Ski wax for Val d'Isere

Got to sort out my skis ahead of my next ski trip to Val d’isere (they’re currently covered in a cheap wax I use as a storage protection layer).

Never ski’d there before and I’m out of all temperature wax so I need to buy some anyway (stuff I had before was cheap and a bit slow in Andorra last year).

Anyone recommend a really good quality and suitable wax for skiing in Val d’isere? (Mostly piste stuff on reds and blacks using good but normal piste skis)

Edukator you used to work there, any suggestions?

Cheers, B

Google the piste office. Jon is brilliant at advice and supplying waxes and tuning stuff.

Tend to use his Zoom Dominator myself. Reminds me, time to think about tuning…

This has got to be a piss take… 🙂

Wet snow, dry snow, sugary snow, degree of transformation, temperature. I’ve got about ten different waxes to cover various conditions. The last time I was in Val it was Christmas, cold and fresh snow so I used Rex blue (zero fluor) which does -2°C down to -10°C and brushed with nylon.

The last time I skied this year it was melting old snow so I used Rex Olympico red high fluor brushed with bronze, applied an accelerator (TK 72 I think) with cork, then ran a “structureuse” over the base to limit the suction cup effect over the really wet parts.

If I had to choose just one wax for Val it would be Rex racing violet +2 -4 which has the widest usable range of any wax I’ve tried and doesn’t cost a fortune. Brush with nylon for dry snow and bronze for wet snow.

Just squirt a bit of washing up liquid on them – you’re not J C Killy

oh you ski dweebs 🙂

Is this the same as those endless “what tyres?” threads?

The Rex Olympico makes the slopes come alive… 🙄

Rex Olympico kills everything it touches, it’s toxic. When I’m dictator I’ll ban fluor waxes.

Anyone recommend a really good quality and suitable wax for skiing in Val d’isere?

I assume you’ve never actually been skiing or even seen snow…

Back, Sack and Crack

What wax for Val 😆

I used to race and most of the time universal was fine, so I’m sure universal will be fine

Just take them to a shop when you get there.

😆

Thanks for the replies…

And yes I guess this is the skiing equivalent of what tyres, for which I apologise… but sometimes it’s helpful to ask and get a range of opinions.

B

Data wax. Cheap as chips and last for at least a week prob two.

OP you cannot possibly chose a wax for a resort as it depends totally on conditions. Just pick a standard one and get on with it. It’s a fabulous ski area, enjoy it.

If you are good enough to ski blacks you should try and do some off piste, “valley perdue” is great and easy (at risk of getting flamed you could ski this on your own assuming conditions are safe, its open with no serious risks at the top and plenty of people going down it, the narrow section in the gully is very cool and generally like a narrow piste. If you hang around piste side a group will come by and you can tag along). From memory its off the side of the Tommeuses lift which goes from Val up to la Tovierre and Tignes.

Have a look at TDC – The Development Centre. You can do a half or full day with them joining a group. At your level going to Val and not trying some off piste is criminal, appreciate cost may be a factor

Even after layering up waxes and brushing between for an hour I find my X-C skis slow up after a couple of kms (say 6 minutes) on wet snow and are getting to be hard work after 15kms.

My touring skis only get waxed a couple of times a season because wax makes the glue on the skins go gooey; they are unpleasant to ski down as they brake over changes in snow texture and humidity – hitting newly made artificial snow is like braking on a bike.

OP you cannot possibly chose a wax for a resort as it depends totally on conditions.

It’s even more daft for a resort like Val d’Isere which has slopes facing every direction, the snow conditions will vary considerably between the slopes depending on where it faces, how much sun it gets and the prevailing winds etc.

650 bees wax

or

fat…fat?

No?

There’s also about 1700m between Val and the top of the Tignes glacier which is over 10°C difference to which you can add the daily variation.

Rex racing Blue or violet/purple on the bases every day and a bronze brush in a pocket for if the snow gets wet. 8)

I think you should use depilatory cream as wax can be a bit brutal 🙂 I use Veet on mine. You might remember it as Imac…

650b wax brings the slopes to life

needs to be champagne resistant, i’d use something with with plenty of John Frieda and a lot of irony as that will be difficult to brush off in val.

Not sure I get the idea of using a wax you’re not going to ski on as a storage layer – personally I store mine with Toko moly universal, ironed in but not scraped. I ski on that the first day (after scraping and brushing), which seems to work just fine and I’m not sure there’s a huge difference between that the the LF temp specific Swix I use on subsequent days when I know the forecast for following days. That’s for XC skiing, where you tend to have a fairly constant and predictable temperature through the day, and IMHO the glide makes rather more difference to your experience than recreational DH. Are you planning on re-waxing through the week, because with XC I can tell the difference if I don’t rewax every day as the old stuff wears off and the skis get dirty – that makes far more difference than the particular wax you use.

the skis get dirty

I changed from Swix to Rex because the warm Swix waxes picked up more dirt than friends who were racing on Rex. I’ve never tried but it’s considered a bad idea to mix brands so I use Rex for preparation, base, race temperature and accelerator. I’m a bit out of touch having not raced X-C for five years so Swix may have improved but I finished one race in soup on their +2 yellow with pine needles stuck to the bases.

I’ve heard that, but reckon it’s BS – a lot more difference between different waxes from the same brand than different brands. Though I’ve never raced that seriously – done a few marathons towards the front of the punters (and masters world ski-o, where I was putting grip wax in the middle of my skaters to help on the narrow uphills!) – it’s not really the wax holding me back.

Make sure you have “apres” ski beverages at the Folle Douce, you won’t be worrying about ski wax for the run back to the resort

This thread 😀

One day while struggling up a hill doing classic XC. I got passed by a grizzled 60 year old (not uncommon). At the top he was resting so I asked him what grip wax he was using…. to which he replied “technique” 😳

This is even more arcane than the witchcraft and dark art of chain lube.

Toko silver.

One snake for wet, 2 in the dry.

Don’t forget to rewax for Tignes…

Head for Sports Vrai Splendide in La Daille. They stock the Espace Killy Takedepis (TKDP) waxes that are custom designed for each area and are bespoke for the different conditions that you get at Le Fornet versus Solaises and Belvarde. I don’t think the they do a Tignes versions as yet but there is some St Foy stuff I believe.

Having said that I did use the TKDP Fornet Blue at Solaise and it was ok, at least I survived the run. But a quick rub of TKDP Rouge Face for the Belvarde runs down to La Daille was a good idea and helped with the extent of extra carving required down La Face.

Amazed the custom waxes haven’t caught on elsewhere.

I’m surprised you made it down La Face in one piece without using the Extrême Noire. You must be a very good skier.

But a quick rub of TKDP Rouge Face for the Belvarde runs down to La Daille was a good idea and helped with the extent of extra carving required down La Face.

Is this post actually serious ?

So was I. The guide was unimpressed but I was a little suspicious as he was sponsored by TKDP.

Extreme noire is much better there though (especially for certain sections on La Face iteself) so point well made. But it’s expensive having to buy so many different types.

I think you misheard, it’s pronounced take-a-dee-pee in French.

I find it odd that people who will spend pages debating “what skis” on the annual ski and snowboard thread won’t take a waxing thread seriously. Look at the ski bases of 1000e euro skis stood up in front of mountain cafés and you’ll see various shades of grey. The users would go faster and have a more enjoyable skiing experience on freshly waxed 400e skis.

Tu as raison mon ami, mon erreur !

Good stuff though. Their 2016 Bosses de Sollaise is multicoloured and allows the skis to adjust automatically to the conditions on each side of the mogul. Estimated to take 0.25% off each 100 metres. Incroyable…

I imagine they’re the same people who will moan about how much it costs to park their Audi and unload their Santa Cruz at a trail centre. 😉

Though as I mentioned above, it’s all very well having nicely waxed skis at the start of the week, how many people get them rewaxed during a week’s holiday?

That new Bosses de Sollaise sounds handy – presumably that avoids the hassle of having to put different wax on each side of the ski. I wonder if they’re going to diversify into waxes for other resorts.

Apparently so, if 2016 proves a success.

They have missed the opportunity for different wax for the left and right ski though. Elementary IMO.

Having said that, their left handed tennis rackets introduced this summer were a roaring success. I heard that McEnroe was approached for marketing purposes, but that could have been hearsay.

how many people get them rewaxed during a week’s holiday?

Me me me ! There are strava segments to beat don’t you know.