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, our testing shows 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 forward leaning movement, tip burial, and 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 EARLY SEASON, the spring OR summer, greasy goblin is the way to go. but it's not a training wax. competing in early & 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 27 - 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. Especially on Low Angle Traverses (LAT) and that makes them excellent for quick acceleration events like Slalom, Border Cross, GS, and Super-G and competition crushing speeds on steeper race slopes! Nordic Skiers have been absolutely shocked by the glide provided by TPW's Never Summer and TGES Waxes.
As if that wasn't enough, our Never Summer waxes like Greasy Goblin, will take you clear from 25 F clear through Summer Skiing!! That's 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 25 F clear through Summer Skiing!! That's 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 on social media who ran into the elusive Herky Jerk under the chair lift at White Pass in Washington in 2025. 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 1 pm in the late season, as the snow warms up and conditions worsen. For other resorts like Timberline, on Mt. Hood in Oregon, on the Palmer Snow Field where many Olympians like Picabo Street and Bill Johnson (Billy The Kid) would train in the summer months, Or even BearTooth Basin Ski Area (originally meant for Summer Olympic Ski Training) near Yellowstone are just getting going and doesn't open until May. These same "Hot Snow" and suction drag concerns apply to any coastal low elevation ski area like Whistler, B.C. and resorts in California will see these warm snow conditions quite often. Know TPW has solutions for you.
The problem is Mother Nature. The Weather. And it's a sure sign the ski season is near it's end as the snow saturates with water content. It's like skiing on a 7-Eleven Slushy.
When the Herky Jerk and Snow Snakes are lurking...
It's a big red flag that you need to switch from hard polar cold waxes to Warmer Waxes like Greasy Goblin and even more universal blends like Black Ice Bandit. Both will excel in these warming conditions. BIB is the harder wax of the two, yet is optimized for these warming trends and performs really well in both Cold and Warm snow conditions.
On the Slopes, watch for these warming trends, and sun & shade transitions that awaken the Herky Jerk and Snow Snakes. It's time to protect yourself with Greasy Goblin to extend your ski days when others will have to slow down for their final run and 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! ☺
... Or you can keep going on Greasy Goblin even after most resorts close for the season. You Choose. Enjoy life to the fullest!