Ski Wax: Creating a Stick for Glide

Ski wax can be the difference between a great day on the slopes and a struggle with conditions that reduce the performance of even the best equipment. Ease of use and variety of formula allow skiers to apply the right mix to quickly get on the slopes and down them.

Prior to the mid-20^th century, pine pitch was the ski sealer of choice since ancient times. After 1950, the industrial/technological boom brought petrochemical waxes to the forefront, beginning with paraffin, and moving into microcrystalline waxes. Innovation continues now with synthetic waxes that offer a broad palette of options. Ski wax has moved from the simplicity of keeping the ski bases from wearing away to trimming milliseconds from run times to win medals, and the waxes that feature in those formulas are reliant on the proficiency of the experts who blend them.

Modern ski waxes are technical systems in which different combinations of waxes are used to generate the varying hardness and stick required for all possible snow conditions. Koster Keunen offers a strong stable of waxes and wax chemistry expertise to help develop ski waxes to suit your customers’ performance demands.

Whether you are looking at making a whole line of finely tuned waxes or a more “universal,” rub-on wax, you will be wanting a range of wax options to make your ski wax perform. Koster Keunen offers multiple lines of synthetic and petrochemical waxes that create the base formula, while bringing the consistent quality to allow your chemists to create your products’ signature effectiveness.

Koster Keunen offers our Koster Keunen Ski Wax Blend Wax #142 as an example of a rub-on wax that combines technical skill with ease of production. This ski wax is a complete product, designed for production efficiency.  Melt and pour into molds, add color and fragrance as desired. 

Formula#:  7/21-142-4

Natural waxes have been making a strong return to the slopes over the last decade. This has come from increased awareness of outdoor sports enthusiasts and professionals that their sports have an impact on the environment. Choosing products made from sustainable and natural ingredients is one way consumers have been expressing a desire to reduce their petrochemical footprint.

Koster Keunen offers the following sample formula for an effective, easy to apply natural ski wax with a formula that features Candelilla wax and White Beeswax.

Formula#:  7/21-419/329-8

*This formula has not been tested outside of the lab.

In nature, waxes are produced to meet an extraordinary variety of needs. As a result, the chemical signatures of those waxes, and their associated functions, create wide latitude for applications. Koster Keunen offers a range of natural waxes for primary structural use, and a slate of natural waxes that complement the structurants, giving your chemists plentiful options.

Note: Caution should be used when using natural waxes in ski wax. Due to the polar nature of natural waxes, they can interact with snow differently at different conditions.

Although we were unable to test these formulas in a real-world scenario, in the lab we were able to show that both the standard ski wax and the natural ski wax had similar water repellent properties and slip that would mimic simple friction of ski to snow. In our lab tests, the natural formula performed similarly to the standard formula.

Ski waxes function as lubricants to help skis glide, stop snow from sticking, and act as a sealant on skis and snowboards. The hardness and glide of a ski wax varies to suit different snows and temperature conditions. If you have questions about formulations or wax recommendations, feel free to contact us.