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Originally Posted On: https://faststik.com/blogs/faststik-ski-wax-blog/fast-stik-vs-paraffin-based-ski-waxes
Ski wax companies have been using Paraffin based waxes to keep skiers and snowboarders gliding down the mountain for years. These waxes are costly, complicated, temperature specific, wear off quickly, and produce a huge amount of waste. Thankfully after a decade of research, FastStik has created the ultimate ski waxing solution.
What is Paraffin? It is a soft, white, colorless derivable from petroleum, coal or oil shale. This gives wax makers the ability to easily melt wax down, combine ingredients, and apply the old-school bar wax we see today onto skies and snowboards worldwide. This ease of use and manufacturing provides many benefits to companies but does not come without some serious consequences for users.
Being soft and oil based Paraffin is vulnerable to wearing off your equipment quickly, typically within one day of heavy use. After this occurs you will find yourself gliding slower, attracting contaminates and damaging your base. FastStik prevents this from happening by using a highly concentrated microfilm polymer blend instead of the typical Paraffin wax. This blend is high in density making it much harder than your typical bar wax. This requires more pressure from snow and contaminates to remove it from the base later.
Application of ski wax can be costly, time-consuming, and require a lodge full of equipment to do properly. Traditional hot wax also produces 75% to 90% waste in the form of unused petroleum product that is scraped off the skis right into the trash. Typically, Paraffin wax requires a minimum of the following items to apply properly:
- Ski Technician
- Bench
- Clamps
- Wax
- Iron
- ScraperBrushes
Unlike the list above, FastStik only requires:
- FastStik
- Microfiber towel
FastStik requires no tools, fits in your pocket, has no excess waste, and can be applied anywhere. This makes FastStik an essential product for backcountry skiers and a no brainer for anyone else looking for the highest quality ski waxing product on the market.
Simplicity is another advantage FastStik has over traditional hot waxes. Paraffin waxes have hundreds of varieties to fit different snow conditions and temperatures. Each temperature range uses a different color. Red, pink, yellow & orange are used for warmer snow while cooler colors such as purple, white and blue are used for colder temperatures. For example, at 27° snow, depending on if the snow is: old, new, humid, dry, hardened, groomed, or powdered a ski race wax technician would have to choose between the following:
- Red wax
- Red wax – low fluoro
- Red wax – high fluoro
- Red wax w/ graphite
- Red wax w/ moly
- Red wax/ silicon blend
This is just a minor look at what choices a technician would consider with each color of wax. Imagine even just six choices per color of wax. This can be extremely confusing even for ski technicians. This is exactly why FastStik was designed. FastStik saves time, money and frustration and allows you to focus on your next run instead of wasting time perfecting the right wax combo for changing conditions.
If you are looking for a hassle free, versatile, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective alternative to old school hot wax FastStik is the product for you.
