FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Birkie Test Results and Wax Discussion 2/16/16
BNS tested today on course at 00 between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. We ran a full test of paraffin waxes, powders and topcoats as well as a graphite underlayer speed test. Today was the last best day to test on the Birkie course on conditions that will be similar to race day. The temperature during testing today fluctuated between 32F and 34F which is exactly the predicted temps on race morning. In summary today was ideal testing conditions for the 2016 Birkie and BNS is completely confident that the hard work put in today will yield amazing results on Saturday.
There is a lot of bunk out there about graphite underlayers and whether they are a necessary component for race day ski preparation. We have always contended that Ski*Go LF Graphite is the best of the graphite’s and that most of the time you want this as a first layer on your skis for hardening the bases, improving durability and helping to keep the ski clean from dirt and other substances that might be picked up on a race course. This is especially true in a marathon race format where there a lot of skiers out there and the course is likely to be fairly dirty. Today we tested a pair of skis with LF Graphite as a first layer (with HF on top) vs a ski with just a LF Blue travel wax first layer and HF on top. It was clear that not only was the LF Graphite not a liability but it actually made the skis faster. This is a clear statement that you want Ski*Go LF Graphite as your first layer.
For a paraffin layer we tested the following: Ski*Go- HFP16, HF Blue, HF Orange, HF Yellow, P16 and Orange/Green Premix. Holmenkol- Speedbase Wet, Matrix Yellow, Speedbase Mid, Racing Mix Wet, and Racing Mix Mid. The results were very clear with our top five being:
- Ski*Go HFP16
- Holmenkol Speedbase Wet
- Ski*Go HF Blue
- Holmenkol Matrix Yellow
- Ski*Go HF Orange
Based on these results and the predicted weather the rest of the week we feel strongly that skis will be fast with any of: HFP16, Speedbase Wet, Matrix Yellow and HF Orange. Though HF Blue ran well today as we get warmer temps and rain this wax will fall out. All of the others should only improve as the snow transforms more.
For Powders we tested the following: Ski*Go- C22, C44/7, CM10, C22/C105 mix, C105. Holmenkol Race Powder Mid(Mid 08), Wet, Mid. Swix-FC7X Powder, FC8X Powder. Toko-Red 2.0 Powder, Yellow 2.0 Powder. These were clearly better than the HF skis which is not surprising. The top four were nearly in a dead heat but they shook out as such:
- Ski*Go C22
- Ski*Go C44/7
- Ski*Go CM10
- Ski*Go C22/C105 mix
Clearly the warmer powders tailor made for wet conditions are running, as this is when Ski*Go really excels. All of these will only improve as the snow transforms and gets rained on and we feel that any would be a great race day choice.
We also were able to run an extensive topcoat test today. We tested: Ski*Go CM10, C22 block, C44/7 block, C105 block, CM10 fluid, C22 fluid, C44/7 fluid. Holmenkol- Wet block, Mid08 block, Mid block. Toko-HelX Red 2.0 liquid. Gallium-Giga Speed MaxFluor Liquid. This test showed that once again the topcoats made for wet snow were really fast, the results:
- Ski*Go CM10
- Ski*Go C22 block
- Holmenkol Wet block
- Ski*Go C44/7 block
- Ski*Go C105 block
All of our winners here will also only improve as the snow transforms and gets wetter except the 105 block. This is a really great sign for race day as we already have amazingly fast skis four days in advance on products we are confident will only improve as the conditions head towards the predicted weather. We will keep you updated throughout the week should anything change on both www.bouldernordic.com and our facebook pages. You can visit our Midwest store in Bloomington or RiverBrook on Main St. in Hayward to pick up what you need for wax. If you want to leave the waxing to the pro’s then sign up for the BNS wax service and drop your skis off at Riverbrook! Best of luck to all competitors.