XCold Application
|
XCold powder is one of Toko's standout products. It really is an essential part of any competitive skier's wax box. Here is information on when and how to use it:
XCold is not just a hardener. It has a special function. It makes the skis dramatically more slippery at slower speeds (in other words, they ac elerate starting from a slower speed). The term that I like to use for this is that it improves the breakaway speed. For this reason, XCold is really important when conditions are slow such as very slow squeaky snow or slow freshly shot manmade snow.
You can apply it two ways. The most common way is to mix it with LF or HF Blue. The glide layer before this layer should have been a layer of Blue to harden up the base. Apply your Blue/XCold layer by dripping the blue on the ski (not too much, you need to leave room for the XCold). Then shake the XCold powder on the ski so you have about as much as the Blue. Then heat them in together, let cool, scrape, and brush. Some like to heat the Blue in first and then apply the XCold. I find that if this is done, the XCold stays on top and doesn't make it into the wax job.
Otherwise, in extremely slow cold snow, the XCold can be applied on top of the Blue as a separate layer. Simply shake the XCold on, heat it in, let cool, scrape, and brush. This is not as good as the Blue/XCold mix though except for in the coldest/slowest conditions.
If it is cold and fast, don't bother with the XCold, just go with the HF Blue followed by JetStream Blue.
|
Update from Jeret "Speedy" Peterson
|
"Hello everyone! We have just completed our first World Cup of the season and it
was quite a wild ride! We are in Changchun China right now and it was -12 F
today which made the snow feel like skiing on styrofoam. We have been waxing
daily with HF blue and it has been working great. In aerials, we arent so much
looking to be the fastest skier as much as aiming for consistancy in your speed.
When we stand at the top of the hill we look for several indicators as
to where we need to start. some of the big factors are wind and snow conditions.
Sometimes stepping up only three feet can be the difference between landing on
your feet and landing on your back so eliminating as many of the variables as
possible is key to doing well.
One thing that people dont realize about
aerialists' skis is that we dull down the edges of the tips and tails, about 1
foot up to the tail and 18 inches down to the tip. we dull them until they are
completely rounded so as to not catch an edge when going up the jump. We keep
our edges sharp under our boot merely for stepping out on the ramp when it is
icy.
I ended up 9th, which i am not happy about but i definitely learned
some things that i can carry into our next competition tomorrow. I competed two
different variations of 3 flips and 4 twists. A top ten is not bad at all, I
agree, but I was SO close to landing up on the podium! Time to go wax and get
ready for a new day and one more COLD day of flipping!
Stay tuned!
Speedy
(Note: Speedy is on the US Freestyle Ski Team. He finished 9th and 7th in the SLC and Torino Olympics and has won 7 World Cup races an an overall World Cup Championship in 2005. Having a good wax is important to aerial skiers so they have a smooth release when they leave the jump.
|
