January 04, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Conditions were as forecasted – warm, wet, (although during race times there was no precipitation) dirty, and soft. The wax recommendation held up all day and as we recommended, more structure was needed as the day went on. Attention to detail proved to be very important today as well. Small things made a difference especially in a short race with extreme conditions (wet and dirty) and with a finishing section consisting of a downhill with a long run out!

The wax needed to be brushed and polished off the ski very well today to prevent dirt build up. That applies to fluorocarbons as well. Even a slight greasy sheen on the base will attract dirt in such dirty and wet conditions.

The kick zones used today were pretty short as glide was so important. It was important to clean up the exposed sanded area so it wouldn’t attract dirt.

The Yellow Structurite bit proved to be really good over a 1mm linear structure as we recommended. After a few runs (including qualifying), it needed to be reapplied as it only got wetter out there.

Many had success with JetStream Red (as well as the more obvious Yellow). JetStream Red is surprisingly good in wet snow and is generally the call when conditions are wet and dirty. If wet and clean, JetStream Yellow is best. Sunday was a short race and of course people rewaxed for the heats, so Yellow was good despite the dirt.