The Grand Traverse is quite a technical challenge.  Conditions vary wildly due to elevation, terrain, wind-loading and recent snow, so picking the one setup to cover it all is an art.  We've seen everything from lightweight, modified skating gear with skins to full AT Mountaineering gear.

It looks likely that there will be some new snow in the days leading up to the race, so skating may not be very prevalent this year.  The forecast is calling for small amounts of snow, so it is possible that the track will be a mixture of new snow on top of a glazed track left over from the freeze/thaw cycles earlier this week.  Specific wax choices will have to be made once you see the conditions on race day (night), but here is what we've been recommending:

Glide Wax:
Start by cleaning the bases with hot-scraping several times with a wax like Swix CH10 or Toko Yellow.  This is done by melting in the wax and then taking several quick passes with the iron so the wax remains molten.  Scrape the wax off immediately before it cools and you should see a lot of dirt coming off with the wax.

The next step is to harden up the bases for durability.  A wax like Toko Moly, Start Green, Swix CH4 or Toko Blue is good here.  Sprinkling in a little Toko Cold Powder would help, too.  A LF wax is probably better here than straight hydrocarbon, but either will work.  One or two layers of this, allowed to cool, scraped and brushed quickly will get your skis ready for the long-distance race over abrasive snow.  These hard waxes keep the snow crystals from penetrating into the ski base and add a lot of durability.

The final step is to put the wax on that will interact with the snow layers.  We expect that the ideal wax will probably be high fluoro covered with pure fluoro.  Second choice would be an LF wax.  Either way, start by waxing with the LF wax.

For those going speed at all cost, put in all the following layers.  For all others, stop after step one or two.

• 1 layer Swix LF6.  You could sprinkle in some Toko Cold Powder here.
• Swix HF7 or Toko HF Red mixed 1:1 with Toko HF Blue
• Swix FC7 pure Fluoro Powder

Kick Wax

Glide wax will help, but getting the kick wax right is probably far more important.  Many skiers will choose to use some sort of kicker skin and 3/4 skin for the steeper pitches, but those that are kick waxing will have to face changing conditions and durability issues.

Earlier this week, the freeze/thaw cycles were creating an icy, super-abrasive track that was difficult to get kick on.  We have been recommending different options with binder waxes to provide durability and then a couple of different options for top coats that will provide the grip.

Binders

For durability, you will have to decide how far to go.  If there is significant new snow, it may not be as abrasive as it was earlier this week and you can be less aggressive with binder.  A stronger binder is goign to give better durability, but it will also be slower than a less aggressive choice.  All binders should be heated into the base with a torch, heat gun or iron.  The kick zone should be clean and roughed up with 100 grit sandpaper before applying the binder.  Binder should be allowed to cool and harden completely before applying a top coat.

• Chola - this is The Choice when it is super-abrasive.  This is perhaps the stickiest substance known to man.  It comes in a klister tube and will hold on to wax like a gecko clinging to the ceiling.
• Blue Klister.  This is a much less aggressive binder, but will still do the job very well over long distances with fairly aggressive snow, corn snow, and ice.
• Hard Wax Binders.  Toko Green Binder is the most aggressive hard wax binder, Swix and Rode less so.

Kick Covers

The wax that goes on top of the binder is what will contribute most to the grip and glide.  There are a million choices here that will depend on the snow at the start.  If there is a lot of ice, corn or if it is warm and slushy, klister will be the choice.  If it is colder, then you may want to choose a klister covered with a hard wax.  If it is fresh snow and relatively cold, then you will probably choose straight kick waxes.

Remember these rules when you apply kick waxes: apply the softer (warmer) wax first, then speed it up and prevent icing by covering with a thin layer of harder (colder) wax.  For example, if it is just below freezing, you may be looking at putting on several layers of violet or red wax and covering with one thin layer of blue wax.

We suggest the following options to try as they are some of our favorites and will cover the conditions expected during the race:

• Swix Blue Extra or VR40 (faster, more expensive)
• Swix Violet Special or VR45
• Rode Multigrade Violet
• Rode Blue Super Weiss
• Rode Blue Super
• Swix VR50 - VR75
• Swix KR21n klister
• Start Universal Fast klister
• Swix KR50 flexi klister

From here on the couch, our guess will be that a solid binder will pay off.  A very thin and expertly applied layer of Chola would be our choice if there is not fresh snow falling.  If fresh snow is falling, Toko Green.  If there is some fresh snow but a lot of ice or corn showing through, blue Klister.  The top coat will probably be Rode Multigrade to start.  Maybe VR45 or even Extra Blue if it cools quickly Friday night.

Good luck to all the racers!