Waxing Questions

What is Fluoro?

The simple answer is that fluoro (or fluoronated wax) improves the speed or glide of a ski in conditions when the snow is wet, or with high to normal humidity. Fluoro repels water more than regular ski wax alone.

Your ski ideally glides on a thin film of water. The fluoro can allow this water to slide over the ski base faster. When there is an excess amount of water under the ski fluoro will wisk it away allowing the ski to glide better. In dry humidity conditions fluoro is rarely used because the ski will then have no water film under it and the snow crystals will drag the ski (too much dry friction).

When the snow is dirty due to melting or blown dirt it can adhere to the ski base slowing the ski down. Fluoro helps keep the dirt from sticking allowing the glide to be better longer.

Ski*go glide waxes come with different levels of fluoronation: XC (none), LF (low), HF (high) and toppers (extremely high). Generally the more fluoro the more speed that can be attained.

Fluoro is also used with some kickwaxes. Ski*go has both low fluoro (LF) and high fluoro (HF) kickwaxes. Kickwaxes have both a grip and a glide component. Similar to the glide waxes a fluoronated kickwax will remain cleaner in dirty snow conditions and have better glide. Also similar to glide waxes fluoronated kickwaxes perform best in regular to high humidity. The special Ski*go fluoro contained in the HF kickwaxes helps them adapt to different temperatures allowing them to perform over a wide range of temperatures resulting in better grip.