Intermountain Wax Policy

All IMD races will follow the IMD WAX Protocol stated below*.  

2024-25 IMD Races Include

  • IMD Opener: December 14-15; Jackson Hole, WY

  • IMD JNQ Races:

    • January 17-18; Soldier Hollow, UT

    • February 8-9; West Yellowstone, MT

    • February 22-23; Sun Valley, ID

  • IMD Youth Champs: March 1-2, Victor, ID

All IMD sanctioned events will be administered under the IMD Wax Policy. Factors that were taken into consideration for the IMD Wax Policy; including the FIS licensing requirements included the following goals:

  1. Decreasing release of Fluorine into the environment.

  2. Eliminating all exposure to Fluorine for anyone in the IMD family who waxes skis for IMD events. 

  3. Creating a simple, affordable glide wax policy that supports the growth of IMD skiing. 

  4. Leveling the playing field for teams and individual athletes by turning one primary ski prep variable into a constant. 

To achieve these goals, the following rules will be in effect for the U16/U18/U20 categories and apply to all IMD (non-FIS) events. Athletes who ski up an age category are held to the wax policy criteria of the category they are racing in. (U14 and younger category wax policy outlined below.) 

  • No restriction is placed on:

    • Ski Grind

    • Structure

  • Only NON-Fluorinated kick wax may be used.

  • Common sense cleaning guidelines – all skis must be cleaned (per Adam, FIS guide)

  • Picking Glide Wax

    • Race organizers will pick race glide wax from the following product list, all of which are made available for preseason purchase at preferred rates: SWIX ($40/180G)

      • Swix High Speed 5: -10 to -18 (Hard Wax)

      • Swix High Speed 6: -6 to -12 (Hard Wax)

      • Swix High Speed 8: +4 to -4  (Hard Wax)

    • Organizers will provide the chosen glide wax call and communicate to all registered clubs via email by 12pm three days prior to a race. 

      • Ex. If races are scheduled for Saturday/Sunday, glide wax will be communicated by 12pm on Wednesday for the Saturday race and 12pm Thursday for the Sunday race.

  • Coaches must directly supervise glide waxing for all competing athletes. 

  • Hot application only. This procedure should be followed as outlined

    • HS5, HS6, or HS8 Bar Wax applied to clean ski by chalking on to the ski or with wax machine (roller) and then ironed at the box recommended temperature. 160° C for HS5, 155° C for HS6, and 150° C for HS8. No time regulations on wax sitting on the base of skis (i.e. travel waxing with race wax is ok) as long as it is at room temp or lower (no hotboxing). Skis then are scraped and brushed. No regulation on what brushes are used. Up to preference of athletes and coaches. Roto brushes are allowed but only with steel, brass, horse hair, and nylon attachments.

  • No cold application of wax. No ironing of wax hotter than recommended temperature. No use of fleece, wool, or cork by roto or by hand. No fiberlene during hot wax application. No liquid equivalent of HS Waxes. No use of Base waxes underneath the HS wax of the day. Skis should be cleaned before application, or HS wax should be applied to a scraped and brushed ski that previously had Swix PS/CH, Toko Base performance, or equivalents if no glide cleaner is available. 

  • U14 and Younger, must follow IMD Wax Policy for U16 and up but use of less expensive, non-fluoro waxes are allowed. This includes Swix PS or CH Line of waxes, Toko Base Performance waxes, Rode R Line, and Holmenkol Beta or Ultra Waxes in liquid or bar form. All waxes in bar form must be applied using the same application techniques as the Swix HS waxes stated above. HS wax call determined by venue is allowed for U14 and younger. 

*IMD FIS sanctioned races not part of the IMD JN Events listed above are Open Non-Fluoro Events. 

2025 IMD Events that are Open Non-Fluoro Events:

  • March 28-April 2, 2025:  International Spring Series, Jackson Hole, Wy

Disciplinary Actions:

Complaint of violations should be written on the Complaint of Violations form (available below as Appendix B.) and emailed to the IMD Executive Committee at Rick@svsef.org & Zhall@uolf.org within 4 hours after the finish of the race in which an alleged violation occurred. Violations may only be considered if they meet IMD’s Standards of Proof (see Appendix A.) and should include as much detail about the situation as possible to aid in a quick resolution. The IMD Executive Committee will determine validity of the complaint and, if merited, will issue a decision regarding the application of a penalty within 72 hours of the official complaint. 

  1. If an athlete is found to have competed on skis that aren’t waxed in accordance with the IMD Policy (whether known or unknown), that athlete will be disqualified.

    1. The responsible Head Coach and Executive Director of the Club will also be issued a written Notification of Violation and Warning. 

  2. A second infraction for an athlete during a season will result in disqualification from that day’s competition(s) and all other JNQ’s in the season, including those already contested and those yet to be run. 

    1. The responsible Head Coach and Executive Director of the Club will be issued a reprimand. A fine of $150 will also be assessed to the athlete’s club. 

  3. If an athlete is disqualified from an event, they are removed from the results sheet and the points will be reallocated. 

In the event that a complaint does or does not meet IMD’s Standards of Proof but is thought by a majority of the members of the IMD Executive Committee to have some possible validity, the athlete(s) in question, their parent/guardian and the athlete’s coach will be notified that a complaint was lodged. The coach will be tasked with creating a plan that ensures that no allegations can be made in the future (e.g. Ski management plan, team waxing policy, etc.). This plan should be shared back with the IMD Executive Committee prior to the next competition to alleviate potential for future complaints. 

Appendix A. – IMD Wax Policy, Standards of Proof

A Complaint of Wax Policy Violation will only be considered by the IMD Executive Committee if one of the following items are included:

  1. A timestamped video that clearly shows a fluorinated product being applied to skis. The skis in question must additionally be proven to have been used in the race in question.

  2. An athlete admits to using Fluorinated products.

  3. Signed statements from two or more people from different teams that attest to having seen fluoros being applied to a specific set of skis that were used in the race in question. At least one of these people needs to be an IMD coach.  

Appendix B. 

Complaint of Wax Policy Violation

Instructions: Complaints must be fully filled out and emailed to the IMD Executive Committee at Rick@svsef.org & Zhall@uolf.org within 4 hours after the finish of the race in which an alleged violation occurred. Violations may only be considered if they meet IMD’s Standards of Proof (see IMD Wax Policy Appendix A.) and should include as much detail about the situation as possible to aid in a quick resolution. The IMD Executive Committee will determine validity of the complaint and, if merited, will issue a decision regarding the application of a penalty within 72 hours of the official complaint. 

Details of Alleged Violation (Please include full names, club/team affiliation(s), locations, and anything else to help aid in a quick resolution)

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