It’s a little early to be publicizing this as a real “Birkie test”, but it’s a test on the Birkie trail. So we’re going with it. Jeff Tumbleson got out on some matched skis this morning to test some paraffin and powder combinations. He focused primarily on our recommended candidates – LF Green, HF Blue, hfC21.1 and LDR. Here’s his report on conditions:
“9F air, 12F snow, new snow 1″+ of big flakey powder. Overnight was cold, -6F. Inspired by Amy I did an intensity session, race pace+ for me, 1500m (750 out and back) in rolling terrain, a lot of false flat, that used almost every technique. ”
In today’s test Jeff’s findings are best summarized by the following observations:
- LF Green and hfC21.1 provided a compelling winner.
- HF Blue with LDR was better at high speed and in glide-out, but not as good at lower speed and climbing.
- LDR ran better with an HF Blue underlayer than with LF Green, but hfC21.1 did better with the LF green.
- By the end of the test Jeff might have picked HF Blue and LDR by feel. But both work-ups would have made great race skis.
Reasons not to get too excited about today’s test…? Well, the main event is 8 days away. That’s a long time. The falling snow during the test likely had a profound effect on today’s results. I would expect things to stabilize and adjust with a snowpack that has been groomed even just once, and especially with a snowpack that’s been groomed multiple times. The current forecast (admittedly not something to rely on 8 days out) features dry conditions for the second half of next week.
In the meantime, Amy has had a run on the LDR powder today. Looks like we might run out of that before too long given current trends. So get your Birkie Kit soon! We’ll still have the 330C code powder which has been our most reliable Birkie race wax for the past couple of seasons, and Jeff will be doing more testing (including the 330C) in the coming days.