friction change over long distance skiing

This data may not be representative of all waxes in all skiing/snow conditions.   This is just one snapshot in time and results may vary.  this is a very difficult test to conduct!

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Four test skis were waxed with different levels of fluorinated wax treatments.  The skis were measured for friction and water contact angle after being freshly waxed and then after various distances of skiing.  The skiing was done over multiple days in different conditions, but on a given day all the skis were used and for the same skiing distance on that day.  All skiing and testing was done in temperatures appropriate for this hardness of a wax (20's Deg F)

​The standard paraffin wax (Swix CH8) is the standard of comparison in the friction chart.   All friction levels are measured relative to that.   A positive delta means that ski was slower than the paraffin wax

Wax durability over long distances

test data

Results Discussion:  

Interestingly, the standard paraffin wax had the lowest friction (fastest ski) right after being freshly waxed.  The fluorinated waxes did have a higher water contact angle as expected but were slower in these conditions.  By the end of the testing after 50km of skiing, the fluorinated waxes were slightly faster, indicating they has less degradation over time/distance.