Zen and the art of waxing skis

Many years ago, in the pristine boreal forests of Northern Ontario, Miniature Rose flew over the cross country ski trails in a quest to bring eternal glory to her beloved Raiders.

Well, some days she flew. On other days, when the Swix wax and the snow failed to achieve that perfect but elusive symbiotic relationship, allowing for both perfect long glides and powerful kicks, frustration abounded and ski poles may have been thrown. In those days, a Swix wall thermometer was our best guide to wax selection.

At the Winter Olympics in Torino, the Canadian Cross Country Ski team relies on wax technician Yves Bilodeau to prep their skis. M. Bilodeau has the coolest job in the world. From the CBC article:

Bilodeau's job is to make skiers confident in their equipment. Most days it's a sixth sense for wax technicians. Bilodeau says they usually know exactly the kind of wax they'll be using in the few steps they walk to the van on the morning of the race, before they actually check temperature, snow and humidity readings.

"You look at the athlete and you tell them that this is good, it's going to work," Bilodeau says. "Don't stress, go for it and you're going to have a really good ski."

When they arrive at the course on race day, Bilodeau and the technicians begin by verifying humidity readings, snow and air temperatures near the start area. But as altitude fluctuates, so does snow condition, and the blend of wax can change with every fraction of a degree.

Rather than test the temperature of every topographic ripple, Bilodeau delegates one wax technician to ski the course and report back on the performance of the wax. This can take up to four hours for the 50-kilometre race.

Bilodeau chooses high-priced, high-tech, powdered fluorocarbon waxes for special races. This application is a fine powder that requires technicians to wear filtered masks.

Some days the expensive wax works best and one pair of skis can end up with $60 to $100 worth of the stuff layered on it. Other days, the cheap wax will suffice. That's why they test.

It's a far cry from a tool box full of little cans of wax and klister, an old iron, and a colourful wall clock!

PS to my dubious husband: I told you so!