never summer waxes
wrangle the snow snakes
ever seen a snow snake??
Our heart goes out to Aaron Hallenbeck who experienced an epic bite by the Snow Snake. The Herky Jerk wasn't even around, the Snow Snake just flat out clothes lined this poor guy at considerable speed. We don't know who's competitor wax he was riding on. It wasn't ours. But had he been on our Never Summer line of ski waxes, specifically Greasy Goblin, this wouldn't have happened. In fact, he would have speed up and been fine through this section of "Hot POW."
These kinds of incidents affect both skiers and snowboarders alike. While the exact nature of the crashes may vary, snowboarders having a much larger surface area under their feet, it makes them much more susceptible to suction drag which is the scientific term that describes the forces that caused Aaron's rapid, unintended front flip here that could have led to serious injury.
Unfortunately, when you run into these conditions on the slopes, it means your choice in ski wax isn't ideally suited for that specific day's snow conditions.
Just know TPW has waxes to solve for these changing snow and weather conditions. And the intentional large temperature range we build into Never Summer waxes makes choosing the right wax super easy.
"if you are training for races in the spring and summer, greasy goblin is the way to go. but it's not a training wax. if you are competing in late season races, it's your secret weapon."
Aaron's video was from mid to late March 2025 time frame. So it's important to note that while you will need hard, cold weather waxes for the deep of winter. You may find yourself as early as late February, March and beyond in need of a speed wax that is optimized for these warming trends. And what's really cool is our Never Summer waxes have an epic sweet spot where we see their CoF (Coefficient of Friction) absolutely plummet when air temps are in the 30 - 40 F range. Which makes them an ideal racing wax and technological advantage for racers who are doing late season races, and our testing has shown them in certain warming conditions to be as fast as Grizzly Missile, and in their sweet spot, sometimes several MPH faster on beginner runs which translates to competition crushing speeds on steeper race slopes!
As if that wasn't enough, our Never Summer waxes like Greasy Goblin, will take you clear from 10 F clear through Summer Skiing!! Yes, you read that right! Go hit the slopes in April, May, June, July, anywhere up high you can find snow... Greasy Goblin and Never Summer Waxes from Teton Powda Wax are the ONLY solution on the market that will provide you maximum glide, maximum speed, durability, dirt repellency, World Cup Racing speeds or higher, and prevent the Snow Snakes and Herky Jerk from ending your season all in one single wax solution.
As if that wasn't enough, our Never Summer waxes like Greasy Goblin, will take you clear from 10 F clear through Summer Skiing!! Yes, you read that right! Go hit the slopes in April, May, June, July, anywhere up high you can find snow... Greasy Goblin and Never Summer Waxes from Teton Powda Wax are the ONLY solution on the market that will provide you maximum glide, maximum speed, durability, dirt repellency, World Cup Racing speeds or higher, and prevent the Snow Snakes and Herky Jerk from ending your season all in one single wax solution.
EMBRACE GRAVITY...
NOT THE EARTH
We read one man's story last year on social media who ran into the elusive Herky Jerk under the chair lift at White Pass in Washington. We don't know who's wax he was using, but he had enough speed that when his skis and feet stopped abruptly, he flew forward, causing him to crash and break his collar bone AND his helmet. Ski Patrol had to peel him off the mountain. It ended his ski season, hosed up his summer activities and put his next ski season in jeopardy. Many ski resorts in Utah, like Snowbird and Alta, recognize these kinds of dangerous spring conditions and will often shut down the chair lifts as early as 1pm in the late season, as the snow warms up and conditions worsen.
Just know your ski wax isn't the problem in this case or the resort... the problem is Mother Nature. The weather. And it's a sure sign the ski season is near it's end. Remember, you're on snow skis, not water skis.
When the Herky Jerk is lurking...
It's a big red flag that you need to slow down immediately to avoid personal injury!!
Please be aware of warming trends, and sun & shade transitions that awaken the Herky Jerk. It's time to protect your body, slow down for your final run, call it a day (even at noon) and head back to the lodge for a Hot Tottie and the company of good friends! It's only 6 short months until ski season returns! ☺