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In cross-country skiing, a bad wax can lose you a race and a good wax can help you get on the podium. This shows the importance of waxing in this discipline. In an article which has just appeared in the journal Sports Engineeringresearchers from Laval University present a system they designed to help waxing specialists choose the best ski-wax combination for elite athletes.
“Currently, the choice of ski-wax combination is based on the expertise of waxing specialists, on the results of gliding tests carried out on the slopes on the day of the competitions and on the “sensations” of the skiers during the tests which precede a race,” underlines one of the authors of the study, Julien Lépine, professor in the Department of Operations and Decision Systems at Laval University, mechanical engineer and former university-level cross-country skier.
This way of proceeding works in the vast majority of cases, but it can sometimes lead to bad choices which have repercussions on the athletes’ performances, he continues. “In addition, waxing “recipes” have been developed using waxes containing fluorinated compounds. These waxes are now banned and we must adapt to new waxing products. We’re starting at square one again.”
The system designed by the researchers includes a cart mounted on skis on which a load simulating a skier is installed. The cart is connected to a winch and researchers measure the force required to set the cart in motion and move it forward at a given speed. (Nicolas Quirion Cantin/Laval University)
In order to put a little more science into the art of waxing, Professor Lépine, student-researcher Nicolas Quirion Cantin and Professor André Bégin-Drolet, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, designed and built a tribometer which is used to measure the friction forces between skis and snow.
-Their system includes a cart mounted on skis on which is installed a load simulating a skier. “The trolley is connected to a winch and we measure the force required to set the trolley in motion and to make it move forward at a given speed,” explains Professor Lépine.
This system was tested in March 2023 on an experimental track installed on the Laval University campus as part of the Nordic Campus activities. “The prototype works well and it produced interesting results which allowed us to simplify the test protocol,” summarizes the researcher.
“Our tribometer is not intended to replace waxing specialists, but rather to provide them with data that will make their work easier.”
— Julien Lépine, professor in the Department of Operations and Decision Systems at Laval University, mechanical engineer and former university-level cross-country skier.
In theory, this tribometer could be used before a competition to test different waxes on different ski models in given snow conditions. “Our tribometer is not intended to replace waxing specialists,” insists Professor Lépine, “but rather to provide them with data that will facilitate their work. We believe that our system could help them choose the ski-wax combination that will allow athletes to offer the best possible performance.”
