Ski Wax, Snowboard Wax and our Environment
Ski and snowboard wax may seem like a small part of a much bigger environmental picture. But the ingredients in traditional fluorinated waxes matter, both to the people working with them and to the places we love to explore.
Why what's in your wax matters
One concern is exposure to toxic chemicals during waxing. Heating and scraping fluorinated wax can produce fumes and dust that wax technicians (or YOU!) may inhale. For more detail, read Human Exposure to Fluorinated Ski Wax.
Another concern is the production of fluorinated chemicals. Substances used in some manufacturing processes, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), can contaminate water and pose health and environmental risks.
That's why we focus on ski and snowboard wax made without fluoros or other toxic additives. We believe performance on snow shouldn't require ignoring the impact off it.
Further reading
- The EPA and Regulating the Ski Wax Industry, Jason Albert, Faster Skier, July 2019
- Tainted water: the scientists tracing thousands of fluorinated chemicals in our environment, XiaoZhi Lim, Nature, March 2019
- Cross-Country Skiing’s Dirty Little Fluorinated Secret, Bill Donahue, Bloomberg, August 2019
- See where PFAS pollution has been confirmed in the American West, Paige Blankenbuehler, High Country News, May 30, 2019
- Human Exposure to Fluorinated Ski Wax, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sweden
- Ski Wax: Extra Speed Could Carry More than Just a Steep Price Tag, Brendon Bosworth, New West Snow Blog, February 14, 2011
- Biodegradability of petroleum waxes and beeswax in an adapted CO2 evolution test, ScienceDirect, August 1992
- U.S. EPA Hazard Characterization for Waxes and Related Materials, September 2011
