Red Snow Conditions (Coarse, Packing Snow, +5°C to -5°C)

Hard, rounded snow crystals from repeated freeze-thaw cycles can be quite abrasive even in higher humidifies, so red glide waxes can be somewhat hard to combat kinetic friction. Dirt that gathers on the surface of older snow is also an issue. Dirt-repelling additives such as graphite, moly, or gallium can be quite helpful. Red conditions have a high humidity content, so highly hydrophobic waxes like pure fluoros, HF or LF waxes reduce suction between the wet snowpack and the ski base. Rills are often necessary to break up large water droplets and pert them out the back of the ski.

Since the snow crystals in older snow have lost their idealized snowflake pattern and are now rounded blobs of humid ice, kick waxes will rarely ice up in red conditions. This means a straight Klister may not degrade your glide too much. However, a layer or two of hard wax on top of a thin Klister will definitely give the best combination of grip and glide. Sometimes straight hardwax will work, but often the humidity and rounded snow crystals mean hardwax can’t find a purchase.