Intermountain Wax Policy

All IMD races licensed by FIS are Open Non-Fluoro Events. Currently, those races in question are:

  • 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

All other 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 category and up and applies to (non-FIS) IMD events. (U14 and younger age groups may only use NF)

  • 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 to all registered clubs 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 Thursday for the Sunday race.

    • Coaches must directly supervise glide waxing for all competing athletes. All ski bases will be cleaned before hard wax application with a liquid base cleaner as recommended by the manufacturer. Please note that some base cleaners may have fluorine in them. It is recommended, in keeping with the goals of the IMD wax protocol, to use a non-fluoro base cleaner to reduced exposure. Swix specifically markets a product labeled as non-fluoro. Once waxed the skis must stay in control of a team’s coach until the race start. 

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)

EQUIPMENT CONTROL

USSS Guidelines