Happy New Year!
26F at 6:30 a.m. A bit of new snow. Conditions continue to be terrific!
Glide Wax: Toko Red or Swix 7
Grip Wax: Vauhti Carrot, or Rode Super Extra Blue, or Toko Red, or Swix Special Violet... easy!
If you're having trouble with grip in the unconsolidated, loose new snow, try waxing thin and longer, and not moving to a warmer grip wax.
Of course you can also use a skin ski or fish scale base classic ski to keep it easy.
Skate skiing will be terrific today!
Temp is 16F at 7:30 a.m. Temps rising up to just above freezing during the middle of the day.
Glide Wax: Toko Red or Swix 7.
Grip Wax: START Oslo Blue or Toko Red over a klister binder. Or go with a waxless option like a skin ski, which will work through the whole spectrum.
Skating looks like my pick for today... ...but getting out into the snow should be the highest priority!
A foot of new snow, and Methow Trails has their work cut out for them - getting everything groomed will be a big effort.
32 degrees at 7:30 a.m. with wet sticky snow everywhere. Warming in the afternoon..
Glide Wax: Toko Yellow mix or Swix 7.
Grip Wax: Toko Yellow or Swix 60 might do the job; it is wet and sticky. As temps warm up and snow falls, waxing may get tricky. You can always use those skin skis or fish scale base skis too. Note that you might want to carry some sort of anti-icing treatment for the base of your fish scale or skin skis.
Or skate where it's groomed! That would be an easy option.
With a decent amount of snow throughout the Methow Valley, there is some early season skiing to be had.
Check with Methow Trails to see what they're up to in terms of rolling and packing. Also, there may be some options for skiing on backroads and campgrounds up Highway 20 a ways. Note that the pass is closed at Silver Star gate, so you might be able to ski up the road edge on some touring boards.
Glide wax will depend on location... Up high where temps are cooler, use Toko Red or Swix 7, but if you're skiing in the lower elevations, like Mazama, then Toko yellow/red mix or Swix 8 will be better overall.
Grip Wax: Again, this will be location dependent. In higher elevations where it is well below freezing, you could use Toko Red, Vauhti Carrot, or Swix 45. On the valley floor, it will be easier to stick with a no-wax option (which of course wouldn't be a bad idea for early season at higher elevations as well).
But if you have a chance to get out in the snow on any sort of ski, then I'm sure you'll have some fun!
New snow in the valley, not the first, but it's close enough to looking like ski season that it warrants a start of the wax discussion....
Two to five inches have fallen through the valley overnight, with 15" at Wa Pass. So there might be skiing somewhere today. Temps near freezing in the valley, but 20's at the pass...
Glide - Toko Yellow or Swix 8 should be good in the valley, but if you're at Wa Pass then temps are cooler and you'll want to drop a step and use Toko Red or Swix 7. You could also try one of the liquid waxes from Vauhti that apply without aerosol.
Grip -- A lot of people will look to their old fish scale bases or newer skin skis for early season in transitional temperatures, and that seems pretty brilliant to me. But if you're a traditionalist and want some reliable early season grip, then try something like Toko Red or Swix 45 (at Wa Pass), which should be bomber grip without much fear of icing up.
