Ski and Snowboard Wax Review

Rossignol Ski's and Snowboards

No matter what level of skier or rider you are, or what type of skis or board you ride, everyone needs wax. From ski racers to nobs lapping the bunny slope, wax is the common thread connecting all manner of winter alpine snow sliders. Unless you are in the racing community, the type of wax that you use is often overlooked — but it shouldn’t be. You can buy a $1,600 snowboard and expect to be the fastest man on the mountain (assuming a certain level of skill and courage) but without the right wax, you might as well be riding an original Surfer. These waxes will help keep your skis and boards operating at peak performance and increase their longevity. Johannes Scheffer in 1673 gave what is probably the first recorded instruction for ski wax application. He advised skiers to use pine tar pitch and rosin. Ski waxing was also documented in 1761.

Beginning around 1854, California gold rush miners held organized downhill ski races. They also discovered that bases smeared with dopes brewed from vegetable and/or animal compound helped increase skiing speeds.

This led to some of the first commercial ski wax (even though they contained no wax at all), such as Black Dope and Sierra Lighting; both were mainly composed of sperm oil, vegetable oil and pine pitch. However, some instead used paraffin candle wax that melted onto ski bases, and these worked better under colder conditions.

Below listed some of the best ski and snowboard wax that are currently in the market:

Hot Sauce Hertel Wax

Hertel Hot Sauce 

One wax. All conditions. Out-performs waxing with colors. Other waxes try to match paraffin hardness to temperature and moisture. Super HotSauce Ski Wax is made like no other wax available today. Our research department has developed a new and totally unique wax formula that delivers unmatched riding. Super Hotsauce Ski Wax has a unique microencapsulation formula with patented surfactants that work in all temperatures and weather conditions. No other wax has it and no other wax works like it. Super HotSauce all temperature wax since 1974. Give it a try, you won't regret it!

Swix made in Norway

Swix Racing Wax

When the temps drop and you are lined up in the gatehouse, you best have your skis waxed with Swix’s HF4. The Norwegian company’s best cold-weather race wax is intended for temperatures ranging from 10 down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Racing Wax also features a new nanotechnology developed specifically for snow with dry friction conditions that are frequently experienced in the Rockies and Wasatch mountain ranges.

Zum Wax made in the USA

Zum Wax

I have switched to ZUMWax High Fluoro Ski/Snowboard Wax for price reasons this past year and couldn't be happier. It's High Fluoro, perfect for alpine racing. They have only 3 temperature waxes to cover what we needed, we mixed colors to get boarder line temps,and it worked out great. We are very happy with the speed this wax gave us for racing.

F4 Fluoro Wax

F4 Fluoro Wax by Swix

I love this wax because it's simple and effective. It's not like hot waxing, but it only takes a minute to apply. I ski 3-4 times a week and hot-wax my skis every other week or so. This stuff is great for putting on top of the hot-wax to make it last longer. 

Winkwax made in the USA

Universal Glide Wax by Winkwax

This biodegradable ski wax is different from other ski wax. You will wait until the wax cooling down. The wax is designed to stay together instead of spreading everywhere. Scrape it off as much as possible. It works great on the slopes. The fact that it is eco-friendly is also a huge plus! It performed much better than many expensive competitors at an unbeatable price. This wax's formulation is really special.