• correct position and length of kick area
• thickness of kick layer
• right kick wax needs to be chosen for specific snow conditions
• roughness of ski base in area where kick waxes are applied needs to be increased

Gliding features

If kick wax does not glide well, the ski does not glide well :-) You can improve the gliding features with the application of gliding waxes and agents, but they protect more the ski base than improve the gliding features in case of classic cross-country skiing style.

In addition there are ski base types which are able to absorb and “hold” gliding waxes and there are ski base types on the market which cannot absorb or hold any wax.