90 km of throwin' elbows
wax
Out here in California I haven’t seen much Start Ski Wax however growing up in Minnesota Start Green was the go to option for most of the winter. So to further unlock the secrets of fast skis Start has come up with an application for all of you smart phone users, well at least the non-iPhone users. I have yet to try it out but if you’re interested check it out HERE in the Android Market. Check it out and let us know what you think!
Just wanted to highlight a few excellent resources of information for all of you skiers out there. As we all know waxing and ski maintenance is a huge part of ski performance whether your skis have scales on the bottom, are 130mm under foot, have a hole in the tip for lighter swing weight, or if you’re rocking one plank; keeping your equipment tuned will make you faster, more efficient, and having more fun, not to mention increase the longevity of your gear.
You may already know that all of the ski wax manufacturers normally send out a wax recommendation a few days before the nordic ski races happen. We normally try to post links to these as a heads up in case you need some tips for what should be sliding the fastest. Swix, Toko, and Fast Wax seem to be the most common. However those same companies aren’t out there just to help out the nordic racers. Here are a few more services they provide.
One thing most companies provide is a wax calculator which is great for all disciplines. They are obviously going to be based on their waxes so choose which company you prefer and see what they have to say. Here are a few links for you to check out.
Fast Wax’s Alpine, Nordic, and Snowboard Wax Master Chart
A great resource to find out conditions in Lake Tahoe is Tahoe XC’s weather station/conditions page. Obviously this is geared for the nordic skiers so if you are going to higher elevations maybe check out on mountain conditions with the resorts or the Sierra Avalanche Center’s advisory.
Something else these same companies provide are tutorials on YouTube. You’ll find info on all disciplines and also not just basic waxing information. They’ve got edge and base tuning, ski flex information, high fluoro application, grip wax application, and many other options to keep your choice of sliding on snow performing at it’s best.
Check out Fast Wax’s YouTube Channel and also Toko’s YouTube Channel for tutorials on using their products and more. Swix has it’s own deal going on that they call Swix School.
So whether you are new to waxing your own gear or a seasoned veteran all of these resources should be quite helpful to get you started or add to your quiver of knowledge to keep you moving along.
One last little plug for the Nordic folks; if you’ve yet to listen to Fasterskier.com’s podcasts they’ve got some great stuff going on over there. Obviously race stuff but also some killer tech info as well from some huge names. Check them out on iTunes. Or go to their website and search for “podcasts” in their search bar. Here’s what you get so far.
Looking for up to date info on how the skiing is in Tahoe?
We’re out most days and frequently post on our Facebook page what the skiing is like. Also you’ll see these reports on our Twitter feed!
Looking for Nordic conditions? Check out Tahoe XC’s webcam and conditions page to get the right wax dialed in! They’ve got a great weather station with everything you’ll need.
Like this:
Here’s one for the weekend. If you’re into vintage ski stuff check out this website, Alaska Performance Backcountry Skiing. They have a ton of vintage nordic ski advertisements, Click on the photos to enlarge and check out cutting edge technology! Thanks to Skinnyski.com for the heads up!
from www.gd.no
Check out the German Biathlon Team’s wax truck! Think if these monsters rolled up to The Great Ski Race!
from Salomon Nordic
Sorry about the line up of videos but had to post these three beauties; cool old school Yosemite ski touring videos from Ned Gillette.
A little touring:
Then some racing:
And finally a short lesson:
People are in summer mode right now however many are still skiing, nordic and in the backcountry. So being ski enthusiasts at Alpenglow here some more ski stuff.
Thanks to Kevin for this one. It’s the oldest, longest (90KM), and possibly the largest cross-country ski race in the world. The Swedish Vasaloppet, check out the start:
