Wax and variable conditions

[Iwannaski]

So… last friday was my fourth day skiing after a wax. First day was SUPER cold, second day was 20s, third was low 30s, and then friday was a cold day after a series of melty days at a place that normally does a REALLY good job of keeping ice off their slopes.

I don’t even know how to start describing the conditions (for which I was not mentally prepared). There was some soft snow, there was some corn, there was some sheety ice, there were some chunks of ice, there was some dust on crust. All co-mingled on the hill.

As a result, whatever I thought I was doing at any moment was possibly not the right thing to do in the next moment.
Ice sheet? Maybe just survive across with a flat ski, but oh no, wait, here’s some gorgeous snow that will take my edges nicely, oh no watch out a big chunk, oh wait, s*** I was not ready for..ohcrapohcrap.

I found this not enjoyable at the end of a REALLY long week, so I just called it a night, texted my husband who had come to a similar conclusion and met him in the bar while the kids skied with friends.

Here’s my question … in a situation like this, would a freshly waxed ski have made a difference? (See also, waxing every other week is wearing me out and I’m planning on applying Phantom to the fleet this summer)

 

[Jilly]

Nope.

 

[SallyCat]

No.

 

[floatingyardsale]

Maybe if you waxed the bar so the beer would slide more easily to you?

 

[AJM]

Nope , head to the bar ! x

 

[scandium]

No wax will melt sheet ice!

 

[volklgirl]

Nope.

Discretion is the better part of valor. Head for the bar.

 

[Amie H]

Tbh, on my March '19 Lutsen trip, I didn't ski the 2nd day bc conditions were funky like that.
In my limited Spring skiing experience, fresh wax or base boost is what you need in "cement" - the stuff that LOOKS like snow but is really heavy and wet. I experienced this in the Sierra & CO on birthday ski trips in May.

 

[Lmk92]

This sounds exactly like what I encountered at both Okemo and Stowe last week. My skis are treated with Phantom, and I basically had the same experience you did.

 

[Mudgirl630]

So… last friday was my fourth day skiing after a wax. First day was SUPER cold, second day was 20s, third was low 30s, and then friday was a cold day after a series of melty days at a place that normally does a REALLY good job of keeping ice off their slopes.

I don’t even know how to start describing the conditions (for which I was not mentally prepared). There was some soft snow, there was some corn, there was some sheety ice, there were some chunks of ice, there was some dust on crust. All co-mingled on the hill.

As a result, whatever I thought I was doing at any moment was possibly not the right thing to do in the next moment.
Ice sheet? Maybe just survive across with a flat ski, but oh no, wait, here’s some gorgeous snow that will take my edges nicely, oh no watch out a big chunk, oh wait, s*** I was not ready for..ohcrapohcrap.

I found this not enjoyable at the end of a REALLY long week, so I just called it a night, texted my husband who had come to a similar conclusion and met him in the bar while the kids skied with friends.

Here’s my question … in a situation like this, would a freshly waxed ski have made a difference? (See also, waxing every other week is wearing me out and I’m planning on applying Phantom to the fleet this summer)

Forget about waxing all together.
All my skis have Phantom. All the rental skis in Aspen Snowmass have Phantom this season. Wax, not only does not last but, maybe, a few days, depending on how much you skill, it all go into the drinking water. It is a nasty stuff.

Unfortunaty, after all, does not matter what you have on your skis. When it comes to "mushed potatoes" snow is challenging to ski at times regardless. For me, make lots of tiny turns. Ice? Go up with sharp edged narrow wasted skis. Beyond that, not much you can do.