Dear Nordic Skiers,
I wanted to give you a heads up on what is new for this winter and make some recommendations.
New products for 26/27 Winter:
Waxes
Jet Bloc Cold (Blue) and Warm (Yellow)
These are fluoro-free top coats that provide racers a level of performance that previously couldn’t be achieved with a fluoro-free formula. These products are very economical if used by themselves as a top coat. They are also very effective when used in combination with Jet Liquid. The Jet Bloc Mid (Red) stays the same as it was last winter. The new Jet Warm (Yellow) was a very successful test wax that ran in basically everything including cold dry snow, but was also excellent in all types of wet snow. So, this is a wax that I'd like to highlight as it is so very versatile. These two blocs are known to us. The new Warm is last year's Jet Bloc Y and the new Cold is last year's Jet Bloc X. These bloc topcoats can be used over a high performance hot wax. They have also been applied OVER Jet Liquid after it dries with great success. The Cold and Warm formulations will be in stock in maybe early December. That said, you can get the new Warm as last year's Jet Bloc Y and the new Cold as last year's Jet Bloc X. They are in stock now with that nomenclature.
RS Premix 1916 Wipe and Brush
This is a high performance World Cup tested training and base wax designed for ambitious ski racers. This is a wax that is ideal for diverse snow conditions and temperatures, providing exceptional glide and resilience. Basically it works in all conditions except for cold dry powder. This is the #1 base wax used by World Cup teams (in hot wax form). Now available in a Wipe and Brush form to accommodate racers looking to protect their bases between trainings or events and then to have fast skis for course inspection and zero testing. This is a perfect product for those who want to have fast skis without using heat. Expected in stock in mid November.
Wipe and Brush is also available in a less expensive version called All in One Wipe and Brush.
Tools
Racing Base Cleaner Plus
This is a new improved version of what used to be called Racing Wax Remover with a special formula containing an additive wax to prevent any unintended drying of the base from use. This is only intended for cleaning the glide surfaces of skis and not for removing Nordic grip waxes. This product performs better than a normal waxremover for base cleaning.
Racing Base Cleaner
This is a new improved version of what used to be called Racing Wax Remover. This product is only intended for cleaning the glide surfaces of skis and not for removing Nordic grip waxes. This product performs better than a normal waxremover for base cleaning.
Why do we have both of these options and when would you want to use one rather than the other? The Racing Base Cleaner Plus would be your go-to base cleaner. It is effective in cleaning the base and leaves a light layer of paraffin on the base preventing any drying out of the base that might otherwise occur when cleaning the base. This should be your default/go to.
The Racing Base Cleaner is a similar product, but without the paraffin. In very dirty snow conditions, a common race ski waxing practice is to go with a clean and dry base with no paraffin on it and then apply Jet Liquid Yellow. In this case, it is good to clean the base with the racing base cleaner (no Plus) to ensure that the base is not only clean, but is also devoid of any paraffin which might attract and/or create friction against the dirt that is in the snow. Then when the Racing Base cleaner has completely evaporated, apply Jet Liquid Yellow. This is a great solution for dirty spring snow race conditions, for example. In this case, using the Racing Base Cleaner is advantageous over the Plus version. I anticipate that I will have these two products in stock mid to end of November.
New Waxing Irons
These irons are known to us. They are similar irons to the dependable irons that we had in the past with some performance tweaks. All 3 irons heat to a higher temperature and have thicker base plates than our earlier irons.
T25 Digital Iron
This digital Iron has a 25mm base plate (thick!). It heats up to 200c. This is our new World Cup level iron and replaces the T18. 1200W power. The T25 also has an auto shut off if the iron hasn't been moved for a while which is a great safety feature!
T15 Digital Iron
This digital iron has a 15mm base plate (thicker than the T14) and heats up to 180c. This iron replaces the T14. 1200W power.
T8 Wax Iron
This iron has a 15mm base plate (thicker) and heats up to 180c. This iron is an improvement on the T8 iron. 800W power.
These irons are in stock now.
Polishing Brush
This is the exact same brush that we had in the past, but now has blue bristles so you can differentiate it more easily from the Nylon Brush. In stock now.
Rotary Brushes
We went to an old (dependable and well known) manufacturer, so all of our rotary brushes have new item numbers, but will be similar except perhaps with slightly better quality. Most are in stock now, with the Copper and Merino Rollers still on the way (maybe early December?)
Padded Travel Bag for Workbenches
Robust and durable transport bag that accommodates the Toko Workbench 110x50 (not the Workbench Small) and the Racing Workbench. This bag does NOT fit the Workbench Small. In stock now.
New Gloves!
We are stocking the Yellow/White/Black gloves that you probably saw some of our sponsored athletes using in the Olympics. They are available in the Thermo Plus, Thermo Race, and Profi models. They have been received very well.
New Rain Glove
With a "Super el Nino" on tap for this winter, we can expect wetter than usual conditions on average. Happily I developed a new Rain Glove last winter and tested and finalized it throughout the spring and summer. We even tested it in Norway at Songefjell glacier in June when it was pouring rain and came out with A+ marks! This new glove has a very water resistant palm and the rest of the glove is made from airprene. The glove is not waterproof at all, but is quite optimal for skiing (or biking) in wet snow or rainy weather. Your hands will be comfortable despite the weather which is the main thing. The gloves start out feeling stiff the first time out, but this quickly resolves itself and they quickly get a nice shape and feel to them. These are a huge improvement above our old Rain Gloves. In stock now.
New Headwear
We have a completely new line of hats, headbands, and buffs coming out now. The hats have more insulation on the forehead and less everywhere else. They are quite breathable and look distinctive. The headbands are flat cut and insulated with a micro fleece. The buffs are thick and warm, yet breathable. They are designed for cold weather and are thicker than most of the buffs on the market. The official nomenclature is Neck and Head Warmer. They all come in multiple designs. In stock now.
Waxing Recommendations
We have a product that came out during last winter called 1916. It's a hot wax that comes in 960g boxes (8 x 120g blocs). This is an amazing hot wax that runs very well in all conditions except for cold dry powder. It is affordable. Many elite and world cup teams use this wax as their default wax as they know it will always be in there and then focus on structure, ski selection, and topcoats as this is where the true differences are made. This is what I recommend for those teams that use topcoats as well. The name 1916 originates from the date that the Toko company was formed.
Otherwise, the Jet Liquids and Blocs are without a doubt our go-to racing products. In wet snow, nothing comes close to Jet Liquid Warm (Yellow). There have been quite a few spring condition events where the top 15 (or more) have all been on Jet Liquid Yellow. The product speaks for itself and if you don't have it or haven't tried it, you are making a mistake. The Jet Liquid Red and Blue also are excellent but perform best in snow that is faster, a little transformed, glazed, or skied-in.
The Cold and Warm Jet Blocs are new products. The Warm is proven though (it was last year's Jet Bloc Y) and is a top product. The Cold is new and although we are familiar with the ingredients in a different product and form, it hasn't been introduced to World Cup teams yet as a test product, so we don't have a track record to look at. I will provide more information on this product as we gain experience with it. The Mid (Red) was available last winter and is an excellent product. It is easier to commit to the blocs though when there is a full line rather than just one formula. If you were going to get just one bloc, at this time, I would recommend the Warm (Yellow) as it is super versatile.
In colder dry slower powder snow, there continues to be nothing better than the XCold Powder which can be used by itself or mixed with HP Blue hot wax. Nothing accelerates better in cold dry slower snow.
Lastly, the Wipe and Brush products can be really convenient and effective as a post event quick travel wax that can then be used for testing skis and course inspection. Wipe and Brush comes in two formulas: All in One and 1916. The All in One has been surprisingly good, but it is inexpensive. The 1916 is more expensive and is more of a High Performance quality.
Wax Clinic in West Yellowstone Friday 27 November from 6-8PM
This clinic will be conducted by Ian Harvey and will cover application methods of topcoats, 1916 products, what brushes to use when and why, and other new products and then will have a question and answer session. The clinic will be held at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in one of the conference rooms. There will be a sign directing you to the proper room. There will also be giveaways!
