At the beginning of this season, the World Ski Federation banned fluorine waxes. Now there is excitement. At the center of a mysterious test procedure: the ALPHA II ski-wax analyzer.
Loudspeaker Listen to article Fluorine waxes are toxic and harmful to the environment, which is why they are now banned in the World Cup. But implementing the ban is not that easy. © Wirestock/imago images
ALPHA II ski-wax analyzer is the name of the device that many ski technicians have been afraid of since this winter. The ALPHA II tests whether there is fluoro on a ski. It’s like this: Chemicals containing fluorine have been an important component of many ski waxes for years, i.e. the substance that winter sports enthusiasts put on their skis in order to glide faster over the snow. The right wax can make the difference between victory and defeat. At temperatures above zero degrees, waxes with fluorochemicals were the ultimate because they repel dirt and water. That’s why they’re also in rain jackets, for example.
