The ski glide project

Basics on glide wax:

Glide wax is made mostly of hydrocarbons and different amounts of fluor. The gliding property of a ski is also an attempt to optimize the thickness of the thin film of water between the ski and the snow. The base of the ski acts kind of like a sponge. The glide wax is applied to the skies with heat and goes down in the microscopic holes in the base which is supposed to allow the water to run off the skies more rapidly. A glide wax is primarily selected based on snow temperature, as well as the crystal structure and relative humidity of the snow. If the base is not applied any wax at all, it will oxidize and become slow by absorbing less wax.