Paraffin

Since it's come up a number of times at the shop lately, I thought I'd put together a short list of some of my favourite glide waxes. I've also included notes from discussions that Zach and Nathan and I have had on the topic. Note, the waxes aren't listed in any particular order - I think that all of these are excellent.

Base Layers

1. Ski*Go LF graphite - If you want your skis to be fast, the bases need to be hard and the wax needs to be durable. This product is one of the easiest ways to make that happen.

2. Solda S30 - Go out right now and buy ten containers of S30. It sells out every year and I promise you will use it up. Amazing in new snow, old snow, cold, warm - always worth testing as a base layer.


Cold Paraffins

1. Swix LF4 - One of the two best glide waxes from Swix. Always a safe bet when it's cold.

2. Holmenkol Matrix Green - Zach and Nathan's runaway favourite among cold paraffins last year. Consistently killed everything in testing. Runs quite a bit warmer than might be expected


Medium Paraffins

1. Swix LF6 - The other excellent glide wax from Swix. Low liability - if LF6 doesn't win the test it is never far out. Runs a lot warmer than you'd think.

2. Solda F31 Violet - The temperature range on the box says -4C to -14C. In reality, the range is probably even wider. Any time the temperature is below zero but not squeaky cold, F31 violet is worth testing.

3. Holmenkol Matrix Blue - Picks up where Matrix Green leaves off. Similar temperature range, but for higher humidity.


4. Ski*Go Violet - This was called Ultima under the old Ski*Go naming convention. Wicked fast in aggressive or man made snow. Mix it with Ski*Go yellow (242 under the old naming convention) in greasy snow.


Warm Paraffins
In these conditions, the paraffins usually make less of a difference.


1. Solda F40 Yellow - Amazing when it is super wet.


2. Holmenkol Matrix Yellow/Black -  when the crystals are course or the snow is dirty, get this in a test. 

3. Swix HF8 - Runs warmer than most other reds. Good stuff.

4. Holmenkol Matrix Red - Runs colder than HF8, more universal. Really nice.


Other Stuff


1. Ski*Go Green - Sometimes crazy fast, sometimes not. Too inconsistent to use without testing.


2. Swix HF6 - Inconsistent. LF6 is a much safer choice and rarely far out.


3. Swix HF7 - Seems to prefer newer snow, but don't use it if you can't test it.