Audio By Carbonatix
As far as anyone can tell, ski-waxing began in the 1860s in California, when gold-rush miners held impromptu downhill races. They discovered that smearing compounds on the bottoms of their skis helped the equipment slide over snow, increasing their speed. Many early waxes were not actually made of wax — sperm oil, vegetable oil and pine pitch were used instead — but some racers who melted paraffin candle wax onto the bases of their skis found that it worked better than the oils and pitches in cold weather.
Now there are hundreds of different brands and types of wax, and each is best suited to a particular type of ski and climate or temperature. To help customers better understand all things waxy, Outdoor DIVAS is hosting Women, Wax and Wine, a workshop to help women learn how to take care of their ski gear. “Women don’t really understand why waxing your skis is important,” notes DIVA Marily MacDonald. “And waxing your skis is not a big, scary ordeal; it’s something you can do yourself.”
Learn how, starting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Outdoor DIVAS, 2717 East Third Avenue. Visit www.outdoordivas.com or call 303-320
Mon., Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m., 2008
