Event Information - 90km, 45km and new 15km race.  See www.glidethedivide.com for race info.

Race Wax Service

BNS will not be on site, but will be waxing skis at the Boulder shop.Drop skis off and we'll get them done Thursday evening or Friday morning, whatever you need.  The expensive stuff is going to run well, so get your skis dialed in perfectly and save a bunch of money and hassle!

Weather

check NOAA for the latest update:

Wednesday Afternoon: Sunny, with a high near 50. Southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Southwest wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 51. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming east southeast.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

Recommendation

Forecast based based recommendation – We don't have anyone on-site this year.

Base Layer: SkiGo LF Graphite

Race Paraffin:  SkiGo HF Yellow, Swix HF8 or Holmenkol Matrix Yellow

Fluoro Powder: SkiGo C22 or Swix FC8x.  Alternative: SkiGo CM-10 ironed in.  Note: all of these fluoro powders require 170C+ iron.  If you don't have an iron capable of doing that, bring your skis in and we can do it for you.

Topcoat: SkiGo C22 liquid, let dry completely, hand cork, polish or SkiGo CM-10 hand-corked, then polished.

Structure: Finite Finish V05 over V10 or V03 with 2mm rill on tail or Holmenkol Cross structure tool with both rollers.  Apply hand structure after all ironing is complete - between powder application and topcoat.  Ironing over the structure alters it and wipes it out.  By applying the topcoat after hand structure, you ensure complete coverage of the ski for maximum speed.

Kick: Base Klister Rode Chola very thin, cool completely and then a thin layer of the wax of the day.  Chola is the most durable base binder, but you need to make sure that none of it is coming through as it will slow you down considerably.  We expect SkiGo HF Violet Klister will be an excellent choice for the top layer.   The SkiGo HF Violet klister is amazing stuff and has a huge range.  If that is not enough kick, dab 4-6 drops of SkiGo HF Yellow klister in the toe area of your kick zone and mix it in.  We suggest you carry a SkiGo HF Yellow klister with you for when it warms up beyond the Violet being able to kick.  And you also may want to cover the klister with a hard wax such as Guru Hallgeir Extreme to speed it up for the colder snow on the passes.  Make sure that the klister is cooled completely before trying to cover it and don't overcork - it will look terrible but the idea is to get a shell on top of the klister, not mix the hard wax into the klister.
Other klisters to consider and/or carry with you:

• Rode Special Violet - if it is colder than forecast this will be faster than SkiGo HF Violet, but it will also not have as much grip when it warms up.
• Guru Extreme 39 Hard - Could be a great alternative to HF Violet.
• Guru Extreme 39 - Warmer than the HF Violet and Extreme 39 Hard - will work in the warmer/wetter range
• SkiGo HF Yellow - broad range warm klister for when it is soupy wet.  Can also be mixed in with these others to give a little more grip.

NOTES

With the temperatures warm all week and no new snow, expect transformed freeze/thaw conditions.  Key things to focus on for this race will be structure and durability.  We have incredible confidence in SkiGo waxes in these conditions.  The HF Yellow paraffin is nearly unbeatable in snow like this, and is very durable and resists dirt well.  SkiGo C22 powder and liquid are also amazing and we have had unbelievable skis with this combo many times in the past in spring conditions like this.

If you have a good second pair of skis, we recommend switching at the 15km mark.  Due to the length of the race and the dirt in the snow, having a clean pair of skis at 15km will make a difference, especially toward the end of the 90km.  We recommend a colder grind with a slightly colder wax.  SkiGo HF Violet or Matrix Blue with SkiGo C44/7 powder or Holmenkol Matrix Mid would be an excellent wax choice for the first 15km.  Go lighter with the structure on the first pair - Holmenkol cross-structure tool with two rollers lightly pressed in.

For Structure, remember that too much structure can be a bad thing.  Apply structure carefully to get crisp, clean imprints and try to avoid running tools multiple times over the ski unless you are layering different patterns.  Also, due to the massive climbs on this course, there will be some sections that are much drier than the lower sections. The combinations we recommend are tried and true in these conditions.  It is good to have a fairly aggressive stone grind with the hand structure giving texture to the top layer of the ski.  If the snow is already soaking wet at the start, it would be smart to put a light linear rill on the tail of the ski.  Something in the 2mm range.