Wax the F@$% Episode 3: How to Choose the Right Wax for the Day

We've all been there, you've got a few bars of wax ad you're fixing to get your boards freshly coated for a day of ripping. But how do you decide which wax to use? Well, you came to the right place. Check out our steps for choosing the right wax for the day: 

Things to Consider: 

1. What's the temperature?  

When we talk about temperature, the label on the mountainFLOW waxes refers to air temperature. However, sometimes the air temp and snow temp can be significantly different because snow warms up slower than air. If, for example, you're skiing at 10am, the air temp could be 25 degrees but the snow temp could only still be 10 degrees from when it was cold overnight. 

If you're skiing in the morning, we recommend going with a colder wax because the snow will be colder than the air. 

2. What's the snow like? Is it new snow or old snow? 

New snow is super pokey - think of a classic snowflake. Each dendrite represents a sharp edge of the snow crystal. New snow necessitates the use of a colder wax so go down a whole wax temperature from what you would normally use. The colder wax temp translates into a slightly harder formulation which will protect your bases from the sharp snow crystals. 

If the snow is old snow (or 'transformed' snow), the dendrites do not look like they do when the snow is fresh. They are not as sharp and are much smoother. This means you can afford to go with a warmer wax. 

Let's recap: 

It's always safer to err on the colder side than the warmer side. You have more agency to go warmer if the snow is not new. However, if you are waxing for freshly fallen snow, it is always best to err on the colder side. New snow is sharper than old snow which means a harder wax will prevent your bases better which will then create better glide. This means, go colder because cold wax is usually harder. 

That's it! Now go wax up the boards and we'll see you for the next WTF!