Riding in Low Humidity: Most ski and snowboard wax companies offer a product line of high fluoros, mid fluoros, low fluoros, and hydrocarbons as their base wax. Fluorinated waxes work through their interaction with the water molecules in the snow. In wet snow fluoros are exceptionally fast but in dry snow, fluoros grab and slow you down. No H2O, No Fluoro. Hydrocarbons are very fast in low humidity, however due to their basic chain structure (figure A) they tend to get ripped out of the base or break down rapidly through heat and friction.
The Purl Solution: Purl manufactures a microcrystalline base wax for low humidity conditions. Purl Microcrystalline waxes show a much finer crystal structure either as branched carbon chains (figure B) or as ring structures (figure C). The branched and ring structures give Purl waxes superior adhesion as well as more flexibility and are therefore more resistant to breakdown from heat, static, and friction. The Purl Microcrystalline wax line offers durability combined with a low coefficient of friction for absolutely unmatched performance in low humidity conditions.
Figure A
Another factor that will decrease your speed in Low Humidity is static friction. The Purl Graphite microcrystalline blend battles the effects of static friction and dry friction for the perfect solution in low humidity conditions.
