From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
Biathete Tiril Eckhoff (NOR) hands over the skis to Gerhard Urain, Nordic Race Director for Fischer. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Will there be enough skis this season? That’s the question every ski shop and many consumers are asking. With demand predicted to remain high this winter, and some unique challenges faced by ski producers, ski scarcity may remain a reality.
“I imagine if demand stays high we will see some significant shortages this season,” said Nathan Shultz, owner of Boulder Nordic Sport.
The problem, from a supply-side, started with the pandemic. People thought that the demand would be low and the most popular would be home-based activities like online games from Casinosters. “In the beginning, everyone freaked out and thought that no one was going to buy anything,” said Schulz. “Factories had to adapt to that expectation and then everything started going gangbusters, and demand escalated at a pace we haven’t seen. So on top of supply disruptions, there was a huge demand, everything sold out, and then the fire happened.”
In October 2020, a massive fire tore through the ski production line of Fischer’s factory in Mukachevo, Ukraine, requiring much of the production floor to be rebuilt. Most of the skis for the 20-21 season, however, had already been produced and were awaiting shipment in a separate facility.
Fischer—the world’s largest ski manufacturer—produced around sixty percent of its skis across all disciplines at the Ukrainian site, which handled ski production for several other brands as well. In all, it has been reported that a quarter of the world’s skis came out of the Mukachevo factory.
“Globally the loss of that factory is a big hit, and not only for Fischer but the brands that they manufacture for,” said Zach Caldwell of Caldwell Sport. Like many large ski factories, the Ukrainian factory produced cross country and alpine skis for a number of brands including Rossignol, Alpina, Scott, and Dynafit.
Jeff Courter, the Nordic Manager for Rossignol said the Fischer factory fire was, “shorting the worldwide ski supply because the factory made skis for a lot of different brands. When you think about finding a home for all those skis, not only for our brand, but for Fischer and anyone else they made skis for, that’s a lot of skis you have to find factories for. So that’s putting a lot of pressure on all the other ski factories as well.” (Rossignol’s high-end race skis are manufactured at their production facilities in Spain and France.)
“Without Covid, we might have been able to absorb [the Fischer factory loss]…but with Covid—impossible. So this is why all the big brands need to shut down for business early.” Said Robert Lazzaroni, the Regional Commercial Manager of Salomon, referring to the earlier than the normal deadline for retailers to order skis.
In a normal year, ski shops order equipment for the following season in the late spring and reorder products as demand requires. “Normally if we need something specific we call and get something,” said Schulz. “We do a lot of small juniors orders, because it’s so hard to know what juniors are going to need…we call Fischer if we need something.”
This year, the flexibility to order small batches on the fly has dissolved. “We’ve been told, ‘don’t expect any reorder capability,’” Schulz said. According to some ski reps, many retailers are left with little ski stock heading into the 2022 season and will have to rely on their preseason order made in March to get them through the winter.
“I believe the shops did learn the lesson last year with the crazy demand for our product,” said Lazzaroni. “And I think the shops did go a little bit heavier on the preseason versus the reorder.”
In recent years, with the retirement of Canada’s Alex Harvey, U.S. skier Jessie Diggins has become the face of the France based ski brand. (Photo: NordicFocus)
What was already a perfect storm of increased demand and faltering supply chains as the pandemic ensued, was only compounded by the Ukraine fire. Factories able to upscale their ski production worked at full capacity to meet the preseason order requirements.
Courter said that the Rossignol factories had been, “really maxing out on what it can make, and not only make, but ship in a timely manner. These production ceilings we have rarely, if ever, been bumped into until now—so it’s been a learning experience.”
Ski production has seasonal constraints as retailers need to receive products during their selling window, most of which happens between October and January. “We could keep making skis and boots all year,” said Courter, “but it’s not going to do the retailers any good if we send them a bunch of stuff in March.”
Fischer compensated for the production loss in part by transferring some of its Ukrainian ski makers to its factory in Ried, Austria allowing production there to ramp up, with the factory running additional shifts.
Steve Reeder, Fischer’s Nordic Sales Manager in the U.S., said that under the circumstances, Fischer was handling the demand well. ”Can we absolutely get as many as we want? No,” Reeder said, “but we’ll have more product out there this season than we did last season.”
Fischer’s high-end products are mainly produced in Austria and were unaffected by the fire. “The two factories have been separated on the nordic side by their core technologies,” said Reeder. “Ried [Austria] has specialized in Air Core, and the Ukraine is kind of a complete tree to ski facility. Everything other than our entry-level price point is Air Core, so it’s coming out of Ried.” Reeder continued, “For the FasterSkier audience there’s actually minimal impact from the fire. We’re still making the majority of our race ski product in Ried, Austria. So the supply concerns are focused more on the touring category which has been compounded by the impact that Covid has had on outdoor recreation sales, and the fact that the increase in business we’ve seen in the States is happening globally.”
A fleet of Fischer race bred Speedmax. According to Fischer, production of the high-end race ski will not be affected by the Ukraine factory fire. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The supply-side strain is most acute on the recreational and backcountry ski category that sold so well last winter, according to ski reps and shops that spoke to FasterSkier. “Touring and backcountry is where, not only us, but a lot of the other brands will not have the availability, unfortunately,” Courter said.
“Already last year the supply [for touring] was very short, and this year we are facing known shortages,” Caldwell said. “I know we’ve been promised that our preseason orders would be filled, but on reorders we’re anticipating having zero availability.”
For high-end race skis, the situation is calmer, though demand for racing equipment has rebounded. “Even in the performance and race categories the demand is really high, which is great considering that last year was troubling to get races off the ground,” said Courter. With factories working at full tilt to produce orders, manufacturers are unable to produce an excess of high-end models. “With top-end race skis, we’re anticipating getting what we ordered,” Caldwell said, “but also anticipating some short supply as we get closer to winter.”
Apart from skis, there are ramifications for other nordic products due to the topsy turvy global supply chain.
“The wax folks I’ve talked to have acknowledged that material costs have gone up and their margins have gotten really lean. I wouldn’t be surprised to see costs go up at some point,” said Caldwell. “I bet some companies might introduce them already this year, but a lot of companies are stuck with what they’ve promised, so it might be something to recoup from in the future—but that’s a price thing. The absolute chemical that goes into it is pretty small, it’s not a big industry.”
Another question Caldwell has considered is whether ski poles will be affected by global pressures. “Who knows, maybe poles will be difficult with a ton of Asian carbon manufacturing,” said Caldwell who clarified that he was, “totally speculating.” He added that, “Pretty much every pole out there is made in Asia, and that Asian supply chain…I just don’t know at what point that becomes an issue. Because of the cross over into other industries, the ski pole factories aren’t always ski pole factories, so that introduces a level of vulnerability and knock-on effect from other supply chain issues and excess orders.”
While burgeoning demand, reduced stockpiles, and the loss of the largest ski factory have strained the industry, it is in a relatively better position than that of other outdoor sport manufacturers, notably the bike industry.
“I think everyone recognizes that the bike supply chain is really screwed up,” said Caldwell. “With skis, it’s a limited range of raw materials and according to the companies I’ve spoken with, they’re not seeing shortages in raw materials. So in terms of assembling the products, it’s not so much a problem, the problem is on the demand side and on the capacity of factories to produce the skis. The nice thing about skis is they make a finished product in one factory.”
The ski brands that spoke to FasterSkier were confident in their ability to deliver on their preseason orders, and to varying degrees, believe they may be able to offer reorders on high-end race skis. Shop owners, however, expressed some concern that orders would be delivered in full.
French World Cup athletes hover over the Rossignol goods. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In any case, possible ski shortages this upcoming winter will likely be decided by the size of retailers’ preseason orders and, most of all, snowfall. “Our sport is dependent on snow on the ground, so assuming that some of our markets like New England and the Midwest—if they get early snow, then there’ll be a point somewhere in the year that shops could get a little lean on in-stock product,” said Courter.
Lazzaroni put it succinctly, “If, and it’s always an if, we have a decent early winter, the industry will lack product. I do believe what we saw last winter will continue into this winter and there will be a crazy high demand for nordic product,” said Lazzaroni. “The question is, has our retailer network been optimistic enough, and crazy enough with their preseason order to cover future needs from the consumer? I don’t think so, to be honest.”
For skiers looking for new boards this winter, the message was clear: buy early. “People would be advised to get their names on orders early,” said Caldwell, “because I would be unsurprised to see some brands fall short
A U.S. ski technician holds different skis in the warm up area on the IBU World Cup. in Kontiolahti, Finland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
When the country began shutting down in March, sporting good retailers initially shuddered. It appeared many if not all sectors of the economy would bottom out.
“Everything was dicey in February and starting early March,” said Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) founder Nathan Schultz about the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was about to head off to Italy for the World Masters to wax there. Everybody in the Midwest was getting ready for the World Cup. And then everything got canceled. Things got serious really fast.”
Early on, Schultz decided to curtail BNS operations. He advised his employees to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) until he and his advisors could settle on a long-term plan of action.
For BNS and many ski purveyors, March can be a lucrative month – a time to create some financial padding before the dry season. By April, ski and winter accessory sales normally dip as the sun tracks higher in the sky. It’s a timeworn business cycle.
“This March and April were scary,” said Schultz who noted his March revenues dipped roughly 75 percent.“And in April, people were still kind of holed up and April is not usually a big month for us. But to have it go from a little bit to nothing is pretty hard. We were definitely scared about the end on the ski side.”
Back in 2018, Schultz merged BNS with Boulder Cycle Sport – a Boulder based specialty bike shop. Schultz’s close proximity to the bike side of the outdoor retail market was a front seat for the unexpected: a run on bikes during the pandemic’s onset.
In March and April, Boulder Cycle Sport’s bike staff agreed to reduce their hours by 50 percent. Doomsday scenarios were not so far fetched. But as the mercury rose and Colorado’s front range greened-up, Boulder’s denizens, known for their high output energy, became stir crazy like the rest of the nation under lock down. Schultz recounted, “everybody started riding bikes because that was all they could do. It went from zero to 500 percent.” With the uptick in sales, the bike staff transitioned to full time and any interested ski employees were offered hours on the bike side of the business. The experience in Boulder was no anomaly. Bike sales blew up across the nation. Mainstream media outlets reported that wait times for new bikes could be months. From kid-bikes, cruisers, road and gravel bikes, to fat tire steeds, they all were in high demand.
This was true for Boulder Cycle Sport where zero to 500 meant they could sell bikes as fast as they received them. According to Schultz, May, June, and July were all “crazy good”. “It went from ‘super scary’, to ‘wow are we going to be able to survive this?’ to ‘this is amazing we are selling everything that we have.’”
Boulder Cycle Sport does not simply cater to the high-end customer looking to drop 10 k on electronic shifting and featherweight carbon. “We definitely have everything,” added Schultz. “We want to be the neighborhood bike shop. So, we have all types of bikes.”
That bike spectrum spans starter kids bikes, to mid-price commuters, along with a full menu of price points for customers seeking an entry-level or pro-level race bike. No matter, the low, middle, and high end of the bike market was selling out. With brisk sales coupled with factory closures, supply chain disruptions became a common topic. Some bike models remain hard to come by as are some spare parts. “It is at the point right now in the bike world where the supply has been nearly exhausted,” said Schultz.
The exhaustion of the supply chain does not necessarily mean bike manufacturers will full-tilt-boogie ramp up production to meet demand. In an article and radio piece for Marketplace, Chris Rodgers, a supply chain analyst for S & P Market Intelligence said this: “The [bike] industry wasn’t running with lots of spare capacity to start with. What the industry doesn’t want to do is double its capacity to meet the increased demand, and then we turn round in the winter or next year when everyone’s got a bike and suddenly you’re left with a factory that’s too big and machinery or staff that aren’t being used anymore.”
In the short-run, we may see bike shortages persist as manufacturers remain cautious and steady in what could become a massive boom-bust cycle.
Retailers like BNS-Boulder Cycle Sport sell skis too. They know that as cycling use decreases during the winter, ski use increases. Needless to say, they have been informed by the cycling industry’s vagaries. That has shop owners like Schultz consumed with positioning themselves with just enough gear to meet a potential surge in demand for cross-country ski equipment.
Schultz received a positive data point early on. “On the rollerski side of things, it picked way up, about twice what it normally is,” Schultz said. “And it seems like more and more people are coming to us early and they are saying we want to get into nordic skiing this year and we don’t want to miss out. They are coming in at the end of August instead of October and November when they usually show up.”
Testing Madshus newest high end ski, the Redline 3.0 at Sjusjøen (NOR) this spring. Photo: Stefano Zatta/Madshus
The conversations on and off the record here at FasterSkier are the same regarding a potential boom in cross-country ski sales – bullish. One reason for the optimism is alpine areas are now revealing their winter operating procedures. Nationwide they include policies like online reservations for parking and skiing, limited if any food service, and a concerted effort to remain open and profitable by enforcing social distancing the moment a skier arrives, to the moment they leave. Industry wide, these are considered some of the best-practices to ensure financial viability and skier safety.
“People are going to be looking for other winter sports,” said Schultz. “Even if the alpine world were normal, I think the nordic world would still be blowing up because people are looking for a way to get outside and away from people. Backcountry skiing and nordic skiing are great opportunities to do that.”
Cross-country ski shops are figuratively grabbing the bull by the horns as they expect a similar dynamic to the bike industry: an increase in gear sales. However, there’s the hope that supply chains remain fluid. In other words, well supplied.
“The ski industry has had time to anticipate this, everybody I’ve talked to, they are bullish, they have raised production a huge amount and they are all in it,” Schultz said. “What we have been doing is we have been placing backup orders to bulk up and if we don’t sell what we think we will, we will probably modify those orders a little bit. I think all of those vendors are expecting it is going to be a big year and they are probably going to run out of product and they are trying to balance that equation — not get too bullish and have too much inventory because that kills. That is the biggest killer of retail, but we still need to have enough that we don’t run out.”
The Supply Side
Lillehammer, Norway World Cup, a USA Technician working on Rossignol Skis. (Photo: Nordic Focus)
“It is going to be an interesting year, from what we are seeing from the cross-country side, which I am sure you will hear from everybody, everybody is betting on nordic,” explained Jeff Courter, Nordic Category Manager for Group Rossignol North America.
Courter said he expects all segments of the nordic category to grow, yet the greatest increase is expected to come from entry and mid-price point models. The same trend as in the bike market.
Pre-season orders for skis are received almost a year in advance of the following winter. Skis for 2020-2021 were likely pre-ordered in the fall of 2019. That allows suppliers like Rossignol, Fischer, and Madshus, all of which were contacted for this story, to ensure the raw materials for ski production are secured and demand is met.
“We have multiple factories in various parts of Europe,” Courter said. “The difficult thing with us, as I am sure most of the other suppliers are coming up against this too, with all of this massive increase in demand the problem is that the timing of this is a bit off. We have to put in all of our orders almost, not quite, a year ago, last fall over the course of last winter. All of our orders were in with the factories before all of the lock downs when the quarantine happened and, of course, now, the subsequent massive increase in demand.”
Courter said that Rossignol was able to keep production going through August, a time when much of Europe normally shuts down for holiday. “Since everyone already had six weeks off in the spring, all of our factories kept working to catch up and gain ground to be back where we should be in terms of delivery date and also just availability of product,” said Courter.
For now, sourcing materials for skis has not been an issue for Rossignol. The same can be said for Fischer. Steve Reeder, Fischer’s National Sales Manager for Nordic Skiing in the U.S. said in many ways Fischer’s supply chain is almost totally vertically integrated. Reeder used the example of their wood core skis as evidence.
“The wood core skis are built in our Ukrainian factory and that is literally a tree to ski factory, there is a wood mill on-site,” said Reeder. “You pull in the driveway and giant logs are being fed into a building where they are turning them into sheets for cores.”
Fischer’s higher-end skis, those with more complicated builds like the Speedmax which offers a lighter “Air Core”, are fabricated at Fischer’s plant in Ried im Innkreis, Austria.
Globalization has become the norm. Ski companies, which also produce boots, are well versed in navigating complex supply chains when sourcing material from outside their vertical chain. “Base material, that is probably one of the things they have to buy,” said Reeder. “I believe we have a good supply of that on hand. Most of that is Central European sourcing so there were not big concerns. We do some boots constructed in Europe, but we do a good chunk in the Far East, Indonesia, Cambodia, and those facilities got all of their componentry out the door and on the way to the factory before things shut down in Europe. So they were actually in very good shape and we have had stellar delivery on those products this year.”
Lenzerheide, Switzerland World Cup: Sweden’s Ebba Andersson tests her Fischer fleet. (Photo: Nordic Focus)
Like Rossignol, Fischer took preseason orders for this winter’s stock nearly a year ago. Reeder also expects Fischer to have mid-season reorder capabilities for most of their lines. For some product, Reeder said stock vaporized in August when under normal circumstances he would have a supply buffer well into January. Fischer is now considering options to increase its production capacity on select models.
Norway based Madshus is known to operate a nimble factory able to produce small-batch ski runs. Bryan Cook, U.S. Sales Manager for Madshus, says they too are positioned to prevent ski scarcity.
The autumnal equinox just passed. In the market for news skis? This is often the time to begin sniffing around as dealers swap out spring and summer gear for snow sliding options. Time will tell if ski shops experience a supply pinch like bike retailers. It appears ski manufacturers have read the tea leaves. Optimism reigns. For now, it seems that optimism will be met with a solid supply of skis as the cross-country segment looks for a boost in sales.
Relatively clutter free and ready for waxing inside the new USST wax truck. (Photo: Noah Hoffman)
There’s truth in jest as the saying goes. While FasterSkier’s April 1 piece made light of the issues, it hit home in some unexpected places. During one of FasterSkier’s conversations with the Environmental Protection Agency to examine why it had begun investigating the importation and sale of perfluorinated waxes, the EPA’s representatives cited the April 1 piece to question why FasterSkier had begun reporting on the issue. Whether readers appreciated the humor or not, the April 1 piece was intended as entertainment. This is our first story detailing what we’ve learned so far.
Let’s start with the EPA.
As part of a broader national compliance initiative, the EPA has begun auditing the ski wax industry. After emailing detailed questions to the EPA regarding its regulatory guidelines, the agency stated it was unable to speak broadly about the ski wax industry. It remains an ongoing enforcement issue for the EPA.
“EPA has identified certain ski waxes manufactured, processed or imported into the United States contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), also referred to as perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), that may be in violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These waxes were identified both in brick-and-mortar stores as well as available for sale domestically on e-commerce websites. As a matter of policy, the Agency is unable to discuss compliance monitoring targeting and/or investigations in more detail.”
Challenges for Swix and Toko in Winter 2018
Swix and Toko are the two largest brands of wax imported and distributed in the U.S. Both lines are imported and sold domestically by Swix USA. Swix USA is a subsidiary of its parent company, Swix Norway. According to Steve Poulin, CEO of Swix USA, the company was first contacted by the EPA during the winter of 2018 about meeting specific EPA mandates. In what became a steep learning curve regarding EPA compliance, Poulin said Swix/Toko began a review of “every product in every mixture.” We’ll explore what being EPA compliant entails later on, but it remains an exacting process that involves knowing the chemical recipe list for every Swix/Toko products imported, sold, and used in the U.S.
That formal review process began 18 months ago for Swix/Toko. Poulin said the company quarantined its entire wax line in June of 2018. They then chose not to sell perfluorinated products on their direct sales websites or ship product to their U.S. based retailers this past ski season. Many non-performance wax product, known as non-fluorinated waxes were shipped to retailers and sold.
“I decided to quarantine everything because I wanted to go through the full review and be 100 percent compliant and follow EPA regulations,” Poulin said. “I decided to be completely safe and I guess cautious, so we decided to quarantine our waxes and not ship anything until we went through the proper review process with the EPA. It was our decision.”
The Swix and Toko LF, HF, and top-coat/finishing product you may have purchased from online or brick and mortar shops was the back stock retailers possessed from this year’s inventory — shipped before June 2018 — after Swix/Toko has been contacted by the EPA. Alluring teens wall crosser in accidental lesbian fucking with horny border officer Super Hot Mandy Shows Us What Shes Got And Shes Still Got Plenty Blonde teen Lily Rader gets punished by boyfriends big dick Horny officer picked up an undocumented immigrant Two horny schoolgirls sharing the teachers cock Close up view of lesbian pussy pleasure A Dodgeball Where Youll Get Naked And Expected To Fuck Amazing Afternoon Hookup with Mom Agreeable milf gets a doggy position fucking Samantha Saint, Jayden Cole, Shyla Jennings and masturbation with a dildo Monique Symone Gets Picked Up And By W fuck pornjk.com
“I shipped wax to retailers before I quarantined the whole line … I did ship wax, early preseason orders, I filled stores up,” said Poulin. “Because we were not bound, we did not find any violations at that point. And then when we discovered the true complexity of what they were asking for and compliancy regulation, that is when I put a halt to it. To be completely safe and in cooperation with the EPA.”
Outside of the Swix and Toko wax lines, skiers interested in a competitive advantage through ski wax chemistry had perfluorinated options from brands like Vauhti, Start, Star, Solda, HWK, Rex, Holmenkol, and others. The impact of the current regulatory environment on those brands is less well understood, but most were available this season.
Poulin said in a July 8 phone call that Swix/Toko will be selling performance ski wax this upcoming season.
Speed Comes at a Cost: Fluorochemistry Background
Get ready for some basic O-Chem. (For your reference, click the image titled “A Toxic Family Tree” to assist with understanding perfluoros and their chemical lineage.)
According to Dr. Merle Plassmann, the lab manager at the ACES (Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry) at Stockholm University in Sweden, perfluorinated ski wax is complicated. Plassmann’s Ph.D research examined fluorinated compounds in ski wax and their presence and fate in the environment.
“Family tree” of PFASs, including examples of individual PFASs and the number of peer-reviewed articles on them since 2002 (most of the studies focused on long-chain PFCAs, PFSAs and their major precursors). (Source: Environ. Sci. Technol.20175152508-2518. A Never-Ending Story of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)? Zhanyun Wang†Jamie C. DeWitt‡Christopher P. Higgins§Ian T. Cousins*∥
Plassmann explained that his research detected numerous fluorinated compounds with carbon chains between C6-C22 in some ski waxes. He added that many fluorochemicals found in ski wax are not added deliberately but are impurities from the manufacturing process. He referred to those chemicals as PFAAs – or Perfluoroalkyl Acids. He also wrote that ski wax manufacturers do add semi-fluorinated and fully fluorinated alkanes to their product. Again, these compounds are long carbon chains with the “semi” versions partially fluorinated, the “full” versions are saturated with fluorine. Plassmann went onto explain that the constituent parts of today’s wax could be more complicated. He has not assayed ski wax since 2011.
Some skiers may throw caution to the wind and take ski speed at all cost. It’s well known that in certain conditions, perfluoros applied properly to a ski base makes those skis faster. So we asked Plassmann the burning question: What are the ingredients in ski wax that might be of concern?
“Of potential concern are not only the impurities (the PFAAs which show low levels but still can be found in the ski tracks afterwards) but also the main ingredients, which are either fully fluorinated alkanes or semi-fluorinated alkanes,” Plassmann replied. “To my knowledge, nobody has studied their environmental fate, except the one study we performed on their behaviour during snow melt and presence in snow and soil from a ski track in Sweden. Here we found that they strongly sorb to particles and thus can be found after snow melt in the soil underneath the ski tracks. But nothing is known regarding their possible breakdown. As the Carbon-Fluorine bond in molecules is a very strong bond, those chemicals will be very persistent, but for example with the semi-fluorinated alkanes, the not fluorinated part could be breaking down, thus potentially leading to the formation of PFAAs. This, however, has not been studied and shown to happen.”
In May of 2016, the EPA released a document explaining some of the health risks associated with exposure to certain perfluoros. They include thyroid disorders, hypertension and preeclampsia during pregnancy, and testicular and kidney cancer.
Bringing Science to the Market
When you head into the local shop and ask for the wax goods, the response can be confusing. We’ll refrain from using the term “pure fluoro”. There are varying percentages of fluorocarbons in gliding and kick wax product, none that we can confirm are 100 percent “pure” fluorocarbon. The products containing the highest percent perfluorinated compounds are used for glide and often come in the form of a powder, block, liquid, or gel.
All brands have their own trade secrets when it comes to percent perfluoro and hydrocarbons added. The terms used in the industry like low-fluoro, high-fluoro, and super-fluorinated are marketing terms, not a standard. Brand X might have a 40 percent perfluoro HF wax, brand Y, thirty percent. Amongst the super-fluorinated gliding products, those percentages vary too from brand to brand as do their naming devices. Start wax’s naming devices, for example, use the term “ultra high fluor glider” for its highest perfluoro content finishing product.
Hydrocarbon or paraffin wax is what we would consider the cheaper and sometimes less effective means to make a ski slide on snow. These waxes are perfluoro free.
We’ll refer to any wax with fluorinated compounds as perfluorinated wax.
PFAS, the broad group of perfluorinated substances to which PFAAs belong, are ubiquitous and can be toxic. From fire suppressing foams, stain-proof carpet and upholstery coatings, non-stick pans and food wrappers, and that snazzy waterproof jacket, fluorochemicals make these products “work”. The perfluoros in ski gliding products fall into the PFAS class.
This February, the EPA published a “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan” to further address the issue of perfluoros in the environment. The action plan states, “there is evidence that continued exposure above specific levels to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects.”
Fluorochemicals were once considered a miracle. They are hydrophobic and repel grease, oils, and dirt. Better living through chemistry? That’s now up for debate as the EPA moves in.
The leading science journal Nature published a piece in February detailing how researchers have traced fluorochemicals in the environment back to their source. Fluorochemicals are not naturally occurring. They are all man made. So if it’s in the environment, its there due to direct use in the environment like fighting a fire at an oil-depot, or they are residual compounds from the manufacturing process that have not been contained.
(This oft-cited Scientific American article speaks to the bioaccumulation of ski wax chemicals in the blood.)
The chatter in the ski wax industry usually has to do with a subclass of PFAS called PFOAs. PFOAs will be banned in the EU for most uses starting July, 2020. In the ski wax industry, PFOAs, or what many ski-wax junkies call “C8”, is often referred to as the magic behind wicked fast skis: the actual perfluorinated turbo boost when conditions call for it. Those C8s will be replaced in perfluorinated ski products with C6 compounds. The C8 refers to a perfluoro with an eight carbon spine with fluorine atoms branching off. The C6 is a shorter six carbon spine.
Those PFOAs are often called “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment. The carbon-fluorine bond is amongst the strongest known in chemistry. C6 compounds, however, reportedly breakdown more readily and are considered more benign. Many claim the C6 half-life in the environment is shorter.
Anecdotally, many ski wax experts report C8 perfluoro finishing products most often outperform C6 analogs. You probably all know someone hoarding C8 product right now. That raises several other questions about wax equity at all levels of racing.
For now, let’s put aside the O-chem and focus on the nuts and bolts of domestic regulations and remaining EPA compliant.
The EPA and the Toxic Substances Control Act: The Tools for Oversight
In 1976, during the heyday of the environmental movement in the U.S., the federal government sharpened the EPA’s regulatory teeth by passing the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The TSCA allows the EPA to better monitor the “production, importation, use, and disposal” of chemicals in the U.S.
For years, domestic ski wax producers and importers were literally off the EPA’s radar. In 2016 and 2017 the TSCA was updated with new guidelines. The hands off EPA stance evolved. The law’s 2016 amendment is called the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act.
According to a Harvard University Science in the News article, the 2016 amendment, “gives the EPA the authority to ban new and existing chemicals that pose a risk to human health and the health of the environment. To do this, the EPA must now make an affirmative determination on all new chemicals and all new uses of existing chemicals.”
The prevalence of fluorinated compounds in the environment and the increased awareness of the potential health risks those compounds pose began to focus attention on fluoro-intensive processes. The outdoor textile industry is literally awash with perfluorocarbons — high tech fabrics that repel water owe that functional property to the carbon-fluorine bond.
A few degrees separated from outdoor performance textiles are perfluorinated ski waxes. If the EPA was following the supply chain tree to determine where fluorinated chemicals are used, at some point they’d branch-off to the ski wax industry.
The TSCA requires wax importers and domestic wax manufacturers (importers are considered manufacturers under TSCA) to properly document the chemicals used within the country.
In the past, before the EPA glanced at the ski wax industry, ski wax importers might simply declare “ski wax” on a TSCA import compliance checklist and claim the shipment complied with TSCA guidelines.
I certify that all chemical substances in this shipment comply with all applicable rules or orders under TSCA and that I am not offering a chemical substance for entry in violation of TSCA or any applicable rule or order there under.
I certify that all chemical substances in this shipment are not subject to TSCA. The statement must be typed or stamped on an appropriate entry document or commercial invoice or an attachment to that entry document or invoice.
With greater oversight, it appears the EPA found a disconnect between the chemicals contained in ski wax and what was being declared.
To be clear, none of the importers we spoke to acknowledged any intentional non-compliance. In other words, there was no intent to omit or misrepresent through their TSCA declarations. However, there appears to have been either confusion, misunderstanding, or a shift in how EPA scrutinized the forms or applied the standards that resulted in a major disruption to the ski wax market.
CAS Numbers: Millions of them
The TSCA regulatory comb is fine toothed. To meet TSCA compliance standards, wax importers require CAS numbers. CAS stands for the Chemical Abstracts Service. Every chemical substance disclosed in scientific publications are assigned a unique CAS number. Think of that number as the chemical’s numerical ID. Well beyond one hundred million chemical substances have been assigned CAS numbers. The EPA maintains a record of all the chemicals either produced within or imported into the U.S. This is known as the TSCA inventory. At its most basic, the TSCA inventory is a list of CAS numbers.
There is both a public inventory that is downloadable, and a private inventory that includes information for proprietary substances a company may not want publically available.
Here’s what’s at issue. Any material coming into the U.S., like a ski wax, must have all its chemical components, the parts that make up the sum, on the TSCA inventory. In other words, the importer must ensure that each chemical substance’s CAS number is registered on the TSCA inventory. (The TSCA inventory is organized by CAS number.) If an ingredient’s CAS number is not on the inventory, the substance cannot be imported. Further, those chemicals on the TSCA inventory must be approved for public use/consumption if sold in the marketplace.
Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS), the importer of record for several wax brands, was sent a subpoena from the EPA to ensure the CAS numbers of the perfluorinated compounds imported in their wax product were on the TSCA inventory.
“The letter from the EPA specifically asks only about fluorinated compounds,” BNS owner Nathan Schultz told FasterSkier on March 28. “However, legally, everything that is in those substances, everything that is in the wax, including dyes, colorings, perfumes, whatever, every chemical compound has to be on the TSCA inventory.”
Finding and cross-referencing CAS numbers on the TSCA inventory meant Schultz had the tedious task of obtaining a chemical specific ingredients list for every perfluoro containing product BNS imports. BNS imports Skigo wax, Holmenkol and Guru products.
“And so basically what people are finding out is that this really complex process of having to identify every compound in the substances that we are importing,” Schultz added.
“All these formulations are secret. That had been one of the challenges, that all of this information has to be kept confidential, and so we have to take extra steps to protect it from when the suppliers give it to us. One of the suppliers refused to give us the information. They say they will only give it directly to the EPA. Right now, there are some fluoros available that are on the TSCA inventory and they are OK to use. And then there are some that aren’t and the ones that aren’t are not available, they are off our site.”
In Schultz’s case, he began cataloging CAS numbers during the Federal Government’s shutdown which ran for 35 days beginning on December 22. So getting timely responses from the EPA was challenging.
As Schultz bolstered his knowledge of the TSCA, he learned that if a specific CAS number (or compound) is not on the TSCA inventory, importers do have a few options. One option is to apply for a pre-manufacture notice. (Again, importers are treated as manufacturers when it comes to TSCA compliance.)
A pre-manufacture notice is no small hurdle to jump. The notice must be filed 90 days prior to manufacture/import. The EPA also requires mounds of chemical related information including available test data on the effect to human health or the environment.
Another option to continue importing and selling a product with an ingredient not on the TSCA inventory is to file for a low volume exception. This is what it sounds like: it’s a way to declare that the substance in question will be manufactured/imported in low quantities. In this case, at or below 10,000 kg/year.
Each low volume exemption filed is for a specific chemical. If, for example, a type of performance wax contains 10 distinct chemicals, that’s 10 distinct low volume exceptions to be researched, filed, and paid for.
The potential cost associated with filing a single low volume exception is prohibitive for a small business like BNS. Those costs also don’t factor in potential legal fees.
“It is hard to say and it is also a challenge because a low fluoro paraffin wax is probably going to be 5% maybe 10% of the fluoro compound itself,” Schultz said as he contemplated how much perfluorinated substances were being imported via the wax industry. “So the pure fluoros, I would imagine in the entire U.S., we are certainly under 200-300 kg of just the fluorinated substances. The whole number is small when considering the fluorinated compounds and I mean, 100 kg, 1000 kg I don’t know what it is. I have not calculated that out. It is a small number. Certainly, all of the wax industry in the country could be under that 10,000 kg weight limit for a low-volume exemption. So relative to other uses, we are tiny.”
How did we get here?
Longtime industry insider, Andrew Gerlach, knows the ins and outs of importation. For many years he’s imported Start wax manufactured by Start Finland through his business Endurance Enterprises. According to Gerlach, Start products are the third most widely used nordic ski wax in the U.S.
Athletes, coaches, and techs test skis on the 2019 World Championships course in Seefeld, Austria. (Photo: John Lazenby/lazenbyphoto.com).
The common story about wax importation and environmental regulations that we heard from Gerlach and others was something premised on the notion that European safety guidelines are stricter. The assumption was U.S. importers of ski wax must be in TSCA compliance if the waxes in question could be sold within the European Union.
“We have been doing things the same old way for decades,” Gerlach said in early April. “The European manufacturers or primarily the European manufacturers of the wax have told us, have given us a broad opine of all the ingredients in our wax and said this meets or exceeds European standards for chemical transport chemical distribution chemical use. And therefore if it meets European standards, they are tougher in every aspect than American standards, so you are good to go. So we import wax and we have a very good understanding of the ingredients within that wax but not the final nature of their pure chemical compound because that is very proprietary and most of us are mere distributors of the brand and the products and not part of the parent company.”
The EPA’s involvement with ski wax has nothing to do with EU chemical regulations known as REACH. And the EU’s regulations on the use and sale of perfluoros have nothing to do with cross-referencing CAS numbers with the TSCA inventory and being EPA compliant.
That said, the domestic wax importation industry in the U.S., like Gerlach said, had been following Europe’s lead.
EU chemical regulations originate with REACH, or Regulation, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. REACH dates back to 2006 and has evolved and been refined many times since. The REACH net has captured the use of PFOAs, or “C8”, in the supply chain.
PFOAs will be banned in the EU for most uses starting July, 2020. They will be replaced in the ski wax industry with C6 compounds.
“We have taken Europe’s word for it,” Gerlach said. “That if their products meet or exceed European REACH standards, which they have all, they are told in the research they are tougher than American standards. So we import the wax, and everytime we have an import shipment coming in, we sign a form that says these products comply to TSCA standards.”
Back in November 2018, Gerlach said he heard rumblings within the ski community that Swix and Toko were having issues selling product. He initially, like many people, thought this had to do with pending EU restrictions on the use of PFOAs.
C8 or C6, Gerlach assumed he was TSCA compliant. Good enough in Europe, by default, meant good enough in the States. But the story circles back to CAS numbers and the TSCA inventory.
“I felt that I had better figure out what was going on, because if Swix-Toko had errors, there is the likelihood that I had errors and every other wax company that is importing had errors because we are all pretty much importing like substances in the same manner,” Gerlach said.
Gerlach contacted an EPA official in Chicago since his company is registered in the Midwest. He left a voicemail and some follow up emails. Gerlach heard nothing back.
In the meantime, Gerlach said he conversed with Schultz at BNS and became better informed about the CAS number TSCA inventory dilemma. He also communicated with the EPA’s Washington D.C. bureau and received a response when the government shutdown ceased in January. During this time, Gerlach reached out to Start Finland to secure CAS information and detailed wax recipes.
“I discovered that the vast majority of ingredients in Start wax be it perfluoros, be it hydrocarbons, be it alcohol based liquids, petroleum based liquids, on and on, all used ingredients as Start signified since day one that are on the TSCA inventory,” Gerlach said. “We did have a couple waxes with CAS numbers not on the inventory and so overtime, it took a while to delve and discover and learn all these things.”
Gerlach self-imposed a ban on selling or continuing to import product he believes is not in full compliance with the TSCA. He even went a step further.
“We have done our own self-disclosure to the EPA, saying ‘hey we have imported, unknowingly, we have imported some wax with ingredients that are not on the TSCA inventory,” said Gerlach. “They amount to these items with this amount of volume in the past five years and this is what we are planning on doing etc. with them’. As far as I can tell from my brief discussions with the EPA, I just need to focus on my ingredients list and make sure they are on the TSCA inventory and with a double bullseye focus on the perfluorocarbons and make sure those are on the TSCA and if they are on the inventory they are good to go and there’s nothing to report.”
The TSCA compliant Start products, which Gerlach said was 97 percent of the Start Wax line, are still imported and distributed to dealers around the country. His non-compliant inventory remains under quarantine in his warehouse and is not included on next year’s price list. This self-imposed restriction was taken not due to any EPA action, but as a precaution until he is told what to do with those items by the EPA.
Gerlach also explained that moving forward, Start Finland’s ingredients would meet TSCA requirements. According to Gerlach, Start Finland does not produce its own perfluorocarbons for use in their waxes. They source that from a chemical manufacturer and supplier.
“Start Finland now examines the ingredients they are putting in beforehand, “ said Gerlach. “Before they start mixing up compounds, they make sure that the ingredients that they are using are on the TSCA inventory. I am talking milliliters of fluorocarbon and grams in all my waxes that are fluorinated and whatever the law is we need to follow it. I am much more educated on what is in our waxes than I was a year ago. And Start Finland is much more aware that being good enough in Europe is not necessarily in itself good enough for America.”
Gerlach’s initial chemical bookkeeping and self-reporting were steps. He was told by his lawyer to use a statute of limitations of five years for documenting what he had imported during that time span and discerning if it was on the TSCA inventory.
That five year limit appears to be an unofficial timeframe for the statute of limitations on importing non-TSCA compliant chemicals.
“A subpoena letter I have seen did not put a date on it,” Gerlach explained. “It said, tell us all about waxes with fluorocarbons in them and the times you have imported them. And surprisingly it did not give a time frame. It just said tell us everything.”
Exhausting his avenues to remove his “violating items” from circulation Gerlach contacted Start wax retailers.
“I have looked at my orders for the last two years of these and emailed the dealers and explained that if you have any in stock I will take it back,” said Gerlach. “I did a recall of any of the waxes and none of those waxes are left in stock. And so there is nothing to recall because it has been such small quantities.”
This was what Gerlach called a voluntary recall.
In years past, Swix USA has shared prime real estate with a retailer at the American Birkebeiner expo — they were housed within the same display.
Not this year. At the Swix concept area at the expo, Swix did not sell perfluorinated product. However, Swix perfluoro products were for sale through a retailer at the expo.
FasterSkier is unaware of any official recall of non-compliant ski wax product. According to Section Five of the TSCA, any chemical not on the TSCA inventory is considered a “new chemical”. “New chemicals” to be imported and used within the country are subject to rigorous guidelines to determine their fate. A recall of pre-existing non-compliant substances by importers/distributors and retailers appears not to be one of those steps.
A quick search on the web shows product still available for sale by retailers in limited quantities.
In my candid interview with Gerlach, he was mildly prophetic as we signed off.
“So, the earthquake has happened, no one is sure about the tsunami, but no matter what, there will be a shakeout of brands and or waxes because of this,” said Gerlach
In early May, I received an email from a reader saying HWK USA was no longer in business. At the time of publication, FasterSkier had not received a reply from HWK USA after messaging and emailing the company.
Ear to the Ground
Like Gerlach and Schultz, Caldwell of the eponymous Caldwell Sport based in Putney, VT. has had his ear to the ground. Caldwell is known for custom ski selection and grinding services, but also retails wax. In the past, he was an importer of Vauhti wax out of Finland. Vauhti is now imported by Park City, UT., based Sisu Sports.
Caldwell sells wax online, or onsite at select races during the season. He sells Rex, Rode, Star, and Vauhti products.
“So what I know is that the EPA instructed [Swix] to stop selling when they went through item by item and reviewed the contents of what they were selling — and that is it,” Caldwell said when asked what he knew about the direct discussions between Swix/Toko and the EPA.
At the time of our conversation on April 9, Caldwell said he had had no contact with the EPA to date.
Caldwell Sport’s role as a retailer rather than importer means its relationship with the TSCA is indirect. Caldwell Sport is not responsible under the TSCA, for ensuring the wax it sells is compliant — that remains the importer’s role.
“My understanding is that the EPA’s concern is with importation and that they are not concerned at the retail level,” Caldwell said. “They are concerned at the chasing things to their source, where they are coming into the country. So I have not heard of any retailer who is not an importer being instructed to stop selling product. For instance, no Swix retailer that I am aware of has been told they cannot sell Swix waxes. But Swix the importer which is also owned by Swix Norway has been told they cannot sell waxes which would mean both at wholesale and at retail.”
Caldwell’s process of obtaining perfluorinated wax products is simple. For example, he orders Vauhti product directly from SISU Sports. It then ships UPS from Utah to Vermont.
“As far as I know, there is no oversight of that aside from regular domestic shipping restrictions on air, on flammable goods for air shipments,” said Caldwell. “You cannot put some of the solvents on an airplane. So we have to be cautious about that and plan shipping. We are just ordering form those guys.”
For Caldwell Sport, it has been business as usual. Caldwell said he resupplied with Start and Vauhti this spring with no issues. Yet Caldwell was mindful of his stake in the high-end wax game. As a small business he is evaluating how to proceed as perfluorinated waxes come under scrutiny.
“From our point of view, the question has been whether we should try to anticipate action by the EPA and pre-order a whole bunch of stuff or whether we should continue to run as we normally do to run a lean family business,” said Caldwell. “We cannot afford to carry a huge quantity of really high-end wax because it cost a whole lot to have. As a family business retailer, we are in a position where we need to be pretty cautious about how far we stick our neck out on a lot of high-end product.”
Patrick Coffey, the Vauhti brand manager for Sisu Sports, emailed FasterSkier to state that as of May 24, he still had not been contacted by the EPA.
“There’s no reason for me to expect it at any given point, but given that it’s the offseason, my approach will be to see what we need to do to make sure that there will be no delays in delivery late summer when the product comes from Finland to Utah,” Coffey said during an April phone call.
“If someone within a government agency wants to get in touch with us and ask for information, I’m going to get that information,” said Coffey. “The goal here is not to keep our head down and hope nobody notices, I want to make sure that we’re in a position, because retailers are asking ‘are you able to bring product in?’ and I’ve told all of them at this point ‘yes’. If anything changes they will be the first to know, because I don’t want them to all of a sudden to realize in December that they are not getting product.”
The Bigger Picture
The wax industry remains a drop in the financial and environmental degradation bucket when considering the widespread use of perfluoros in industry. But, perfluorinated compounds are making news. High Country News published a piece about PFAS pollution on May 30. Several news outlets have reported that the state of New Hampshire is suing chemical giants 3M and DuPont “for damage it says has been caused by a class of potentially toxic chemicals found in pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers and drinking water,” according to a Boston.com piece.
The ski wax industry has been reforming when it comes to using the more caustic C8 and longer chain chemistry in its waxes. The type of fluorochemistry that has been newsworthy. Longchain fluorocarbons are on their way out and C6 chemistry is in.
Is the ski wax industry and the quest for ski speed to blame for shirking environmental regulations and drawing attention to itself? Probably not. It’s simply that the EPA has the law on its side and the science to support its stance to bring more oversight.
Although Swix and Toko did not ship perfluorinated wax last season, it appears the EPA is conducting a broader industry-wide review. Ski waxes are obviously not the domain of skinny skis alone. Imported and domestically manufactured alpine specific waxes fall within the same regulatory benchmarks applied to popular cross-country wax brands.
Fast skis are a drug. That first slide on a slippery pair of perfluoro soaked boards can be dreamy. But, everybody pays to play for that speed.
For now, it seems certain that your ski speed fix, thanks to modern chemistry, will and can be satiated when snow falls next winter. But the Swix/Toko challenge this season has the potential to be a more significant industry wide challenge moving forward. There’s no question, those little vials of speed be it in liquid, block, powder, gel, or fluorinated hydrocarbon form, will have regulatory fingerprints all over it.
Editor’s note: For the second-straight year, we’re presenting another 12-day holiday gift guide, brought to you by the one and only “FBD”, our gear-review guru. Kicking the series off, recommendations for recovery gifts to keep you and your ski buddies on the trails and injury free. See also: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
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Day 7: Nordic Tech
Since no one has more style, steez and flow than the FBD, we’re going to mix it up a bit today and bring in, for lack of a better expression, an expert guest speaker to help walk us through today’s gift suggestions for Nordic Tech. I actually tapped into two experts for today’s gift ideas, Nathan Schultz from Boulder Nordic Sport and Zach Caldwell from Caldwell Sport. Spoiler alert, the Colorado guy was super chill and low-key. The guy whose Twitter handle is @GrumpySkier, was, well, grumpy. And surly. And at times, just plain mean. But, since all of you are probably as tired of reading my labored prose as I am of producing it, I thought I’d offer up someone new about whom you can complain.
A few important points here:
For those of you out there who think I can dish it out, but can’t take it, you are in for a treat, as one of these so called experts comes at me pretty good. That’s OK though, I’m a big boy (especially “South of the Border,” if you know what I mean) and I can handle it. In fact, most of this doesn’t even count as abuse in Philadelphia, it’s called just a normal day.
Remember my quip on Friday about “special” people? Well, I swear to God that the comments that you will hear from Zach shorty were not staged because, A.), I would never lie to you people, I am too good a man and B.) if you know my boy Caldwell at all, you know that there was no way in hell that he would deliver this hilarious video on schedule, allowing it to be carefully reviewed and edited. Oh no, that would be too easy. Instead, Mr. Caldwell elected to sent it to me at 11:30 p.m., the night before publication (and the night in which I was leaving for the airport the next morning at 5 a.m. Awesome). The point here is that I had already published my column in which I refer to “special” people before he submitted this video. All of these events do, however, raise several serious questions about his time-management skills and most importantly, who really is the “special” one in this relationship.
Furthermore, I am greatly intrigued with Zach’s assertion that I take myself too seriously, as he clearly has not been following my earlier detailed descriptions on awkward and hopefully fictional encounters with my family physician regarding problems “downstairs,” allegedly related to dirty tractor seats and improper Speedo use. Does this sound like the work of a man, albeit a great, great man, taking himself too seriously? I’ll let you all decide, as I trust you people to do the right thing here.
Once you have drawn the correct and logical conclusion that Zach is clearly out of his mind, please send all angry comments to zach@CaldwellSport.com. Suggestions for the subject line include, but are not limited to: “FU Zach”, “FBD is a god”, or even “Leave Brittany Alone,” have we learned nothing from Anna Nicole Smith? I know it’s hard to see FBD as a human being, but trust me, he is. He’s a person. He’s like you or I. (Well, actually, much, much better, but you see my point).
So without further ado, we are now going to shift gears a little bit and depart from our wonderful, established format and let an angry Vermonter and my good buddy Zach Caldwell, take cheap shots at me while prattles on about how to properly tune skis.
Watch this video in its entirety, then find the links to all of the products shown in the categories below. Please note, as usual, I have better visibility on the nordic world than Zach does from his remote outpost in rural Vermont, so please don’t just listen to Zach’s demanding and bossy tone, as the other products listed here are also top notch, they’re just being presented with a little less fanfare, which is no way, shape or form is a reflection on their value or efficacy.
Don’t let Zach fool you on this, I have tested about 20 different models and I called HIM about this, since naturally he didn’t have it on his website (the things I do for that guy). Regardless of how much he badmouths it in the above video, since not all of us have relatives slaving away on a lathe to create custom tools for us, I think this groove scraper is the best one out there. As much as I can tell, so does Zach, I guess? Buy several, as everyone is going to borrow yours and never give them back.
(Note, these are also not yet available on the Caldwell Sport website, as apparently he needs to spend less time busting my balls and more time running his business. This tool is sweet though, so email Zach directly. Be sure to give him a hard time about not putting the products he is trying to sell in a place in where potential customers can actually purchases them. #Business101
This baby made the cut last year and is getting a rare “FBD retweet,” just because it is that good — it’s pretty rare that you can find an extremely high-quality product for under $10, so when you do, you get as much mileage out of that beast is possible. I mean, if you can’t spend $10 on someone’s gift, you probably shouldn’t be buying them a gift in the first place.
It has two beveled edges that peel away kick wax quickly and effectively and it is small enough to fit almost anywhere, in particular in your new wax box (more on that in a minute). It will change your kick-waxing life. Really.
Remember my assessment on Friday of coffee nerds? Well, move over coffee losers, as there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s saying things like, “All professionals prefer a 3 mm scraper width.” How you can utter a phase such as that while maintaining even a shred of dignity is beyond me, but I don’t have a shirt that says, “You’re doing it wrong”, so what the hell do I know? Baller shirt, too, by the way: look for those in next year’s 12 DOFBD.
As for the thicker scraper and how to properly scape ski sidewalls, oh my God, could a person possibly be more patronizing? I can’t believe I let this guy grind my precious skis, as YES ZACH, I know to use the side of the scraper. You see the sh*t that I have to deal with, people?
Having said that, please also let the record note that I did buy the 5 mm scraper, as it does in fact work better for ski “technicians” of my very limited aptitude. DEMAND that he send you one with the custom FBD logo though, as this are already a collectors item. If he says no at first, just keep asking: he likes that.
Holmenkol Natural Wax Fluid is a truly “universal” wax for all snow types and temperatures. This wax not only performs well in the cold (unlike most universal waxes), it is made from sustainable sources (no petrochemicals) and is 100-percent biodegradable. Application is easy with an integrated sponge applicator and polishing felt. Use it for training or on waxless skis tip to tail to improve glide and protect the bases.
Also a great way to travel wax when when you are leaving from the venue with your hair on fire, you have 60 minutes to catch your flight at an airport that is 70 minutes a way and there isn’t an iron in sight. This magic goo got the FBD race fleet home safe and sound from Switzerland last year after Master Blaster Worlds and I never leave home without it. That is, when I remember it. #NotAlwaysThatPro
Have I told you how much I hate it when Zach is right about something, anything? Ironically, for a race just a few weeks ago, I had a few of the very knowledgeable people who Zach name-checks at the end of his hate-rant video prep my race skis with this product, and the skis were fast. How fast? Two podiums fast. If you buy them and don’t podium, call Zach, as he loves to field calls like this and he’s a very, very lonely man.
On a related note, if you send your skis in to him for a new grind (which you definitely should), please be sure to also demand that he return your skis with the EXACT SAME skis ties you send out. If you receive any other ski ties than the ones that you shipped, as always, keep calling until he finally returns the correct ones.
Star Liquid Paraffin Waxes (50 ml spray bottle. Each bottle is good for 15+ pairs of skis):
This was featured at 6:29 in the video and is also a personal FBD favorite. I don’t know what else to say here — use it, don’t use it, but I like it and Zach likes it, so take that for what it’s worth. I’m guessing that my recommendation carries more weight than Zach’s, mainly because I weight more than Zach and that’s just simple physics people. Either way, it’s a nice brush.
This might be more than many of you are willing to pay for a groove scraper, but it IS really nice, especially for ski brands with wider grooves. It is simple but unbelievably effective.
And before anyone gets all huffy about the price, this thing is bomber. It has two different diameter aluminum cylinders that never dull at either end of a solid plastic handle and it removes wax so well it will shock you the first time you use it.
SkiGo HF High Fluor Glider (45g): FBD pick for $30-$99
Universal wax is ubiquitous in the ski world, but previously its performance has generally been only good enough for recreational skiers looking for a simple solution. SkiGo has shattered that barrier with a truly “universal” racing wax. Available in HF and LF versions, SkiGo Universal wax is a high-quality racing wax that works well in aggressive cold snow AND warm, wet, soft snow. Many teams use it in all conditions as a reliable base layer and focus their energies on testing powders and topcoats instead of paraffin layers. The LF version ($70, 200g) is a great training wax and also good for wax standards in races that are LF-limited. HF Universal ($80, 45g) is an excellent racing synthetic paraffin. -18C/0F to +5C/41F.
Let’s assume that you’re drinking the Kool-Aid and you are going to get styled out with the latest and greatest swag shown here. How the hell are you going to get all of this crap to races? As usual, *I*, NOT ZACH, have you covered. Toko just released this amazing Soft Wax box and it is da bomb. It’s just the right size to transport essentially everything you need to your next local, national or even international race, yet it is also perfect for your bench at home. Load’er up once with all of the crap Zach is droning on about and boom, all of your problems are solved. Well, all of your waxing problems.
After seeing that terribly mean-spirited video and reading just these few short item descriptions, I’m sure you can imagine how much it pains me to admit that Zach is right about not one, but two things, but what the hell, here we go: I bought this brush from him last year and even with the hurtful, tech-shaming sticker, and his most-recent, very unnecessary, spiteful commentary, this is without a doubt my favorite brush. I use it to groom the Great Dane, my hair (head, back and “elsewhere”) and promise to some day try it on my skis.
Like every good nordic skier, I am a glutton for punishment: I do intervals with elite skiers, knowing full well that they are going to destroy me, yet I somehow feel the need to make myself miserable anyway. I ask some of the most hyper-critical coaches in the sport for technical feedback on my skiing, knowing full well that it will be delivered with searing sarcasm and bitting commentary, and perhaps worst of all, I somehow think it is a good idea to post another one of Zach’s videos, again, knowing full-well that I am going to take an absolute beating:
Zach does a pretty good job describing how this system works and why you should have it, and thusly I only have a few things to add, the first one of which is by far the most salient. When I was staying at Zach’s house just a few years ago, I asked him when he didn’t use Roto brushes. I’ve spent my fair share of time in World Cup wax cabins (as a matter of fact, I just did so this past weekend), so I’ve seen some of the best techs in the world prep skis. Almost 100 percent of them use Roto brushes. Sure, they are usually preparing lots of skis in a short period of time, but their ultimate goal is fast skis, so those guys follow whatever protocol yields the best possible outcome. This means using Roto brushes almost exclusively.
Armed with this knowledge, I asked Mr. Perfect a few years ago during my stay in Putney which one I should get. His response? “Goddamnit, FBD, you don’t need those stupid things, regular brushes are much better.” Ah, how the tables have turned … it’s been a wonderful journey watching the student become the master. Confronted about this very point yesterday via what was I’m sure a very painful phone conversation for him, he confessed, “Yeah, I was anti-roto for a while, but I have come around. Part of this is because drills are now much better, as are the Roto systems. Yes, I wasn’t that into them before, but this is my ‘must-have’ for this season.” All fair points.
I’ll even cut Zach a lille slack on this (very little) and allow for the possibility that he was correct on both occasions, as the technology has come a long way. What this means to you, is if you are also a stodgy Vermonter, or Midwesterner, or whateverner, and are one of those, “We never used those back in my day….” type of people, that’s OK, you probably did have a valid point “back in the day,” but the technology has improved significantly across the board in all aspects of the system and you can now produce better skis, with less effort, and in less time. I think that’s a winning formula for skiers at all levels.
If you’re a guy like me to loves skiing, but hates working on his skis (and is terrible at it, though not nearly as terrible Zach is laying out), this is a slam dunk, as I am out of the fume-choked garage faster than even, doing what I truly enjoy — skiing — on skis that are faster than ever.
If you’re into the tech side of the sport, you are even crazier if you don’t take the plunge, as ZC has about 50 combinations of brushes, felts, steels, cottons, tweeds, licorice, and other crazy compounds, diameters, durometers, and all of that crap, therein allowing you to lock yourself in your garage away from your annoying family for longer periods of time than ever before. Everyone wins. Your poor family doesn’t have to listen to your disjointed, rambling theories on the under-appreciated value of a good structure tool and you don’t have to listen to whatever the hell it is that normal people talk about these day. I literally have no idea, as about 99 percent of my conversations ultimately come back to structure tools for some strange reason.
As to how you execute this transaction, you can stick a toe in the water, wade in, or dive in head first to the deepest water that you can find. As you all know, I’m of the belief that is something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well (not to mention the fact that there’s no such thing as going too far), so my advice is to not just dive in, but go full “Acapulco Cliff diver” on this mo-fo and get the big-daddy set. That’s what I did and I don’t regret it for one second. Sure, I probably won’t use most of the attachments, and yes, the ones I do use I will most likely do so incorrectly, but I’ll have the best, and that makes me happy. Since I’ve been marooned in Philadelphia for WAY too long, I’ll also derive a perverse amount of satisfaction from knowing that I have a better set than most of you (in more ways than one). I know this is wrong, and this is most certainly not something that I am proud of, but it’s true.
Sure, you can chintz out if you want to and not go with the “professional package” (insert your own ‘package’ joke here), but don’t come crying to me when everyone at laughing at you behind your back as the guy with the incomplete Roto brush set. I have nightmares over stuff like that and I would hate to see this indignity befell you.
Editor’s note: This year, we opted for a spin on the holiday gift guide. Rest assured, we tasked the right guy — our gear-review guru — with the job of compiling a 12-day list of gift ideas (in various price ranges) for all the nordies in your life.
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It’s only Day 4, but we’re getting picking up steam here, I can feel it. We’ve teed up a vast array of skiing-related products and gear, but no self-respective gear review is complete without diving headfirst, like Billy Demong into a shallow pool, into tech. And not just tech, TECH. Kinda like when Billy Ray Valentine fought off the police. “It wasn’t COP, it was COPS, with an ‘S’.” (Fast-forward to 7:30 in). This isn’t tech, it’s TECH (still not with a ‘s’, though)!
Like any good prima donna ski racer, I hate working on my skis. I just want them to be fast. Nathan Schultz and the gang at Boulder Nordic Sport have gotten me race-ready many-a-day. Usually if I ask them what they did, they tell me to STFU. This might seem a bit harsh, but it reality it works out well for everyone as I really don’t want to know, as this would perhaps lead me to think that next time I could do it myself, which we all know that I cannot. Thanks to some “tough love” from both Nathan and Zack Caldwell, I learned long ago that I’m actually better off NOT knowing what’s happening out there in those mysterious shipping containers, as I need to focus all of my energy into skiing fast. Since it’s the holiday season though, Nathan seems to have let his guard down a little, as he gave me one of his secrets, Holmenkol Natural Wax (comes in solid & fluid). I believe his exact quote was, “This stuff is amazing, not only it is fast, but even you can put it on, FBD.” No offense taken, as I’m still going to have him do it. I’m no dummy, this way I can blame him if the race doesn’t go well. #SoPro. Available at Boulder Nordic Sport.
On those warm, transformed days when any hard wax that grips wears too fast or ices, this binder lets you run a harder grip wax, solving both problems. A shoulder-season star. Available at CaldwellSport.com.
Speaking of Zach Caldwell and ski-tech curmudgeons, when Zach’s not busy shaming Tad Elliott and me into attempting to properly apply klister (in case you missed it yesterday, here’s the video again), Zach spends his free time putting together what is perhaps simultaneously both the most nerdy and the most awesome article on brushes ever written (be sure to watch the embedded video, too; it’s totally worth it). This of course begs the question: is this the only article on brushes ever written? I sure hope so, but regardless, it’s excellent. I’ll save you the humiliation of having a link to this video in your browser cache by cutting to the chase and telling you to simply get one of these: Red Creek Golden Magic Ultra Steel Brush. Available at Caldwell Sport.
Now we’re approaching super-nerd territory. Love it or hate it, fluoros are like pesticides and condoms — necessary evils. Again, I must have caught the head honcho on a good day, as Nathan was doling out all sorts of secrets. As noted earlier, I hate every part of this process (burning my skis, burning my beautiful, expansive eight-liter lungs, and burning a hole in the Ozone layer just so I can put Smullin in his place in races), so I made Nathan write the description on this one. I’ll see you in Hell, Schultz.
“These new fluorocarbon powders from Holmenkol are the result of 3 years of development and testing. The investment seems to have paid off – in testing over the winter of 2015-2016 we found this new line to be consistently at the top of our results, and many times far superior to everything else. As a bonus, the new raw materials in the Syntec line are not subject to the pending EU environmental fluorocarbon ban.” (After reading just this one paragraph, I bet you miss me already, right? Don’t lie.) Shop options (cold, mid & wet powder) at Boulder Nordic Sport.
Back to the ultimate ski curmudgeon, Caldwell (hell, his Twitter handle is @GrumpySkier, which pretty much says it all). I love talking to Zach as he’s perhaps the only person in the world more cantankerous than me, which is probably why we get along so well. You know how the saying goes though, “It pays to have friends in low places,” and trust me Zach excels here. He’s logged more time in World Cup wax cabins than almost anyone I know, so when I recommends an iron, you KNOW it’s legit. So legit, that I bought one. (Yes, yes, I know, you’re thinking, “I thought FBD never preps his skis…” HA, I got cha! I rarely race prep my skis. I prep my skis all of the time. So if I am going to be forced into this dreaded task, why not bring a gun to a knife fight and tackle the task with the best iron available to man. Thanks to my incredible foresight and vision, there is mind-blowing continuity in this recommendation as well, as this is the iron of choice when applying fluoros. #MindBlown. Available at Caldwell Sport.
BNS Founder Nathan Schultz, on the last leg of his annual ski picking trip, has reported that he is seeing some incredible skis and still has a few spots left on his pick list for Fischer SpeedMax and Carbonlites. Orders need to be received as soon as possible to insure that they are relayed to Nathan in time to be picked. Roger Knight, manager of BNS East, will be handling all orders via email roger@bouldernordic.com. Please include the following information for your order:
Model preference:
SpeedMax Classic (available in 902 Plus only)
SpeedMax Skate Cold or Plus
Carbonlite Classic Cold or Plus
Carbonlite Skate Cold or Plus
Preferred length
Your height, weight, age and skiing ability
Your region and/or the type of conditions in which you intend to use the skis
Any additional information about you, your skiing and/or your goals that will help Nathan find just the right skis for you.
All ski orders will arrive at BNS Boulder in late summer/early fall for stone grinding (available for half-price on new skis) and will ship out to customers soon thereafter. Don’t miss this chance to get some of the best skis that Fischer has ever produced!
With stores in Boulder, Colorado and Portland, Maine; BNS also operates a mobile race service trailer that travels to skiing events around the US as well as an e-commerce web site at www.bouldernordic.com. BNS imports and distributes the SkiGo, Holmenkol, Guru, Innovax, Gallium and Magnar brands into the USA.
Welcome to another installment of FasterSkier’s Question and Answer series. In this edition we offer advice on interval training for skiers short on time, and Nathan Schultz of Boulder Nordic Sport provides information on boot width.
What type, and how to do intervals for the time crunched skier?
— Dave
It is easy to get a robust intensity workout in 45 minutes (or even less) with some focus. It matters less what specific interval session you do, and more how you approach it.
They key is to be efficient. Warm up as little as you can get away with safely. Often, treating the first part of the first interval as a part of the warm-up is a good idea. Work into the interval, increasing intensity as your body gets going.
Liz Stephen and Kikkan Randall banging out some intervals
Don’t waste time fussing with equipment or clothing. If you know you will have a short window, prepare the evening before. Have your gear ready to go, know what you are going to do, and get after it.
One great option is the oft-used 4×4 level 4 workout. Four intervals, four minutes in duration with three or four minutes rest. Ten minute warm-up, 24 minutes of intervals (with rest) and five minute warm down = 39 minutes.
In a more relaxed situation, you might do some speed or strength as part of warm-up, but when you are pressed for time, you need to keep your eye on the prize – cranking the engine. So don’t bother with any bells and whistles.
It may not be a perfect workout, but it is much better to get out and do something.
Another option is to do a single interval — a 30 minute pace, gradually increasing effort is a good choice. This way you eliminate rest and maximize active time.
Again, the exact combination of minutes on and minutes of doesn’t matter much. Get out quickly, go hard, and wrap it up.
— Topher Sabot, FasterSkier
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Do any of the boot manufactures produce a high performance boot in widths? Wide feet and bunions come with master skiers. If not, which boot has the widest toe box?
— Bigfoot
All of the companies offer different lasts that vary the width/volume, they just do it in different ways. Most companies’ 2nd or 3rd tier boots will be wider and have more of a “comfort” fit than the top of the line boots which tend toward a narrower/lower volume last for the “performance” fit. Rossignol actually offers their top-end X-ium World Cup boot in a Low-Volume Fit (LVF) and regular fit. All other companies only change the last per model.
Boulder Nordic Sport is going international again this year, offering race service for the 2013 Masters World Cup in Asiago, Italy. Providing full race wax service, including ski consultations, the BNS Service Team will be arriving early to test wax at the race venue and will be on hand for every race February 16-22.
Race service will include base layers, HF paraffin, fluoro powder, topcoats and hand structure for one or two pairs of skis per racer. Instead of lugging all of your wax and tools across the Atlantic, let the professionals from BNS worry about testing and application while you relax and focus on your races.
BNS owner, Nathan Schultz, will personally be heading up the operation; bringing to bear his extensive experience both as a professional ski racer and as wax technician at the Olympics, World Cup and World Championships. The Race Service team will be testing a broad range of wax brands and products as well as hand tools to insure that you have the fastest skis possible.
Make the most of your trip. Sign up online at bouldernordicsport.com/shop or call 877.BNS.SKIS.
With stores in Boulder, Colorado and Portland, Maine; BNS also operates a mobile race service trailer that travels to events around the US as well as an e-commerce web site at www.bouldernordic.com. BNS imports and distributes the SkiGo, Holmenkol, Guru, Innovax, Gallium and Magnar brands into the USA.
Artificial snow, solar panels and ski racing. 2012 SuperTour Finals, Craftsbury, Vermont.
There is a certain optimism that hangs in the air now that October is fast approaching. The temperature has cooled, leaves are turning red and snow is already accumulating in the mountains. Every year, signs of the changing seasons bring a sudden need for snow sport enthusiasts to urgently dial in their gear to be ready the instant the first skiable snow falls.
Skiers may be chomping at the bit more than usual this season because last year was such a disappointment. From December 2011 onward, the ground was uncooperatively warm and dry. Season-long snowpack levels were recorded as low as 30 percent below average in some places. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that temperatures from October 2011 through March 2012 were 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit above the norm, the second-warmest winter on record for the contiguous U.S.
It’s not unusual for some pockets of the country to have poor snow while others areas get dumped on. Last season was unique because snow was absent almost everywhere, and particularly so in the eastern half of the country. Manmade ski loops often provided the only skiing to be had. Major races got canceled. National championships in the U.S. and Canada relied on premade stockpiles to cover their courses. The inconvenience underscored the reality that this sport depends on a force of nature beyond any immediate control.
This fact is never far from the minds of people in the business of selling skis. Low snowfall is disappointing for consumers, but for the ski industry it dictates the bottom line at the end of the year, and 2012 was no exception.
“The reality is that we’re farmers to a certain extent,” said Boulder Nordic Sport owner Nathan Schultz. “If the snow doesn’t come, then we don’t get crops.”
This may come as a surprise to the faithful and dedicated members of the ski community, who will find a way to ski no matter what. But no matter how committed that group is to having the best and newest equipment to race on, the majority of the ski market is made up of a recreational demographic.
People in the U.S. who put on cross-country skis last season went out an average of only nine times over the course of the winter months, according to an annual study commissioned by SnowSports Industries America (SIA). That average is driven by a large number of people whose decision to buy skis is heavily influenced by the presence or absence of snow out their front door. In the absence of snow last winter, fewer skis were sold and used.
“The dedicated consumers will buy product,” said Peter Ashley, vice president of Fischer Sports USA. “It’s the recreational area where the industry is really suffering.”
Ashley estimates that as much as 75 percent of Fischer’s U.S. sales are recreational skis, and 60 percent of his business comes from the populous Midwest and Eastern regions. It is this fact that, when combined with poor snow, can wreak havoc on the ski industry.
“The recreational skiers won’t buy anything until they actually see snow,” Ashley said. “Racing gets a lot of PR, but when it comes down to actual dollars and units, the recreational, junior and backcountry business — that’s the majority of the business. And I’m the market leader for racing … So when the recreational skier doesn’t ski: ouch. It hurts.
“When you have no snow in the Midwest, and very little to marginal snow in the East, you’re toast. And that’s what happened this winter.”
SIA, the non-profit trade organization that keeps track of annual market and participation data, reported in June that retail sales across all winter sports were down 12 percent in units from 2011. The nordic corner of the market fared particularly poorly, ending the season down 29 percent in units sold and down 26 percent in dollars. The numbers don’t lie: when it doesn’t snow, people generally don’t buy skis.
“No matter what you do that element will always be a large factor in what your end results are,” Schultz said. “Which is hard, when something is out of your control and can have such a large effect on you.”
What does this mean for the ski industry? It depends on whom you ask. Retailers and manufacturers both took a hit. Their losses were compounded by the relatively exceptional snowfall that came two winters ago. Sales were so good that year that ski shops ordered an unusually high number of skis in anticipation of similar growth the following winter. Then, when it hardly snowed all season, that equipment stayed on retail floors.
“From my perspective it was hard because we ended up with way more inventory than we needed, so trying to pay all the bills at the end of the year was really tough,” Schultz said.
For vendors, any good snowfall and associated sales that might come next winter will be tempered by inventory carrying over from last year. With so much equipment already filling retail stock rooms, shops won’t need to reorder skis until a later point in the season than usual.
Beyond companies like Fischer and BNS, diminished sales last year translates into reduced spending on promotion and sponsorships this year.
“None of us have the resources we had a year ago,” Ashley said. “There for sure is going to be some trickle-down effect to paid advertising, web promotions, athlete sponsorships, race sponsorships. … As an industry we’re not going to be able to do a lot of things that we should be doing, but you just can’t when you have the lack of sales that we do.”
There are two major metrics that SIA studies to measure the health of the ski industry every year: sales are one of them, and the other is participation. The sales decline paints a subdued picture of the state of the industry, but nationwide participation data from tells a more nuanced, even optimistic story.
People skied less than the year before, but the cross-country subset proved to be more resilient when compared to other snow sports. SIA reported that 4.3 million people cross-country skied last winter, 4.7 percent fewer than the previous year. By comparison, alpine ski participation went down 11.3 percent and snowboarding decreased 7.5 percent. Nordic enthusiasts may have only skied nine days on average, but this figure led the way for the industry; downhill skiers only skied 7.4 days while snowboarders went out an average of eight times last season.
“Cross-country skiers are a pretty dedicated group,” said SIA research director Kelly Davis. “You don’t get a lot of people showing up to cross-country ski in their jeans for the first time because they think it’s going to be cool. When I look at the numbers and I see cross-country survived this season in fairly good shape in terms of [participation] numbers, that tells me that cross-country is pretty core.”
It has such a devoted core that about a third of the people who skied last season did so out their own door or on ungroomed, free trail systems. While this is good for participation, it means ski areas have to work harder to attract business.
For the few ski areas that actually lucked into decent snow last winter, the biggest challenge was communicating to the broader public that it was there. The Jackson Ski Touring Center in Jackson, N.H., had a decent, if abbreviated, season. Once it got snow, Jackson had 150-plus kilometers of good skiing; the problem was that nobody knew about it.
“Certainly snow and weather is a heavy influencer of what’s going on, but frequently it’s the perception of snow versus the snow itself,” said Thom Perkins, Jackson’s executive director. “With four inches we can provide 40 k of good or great skiing. That’s not a lot to ask. The problem is Boston, which received nine inches of snow last winter. It’s a matter of mindset.”
Most of Jackson’s visitors come from the Massachusetts city, and if Bostonians don’t see snow on the ground, they’ll believe the same thing to be true on the slopes nearby. The industry calls this ‘backyard syndrome,’ and cross-country areas suffer when the perception of snow isn’t there.
For Jackson, 35,000 skier-days would be “a comfy number” for the season; it brought in just over 28,000. This being the case, Perkins said, “We’re not running scared.” Next winter will be his 36th year in the ski business, and he’s weathered bad seasons before. In his experience, if next year brings good snow, the industry will bounce back.
He’s not the only one that feels that way.
“It’s not like people don’t want to go skiing,” Ashley said. “Cross-country is the perfect sport for the economic times. It’s relatively inexpensive, it’s a family sport, it’s a social sport, you don’t have to go a long way to go skiing. All those things are perfect for what’s going on now. … This is not the end of the world. It’s going to snow, we’ve survived this before I don’t know how many times, and none of us are going away.”
Holmenkol AG, the German manufacturer of Holmenkol ski wax and tools filed for insolvency protection in the German courts on June 22, 2012 after efforts to find financing to cover outstanding debts failed. The German District Court of Ludwigsburg ordered measures to secure the assets of the company and an insolvency administrator was appointed to transition the company through the process.
The US Holmenkol distributors Natron Nordic Enterprises (Nordic) and Sport Thoma (Alpine) are separate companies and continue operating unaffected by the change. Due to solid pre-season orders from Holmenkol distributors around the world, Holmenkol AG management and the insolvency administrator have decided to continue the business and will not liquidate the operation. The goal of the insolvency proceedings is to stabilize operations, restructure obligations and facilitate an acquisition by an investor. This process is expected to take 4-6 weeks in which time Holmenkol AG will manufacture and deliver products for current and future orders.
Nathan Schultz, owner of the US company that distributes Holmenkol Nordic Wax and Tools, commented, “While this is certainly not the ideal situation, the US distribution will be unaffected for the short- and medium-term. We have inventory for the 2012-2013 season already in place, and we are hopeful that this re-organization will make the Holmenkol Germany company stronger long-term. We expect no interruption in supply from Germany and the re-structuring will not affect US dealers, teams or consumers in any way.”
According to Karl Kuffner, International Sales Manager of Holmenkol AG, the company and insolvency administrator are currently working with a pool of potential investors and they are determining which group will best provide future stability as the company exits insolvency.
Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) took us through their West Yellowstone prep on Saturday afternoon, the day before they began the 800+ mile drive to Montana. With a 40-pair test fleet, drawers full of wax gear and about 150 pairs of freshly-ground skis to deliver back to customers, they’ve got a full trailer. Wheels went up on Sunday at 8:00 am, and after spending the night in Bozeman, MT, the crew should arrive in Yellowstone on Monday.
In order of appearance: BNS owner Nathan Schultz, head of race service David Chamberlain, service tech Shane MacDowell and sales associate Matti Rowe.
In what may be a first in the North American skiing, FasterSkier brought together four of the best ski technicians around for a roundtable discussion on a variety of issues.
Nathan Schultz of Boulder Nordic Sport, Mark Waechter of Nordic Ultratune, Zach Caldwell of Caldwell Sport, and Patrick Moore of the Alberta World Cup Academy digitally joined FasterSkier Editor Topher Sabot and Associate Editor Audrey Mangan from all corners of the continent.
The discussion is split into two segments. Part 1 focuses mainly on the World Cup and associated issues, while Part 2 tackles topics relevant to racers at all levels.
In what may be a first in the North American skiing, FasterSkier brought together four of the best ski technicians around for a roundtable discussion on a variety of issues.
Nathan Schultz of Boulder Nordic Sport, Mark Waechter of Nordic Ultratune, Zach Caldwell of Caldwell Sport, and Patrick Moore of the Alberta World Cup Academy digitally joined FasterSkier Editor Topher Sabot and Associate Editor Audrey Mangan from all corners of the continent.
The discussion is split into two segments. Part 1 focuses mainly on the World Cup and associated issues, while Part 2 tackles topics relevant to racers at all levels.
As the weather turns colder and skiers start thinking more about their winter equipment, FasterSkier is bringing together the top technicians from around North America tomorrow, September 13, for a podcast all about skis. Joining us will be Nathan Schultz (Boulder Nordic Sport), Zach Caldwell (Caldwell Sport), Patrick Moore (Fast Trax Run and Ski Shop/Alberta World Cup Academy) and Mark Waechter (Nordic Ultratune) to talk about advancements in grind technology, ski service on the World Cup and gear they’re excited about this season.
Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) is hiring! We are looking for prospective employees who are excited about skiing, the BNS brand and are looking to be a part of the leading cross-country ski racing source in the United States. With stores in Boulder, Colorado and Portland, Maine, BNS also operates a mobile race service trailer that travels to events around the US as well as an e-commerce web site at www.bouldernordic.com. BNS imports and distributes the SkiGo, Holmenkol, Guru, Innovax and Magnar brands into the USA.
Interested candidates should send a resume with cover letter and salary requirements to jobs@bouldernordic.com.
Available Positions
Retail Manager
Boulder Nordic Sport seeks a Retail Manager for its Boulder, CO store. The Retail Manager will administer all aspects of retail operations including merchandising, employee scheduling, shipping, receiving and order fulfillment. Qualified candidates are detail oriented, good with people, have strong computer skills and have experience managing in the retail environment. Ski industry or specialty sport store experience is helpful but not necessary.
The Retail Manager position is a full-time, year-round position. Salary range is $45,000-$65,000 plus bonuses and benefits, depending on experience. Summer flex time is also possible.
Retail Associates
Boulder Nordic Sport seeks Retail Associates for its Boulder, Colorado store. Part- and Full-Time Retail Associate positions are available September 15-March 15. Retail Associates will have a wide range of responsibilities ranging from sales and merchandising to fulfillment of internet orders.
Compensation: dependent on experience.
Ski Stone Grinding and Service Technicians
Boulder Nordic Sport seeks experienced cross-country ski service technicians for its ski service department at our Boulder, CO and Portland, ME locations. There are also openings for Stone Grinding Technicians in Boulder. Qualified candidates should be good at working with their hands and have experience working with skis. Service Technicians will be trained by BNS’s Racing Service experts and will gain experience at our shops and at events performing ski service.
Compensation: dependent on experience.
Stone Grinding & Ski Service Manager
Boulder Nordic Sport seeks a stone grinding technician who can be trained to run stone grinding operations and development at its Boulder, CO store. Responsibilities include operating and maintaining the stone grinding machinery, managing service technicians, developing and testing new grinds as well as working with athletes and teams to track grind performance. The right candidate could also take on some or all of the Racing Service Coordinator’s responsibilities (see below). The ideal candidate will have strong experience with cross-country ski racing service, be good with machinery and comfortable and skilled working with their hands. The Stone Grinding Manager position is a long-term, full-time position.
Salary: dependent on experience. Summer flex-time is possible.
Racing Service Coordinator
Boulder Nordic Sport seeks a Race Service Coordinator to manage its cross-country ski racing service operations. The Racing Service Coordinator will manage the service team and marketing presence at events across the country. Responsibilities include coordinating Cross-Country Ski Racing Service at events across the US with BNS regional tech reps as well as travel to larger events to help perform service and organize the BNS team on-site. Depending on the candidate’s skills, this position can be a part-time seasonal position or can be combined with the Stone Grinding & Service Manager position to be full-time, year-round. The ideal candidate will have strong experience with cross-country ski racing service and be an expert ski technician proficient in kick and glide waxing, structure and testing. Additionally, the Racing Service Coordinator needs to be skilled with people, organization, communication and managing complicated projects.
Zach Caldwell, one of the premier ski technicians in the US has decided to leave Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) and return to Southern Vermont to reestablish his own grinding and ski selection business with his wife Amy.
Caldwell initially left Vermont to run a ski testing program for the US Ski Team in the Callaghan Valley as part of the lead up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, following Amy to the Whistler area after she took a coaching position at the Callgahan Valley Training Center.
After the Olympics, Caldwell signed on with Boulder Nordic Sport, relocating to Boulder, Colorado. Nathan Schultz, the owner of BNS is sorry to see Caldwell leave.
“We are not going to be able to replace Zach,” Schultz wrote in an email to FasterSkier. “But I look forward to the challenge of finding people who we can coach into filling his shoes a few years down the road.”
Schultz notes there was no drama surrounding Caldwell’s departure.
“It is tough to lose Zach’s expertise,” Schultz said, “but his return to Vermont is more about him returning to what makes him happiest than any sort of split between us.”
Schultz also stated he hoped to continue work with Caldwell on grinds, while Caldwell wrote in an announcement on the Caldwell Sport website that he welcomes future collaboration with BNS.
Caldwell returns to Vermont with his Tazzari RP23 grinding machine, leaving BNS with a single Tazzari RP13.
Schultz told FasterSkier that he would be spending significant time this summer examining options for a new machine, noting the efficiency gains of having two grinders, and the benefits of state-of-the-art equipment.
The original Tazzari RP13 was purchased from Caldwell in 2006 when Schultz started BNS.
Both Caldwell and Schultz have worked with the US Ski Team over the past years, providing waxing and grinding services both domestically and abroad.
In the short run, Schultz will step into the hole left by Caldwell’s departure, spending more time working with skis, grinds and wax.
Caldwell returns to Vermont, a place he still refers to as “home,” despite his four-year absence. He re-starts his business with a new system for describing grinds, and will focus on grinding and high-end ski selection – not retail.
“Our return to Vermont will mark a return to a more narrowly defined business model focusing on our strengths – race ski selection and ski stonegrinding,” the Caldwell Sport website reads.
Caldwell is also the personal coach for US Ski Team standout Kris Freeman.
In addition to Caldwell’s departure, BNS Race Service Director, Eric Pepper, has taken a job with Ski Club Vail, and is leaving the shop.
“My philosophy has always been to find good people and build the business around their unique strengths,” Schultz said. “Zach and Amy came to Boulder the same year Roger Knight came on board and we launched BNS East. We changed things around radically based on the new team’s expertise and pursued directions that made sense given the personalities and knowledge we had. Now, we’ll have to reconfigure things based on our new team. “
BNS has already hired former Denver University assistant coach Hennie Kashiwa as BNS Brand Manager, and retain Stone Grinding and Service Technician Tom Troutner.
“That leaves us looking for a retail manager for the Boulder shop and one or two full-time people who will focus on Stone Grinding and Race Service,” Schultz said.
The positions will be posted soon on the BNS website, and resumes can be sent to jobs@bouldernordic.com.
The Colorado International Spring Series in 2004 and 2005 featured a leader's bib (pictured), a climber's bib, a sprinter's bib, and a fun leader's bib. Photo, Tim Carter
Before this year’s mini-tour in Fort Kent, and even before the inaugural Tour de Ski in 2007, there was the Colorado International Spring Series (CISS) in 2004 and 2005. CISS was a stage race much like those coming into vogue today, and it was one of the first of its kind—if not the very first. Nathan Schultz, now the owner of Boulder Nordic Sport, had the idea for the event, and FasterSkier caught up with him last week for a quick look back.
FasterSkier: So this being before the Tour de Ski, how did you come up for the idea for the race?
Nathan Schultz: We have great snow in the spring, and I was pretty much done with my ski racing—I was still racing, but mostly just for fun. So I thought, “well, we’ve got all these great places to ski, and wouldn’t it be fun to have a Spring Series here.” We’d been having Spring Series forever in Sun Valley. That was great, it was super, but Rick Kapala got really burnt out, because he was volunteering his time organizing it.
We did it in 2004 and had the worst March melt-out ever, and we were questioning whether we were going to be able to run the event. It was pretty rugged—at one point we had a snowmobile go into an under-snow river that had formed. So there were a lot of challenges, but it turned out to be really fun. The whole time, I wanted to do something different, because I felt like the sport had kind of been changing in the wrong way. They’d been trying to get spectators by trying these new things—it’s still kind of that way—new formats, change the distance of the sprints, change this, change that. I wanted to try to do something that was different but more fun.
I figured it would build more of a story. Nobody was paying attention to ski races in the spring anyways, but if you want to create a compelling story, you do it by having this long series of the events. It was for the athletes, but it was also to try to do something different for the sport. We did that in 2004, and tweaked it a bit in 2005.
I had come from bike racing, so I’d seen a lot of the fun things that had happened there. We had three jerseys for the skiing: We had the climber’s jersey, an overall leader, and then the points jersey, for the sprinter. And then we created another jersey, which was called the fun leader. That made it a lot of fun, and people were doing some pretty crazy things [to win the fun jersey]—it made the whole event just have a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
FS: Why didn’t you keep doing it?
NS: We had great success—the problem was just that we got really burnt out doing it. We weren’t able to raise enough money to have someone to be the race organizer, and it was too much work to be able to have someone do it as a volunteer.
FS: Any good stories from the competition for the fun jersey?
NS: There were some crazy things. We got some great athletes to come over from Europe for a couple of those years—Martin Koukal, Oystein Pettersen. One day we had a criterium at the Winter Park Resort, which was at the base of their ski mountain. It had a really sick climb up an alpine slope. We built a double jump, and it was way faster [to go over the jump] than the other way.
Oystein Pettersen was trying to get the fun leaders’ jersey, and he pulled a backflip off of it. The first time he did that, he crashed really hard and separated his thumb. He came skiing down, the doctor reset his thumb, and then he went back out did a few more laps, pulled another backflip and this time landed it. (Corey Smith somehow dug up video of that first flip, here!)
This last spring in Vancouver, I saw him out at one of the bars a couple days after he won his medal—he came up to me and gave me a big hug. We’ve stayed friends—that’s cool to have built that rapport.
The other fun leader story…there were a couple Norwegian guys—one of the Aucklands, might have been Frederick or Jorgen, one of the CU guys—they left the bar at like 2 a.m., and they had finals in Boulder that day. So they decided that they were going to run over the Continental Divide, and meet the CU alpine team at the top of the ski hill in Eldora at 6 a.m. and get a ride back down to Boulder. They took off at 2 a.m. and made it over and did their tests.
It would be awesome to see that kind of adventure come back to Spring Series. I know it’s a big race to put on, but it seemed like it’s just become another race. It used to be a big race. The first time I did it, as a kid, it was so much fun that it kept me wanting to ski race. Having fun like that and having high-quality racing in the U.S. is worthwhile.
FS: How did you convince all those Europeans to come over?
NS: That was one of the things that Rick Kapala had done really well. He had called people up and said, “look, you need to come over here and race. We’ll pay your way over here—it will be a blast, you’ll win prize money.” It lowered the FIS points dramatically, so we kept along with that.
At the time, Trond Nystad was the U.S. Ski Team head coach, and Knut [Trond’s brother] was working over there as well. We had connections with four or five people who were traveling on the World Cup. I called ‘em up and said, “find [some] athletes, and have them call me.” We put it in our budget to ship over a bunch of people—they came over.
The first year we kind of had to recruit people, and the second year, people were calling us.
Zach and Amy Caldwell have joined Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) as Technical Director and Business Manager. The Caldwells bring extensive experience and knowledge in the cross-country ski industry to their work at BNS headquarters in Boulder, CO. Zach will continue his work developing stone grinds and ski-selection processes while directing Ski Service and Technical Operations. Amy will perform Business Management duties while assisting in the development of BNS’s Camps, Coaching and Women’s Programs. The couple move from Squamish, BC where Ms. Caldwell was Head Coach of the Callaghan Valley Training Centre and Mr. Caldwell was conducting a testing and development program for the US Ski Team at the Olympic venue for two years.
Zach folds his previous business, Caldwell Sport Specialties into BNS operations. He commented, “This arrangement has been inevitable since the start of our collaboration in 2006. Nathan has taken the half-formed vision that I started with and shown everybody what is possible when you set out to provide the very best ski service available to the public. Under the BNS umbrella I can continue to pursue product development and innovative ideas the way I have in my Olympic venue work with the US Ski Team in the past two years. This is a dream come true for me – to pursue my trade at the highest levels. For BNS customers it means access to products and techniques carried directly from World Cup and Olympic level competition.
BNS owner Nathan Schultz commented, “Zach has been a driving force behind BNS, and without his knowledge and assistance, none of this would have been possible. Amy’s knowledge of skiing, coaching and the business are incredibly valuable. Handing her many of the business responsibilities will free me to develop programs and ideas we have not had the time and resources to act upon in the past. Having all of us in one place elevates the quality of our collaboration significantly and has already led to significant new ideas and developments. I’m confident that Zach and Amy will push BNS to attain new levels of service that will further establish us as the premier cross-country ski shop in the US.”
Zach will continue his work with the US Ski Team. In addition to grinding US Ski Team skis for regular World Cup competition at BNS this fall, Zach will be back in Canada with his grinder for more testing and for the Olympics this winter. Schultz will also be working at the Olympics with the US Ski Team as a wax and structure tech.
Boulder Nordic Sport brings World Cup Service to everyone with a full-service cross-country ski shop in Boulder, CO and web site at bouldernordic.com. BNS specializes in professional ski service using Tazzari stone-grinding equipment as well as sales and advanced fit of cross-country skis, equipment and technical apparel. BNS carries a full line of wax and professional tuning equipment as well as distributing the Ski*Go and Holmenkol product lines in the US.
Boulder Nordic Sports Nathan Schultz was in Liberec waxing with the US Ski Team. He posted several reports, including the following on yesterday’s final event. Nathan provides an excellent behind-the-scenes look at ski preparation, and the races in general.
Petter Northug won a tough 50km freestyle today in Liberec, completing a sweep of the three mass-start races that ended skating (30km Pursuit, Relay, 50km skate). This was the second day in a row where the organizers allowed service pit stops where athletes could exchange skis. This made for a bit more work for us service guys, but it also added excitement to the race as new tactics played into the race.
The extra distance of today’s race had Northug more tired than his previous two wins and so he actually had to ski hard all the way to the finish, unlike his previous two wins where he could prance around a bit before finishing.
James Southam and Garrott Kuzzy started solidly, but lost ground toward the finish. James was happy with his race as he was able to stick with the lead pack through about 35km before he dropped off.
The pit stops added a little bit of tactics to the race as it did in yesterday’s women’s 30km event. The Italian women decided to skip the ski exchange while almost everyone else stopped and exchanged skis for freshly waxed (and cleaned!) skis. The Italians gained a little ground each time they skipped the pit, but by the end of the race, it was obvious that their skis were slower and that they were tired out from pushing harder than everyone else who had exchanged skis roughly every 7.5km.
We had two guys in the pit taking athletes skis, running to the wax cabin, re-waxing them, and then running them back out so the athletes could have them on the next trip through the stadium on the 7.5km laps. We once again had great skis, though, so all of the work was well worth it.
Once the race finished, we packed up the wax cabins and loaded up the vans to go to Lahti. The athletes fly out Monday (some home, some to Lahti). All of the European teams have completely disappeared to take a few days at home before traveling to Lahti. The Americans, Canadians, Australians, Japanese, Kiwis and other non-continental teams are left in what is an eerie vacuum in a place that has been teeming with activity and excitement for two weeks. It’s a painful reminder of the extra toll that European racing and travel has on the non-continental teams.
Well, it has been a very successful championship, with the US bringing home 6 medals. The Nordic Combined team was super all week, taking gold in all three individual events and a bronze, Kikkan Randall brought home an historic silver for the cross-country team, and Lindsay Van took gold in the first-ever women’s jumping world championship. Kris Freeman narrowly missed a bronze medal by 1.3 seconds in the 15km Classic, and showed his form again in the opening leg of the relay. Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola showed that they belong among the best in the world with breakthrough races that certainly will give them confidence to continue building their results. All in all, a great week for the US and a sign that the future of US XC-skiing looks brighter. Maybe not quite bright yet, but definitely brighter.
Petter Northug leads the charge to the finish (Photo: Swix Sport)
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