In search of higher skiing and snowboarding speeds, precision, and control, scientists and technicians are continuously looking for ways to reduce friction. Although the friction that occurs between a ski or snowboard base and the snow is generally understood as a single entity, it is more accurately described as a sum of three components :

Dry friction and wet friction are well understood and can be reduced as follows: Dry friction is reduced by the appropriate hardness of hydrocarbon (soft for soft snow and hard for hard snow) so the wax is always a little harder than the snow. As seen in Figure 1, below, hydrocarbon waxes are not effective in reducing wet friction, and actually generate more electrostatic friction that an unwaxed base.

Wet friction is reduced by using the appropriate level of fluorinated additive in the hydrocarbon wax (low fluoro for dry snow, high fluoro for wet snow). For soft, wet snow, for example, a soft wax with a high fluoro content works best. As seen in Figure 2, below, fluorinated additives are effective in reducing wet friction, but, in high concentrations, may increase the dry friction component. It is therefore important to use only the level of fluoro dictated by the level of moisture in the snow. Like hydrocarbon waxes, fluorinated waxes generate more electrostatic friction that an unwaxed base.

Electrostatic friction is still poorly understood and often ignored, even by many wax companies. In the last years, some groundbreaking work began to shed light on this subject. It has been discovered that static electricity can increase the friction of polyethylene (the base) on ice by 65% and the friction of metal (the edges) on ice by 40%, so clearly the elimination of static electricity is critical to achieving high speed. We have also discovered that new snow and old snow crystals generate static charges differently and require different antistatic agents. A specific micrographite blend we developed (combination of particle shapes and sub-micron size) is a very effective antistatic additive for new snow. Overall friction reduction is significant, although it does increase dry friction slightly (figure 3).

Fluorographite polymer, a new class of solid lubricant produced by the direct fluorination of graphite, is a very effective antistatic additive for old snow, as seen in figure 4, below.

In summary, the key to effectively reducing snow friction, is selecting the wax that combines the correct balance of hardness, water repellency and antistatic properties for the specific snow conditions.