Wear of ski waxes: Effect of temperature, molecule chain length and position on the ski base

The effects of snow temperature, wax molecular chain length and position along the ski on the wear of ski waxes due to friction on snow were analyzed in this work. Wear was induced on a linear snow tribometer positioned inside a cold chamber over a length of 9.35 km. Every 850 m, the waxed ski bases were analysed using FTIR-spectrometry and contact angle measurements. The deformation of the snow was investigated using micro-computer tomography. The tests showed that wear was snow temperature dependent, with high wear on cold snow and low wear on snow close to the melting point. Wax molecule chain length had only an effect on cold snow and in the ski tail region, where the wax with shorter chains wore more. It is proposed that the changes in snow and wax hardness, snow roughness and meltwater lubrication are responsible for the different wear behaviours.