Snow Mountain Stampede 2026 Wax Recommendation
Nathan Schultz
Event Details
The Snow Mountain Stampede is a fluor-free wax event. 2026 is the 42nd annual edition. Skate races are on Saturday and Classic races on Sunday with 3km, 12.5km, 25km short course, 50km long course options. Event website.
Wax Service & Testing
Boulder Nordic Sport is waxing skis out of the Boulder shop. We will not have anyone on-site waxing or testing. We can turn race skis around in 24-48 hours at the shop.
We are hosting our Wednesday night wax clinic at the Boulder shop at 6:15. This will be the last wax clinic of the 2025-2026 season.
Weather Forecast
Click here for the latest weather forecast from NOAA
Wednesday Afternoon Sunny, with a high near 47. West wind around 6 mph.
Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 24. South wind 3 to 5 mph.
Thursday A 20 percent chance of snow after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
Thursday Night Snow likely, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. West wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Friday Snow. High near 29. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Night Snow likely, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 37.
Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 15.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 45.
Wax Recommendation
This is a forecast-based recommendation. We will update this recommendation if the forecast changes.
Base Glide Layer
Rode Graphite R100G or Holmenkol Syntec FF 21
Application: Iron in at the recommended iron temp, let cool, scrape, brush with a fine steel or bronze/brass brush.
Race Paraffin Layer
Rode RX32 Violet mixed with Rode Endurance 1:1 -or- Holmenkol Syntec FF Blue
Lower-price option: Holmenkol Beta Mix Blue or Rode R30 Violet
Application: Iron in at recommended iron temperature, let cool (10-15min), scrape with a plastic scraper, brush with fine steel or bronze/brass, then polish with nylon or horsehair brush.
Powder
Fluor-free powder will help with durability, speed and dirt repulsion. It is probably not worth it for shorter races (less than 25km). Use the powder OR the liquid, not both.
Application: (apply powder over race paraffin, before topcoat)
- Sprinkle powder on liberally to coat the base.
- Iron in at recommended iron temperature.
- Let cool. 10-15 minutes should be adequate.
- Scrape powder off, then brush with stiff nylon, followed by horsehair.
View a video on powder application (video is for fluoro powders, but the application is the same for fluor-free powders)
Topcoat
With the new snow coming in on Friday and cold temps overnight. Liquids will probably not be the fastest option, but they are a good option for durability and speed if you don't have anything else. Roto Wool block would be the best option.
Recommended Topcoat: Rode RW30 Roto Wool Block. Apply either:
1. With a roto wool or 2. Crayon on, fleece, and then brush with horsehair.
Roto Wool blocks are expensive, but they last incredibly long - each block does about 80 pairs of XC skis.
If you decide on liquids:
Rode RXL Cold -or- Holmenkol FF1 Blue Liquid
lower-price liquid options: Holmenkol FF2 Liquid Blue -or- Rode Racing Liquid (RL) Med
Application: Apply liquid on brushed ski, allow to dry, polish with a roto wool, roto fleece, or felt brush/cork. The liquid layer should be the final wax layer (over paraffin layer or powder layer).
Structure
Structure will likely be an important part of the race with snow starting cold and warming through the race.Choose a cold to medium grind.
- Skate Grinds: S1.3 or S2.2 (likely a bit too warm)
- Classic Grinds: C1.2 or C2.2
Hand Structure: Holmenkol cross-structure tool with one roller.
Kick Wax
Clean all wax out of the kick zone with a scraper and wax remover. Sand the kick zone with 100-grit sandpaper (use a block to keep the base flat).
Iron in a thin layer of base wax. The snow should not be too abrasive, but longer races may want to use Vauhti Super Base. Other base waxes that are a little faster but not as durable as Super Base: Toko Green, Guru Base, Swix VG30, Rode Base. Let it cool completely before applying wax of the day layers. Pro Tip - don't cork this layer for the fastest application.
Kick waxes to try for race day:
Rode Blue Multigrade, Rode B310, Rode B17, Guru Blue, Swix VP40. If the forecast goes a bit colder, Guru Green could be amazing, but might start to give up kick at the latter half of longer races as the snow warms. You may try 4-5 layers of blue and cover with one thin layer of Guru Green or one of the colder blues.
Updates
We will update this recommendation as it gets closer to race day.
Race/Application Notes
Overnight lows will be pretty cold, so the snow will generally stay colder than air temps through the races. The forecast is for sun, so that will help warm up the snow faster, but the snowpack will generally be cold.
If you can wax two pairs of race skis, it would be smart to go with a colder option. The forecast for this area is generally warmer than actual conditions, so having a colder pair of skis ready to go in case it gets colder overnight is a good option.
