This winter, there have been noticeably more significant differences in skis. Rumors are swirling that some are taking advantage of the time between races to “saturate” the skis with fluor, then clean them and apply fluor-free wax before competitions.

Before the current season, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation implemented a total ban on fluor at all levels, from the World Cup to regional races and long-distance events. It’s no secret that there have been visibly greater differences in skis this winter.

A specific rumor is that some are taking advantage of the time between races to “saturate” the skis with fluor, then clean them and apply fluor-free wax before competitions, to benefit from/having a competitive advantage from this “base prep” in races without testing ‘red’ before the start. Is it true? And is it legal?

The original article was published in Langrenn.com.

See facts about the fluor ban, background, and implementation at the bottom of the article.

Stein Olav Snesrud, former waxing manager of the Norwegian cross-country ski team, has been the fluor-free coordinator in the Norwegian Ski Association for nearly a year. He has also worked closely with FIS for several years in implementing the fluor ban, testing the equipment used to check athletes’ skis for traces of fluor at the venues.

Snesrud is aware of the talk about this form of “fluor saturation” in the community but is unsure if it will have any effect in practice. Moreover, it is not allowed; more on that later in the article.

“If they have cleaned away the fluor so thoroughly that they don’t test ‘red,’ then it’s not the fluor you’re benefiting from. Then they’ve just spent a terrible amount of time and money. The effect they possibly achieve, I think they could achieve without fluor by using the right products and application methods.”

Snesrud also believes using fluor on skis between races is risky.

“It takes so little to get caught that if you work with fluor between competitions, you will probably get caught during the season,” he says, emphasizing that testing routines are continuously being worked on.

“To prevent speculation in the use of fluor between competitions, the testing regime is important. Efforts are made to control as much as possible, and both FIS and Ski Classics must evaluate and improve their testing systems continuously.”

Therefore, Snesrud hopes this is not done extensively. He believes there might be other reasons for the now noticeable differences in skis and glide and that differences in the ski fleets of various teams are becoming clearer without fluor.

Some teams and wax technicians have done better research in the seasons before this year and have more knowledge and experience about what works, both in terms of products and, not least, methods.

“It turns out that the methods used for application have become extremely important for the results and that it’s much more important with the new fluor-free products than with the fluor-containing ones. This is something we test a lot,” says Snesrud.

Also Read – What happened to Team Aker Dæhlie?

The article continues below.

A bit like doping but not quite 

In many ways, the fluor ban is similar to doping regulations: It regulates substances considered harmful to health/environment and which can provide competitive advantages.

Skiers that Langrenn.com has spoken to, therefore, call for more control between the races.

“What are the controllers doing? Are they inside the wax cabins checking what is being used? Do they show up unannounced at training?” they wonder.

Also Read – Fluor ban: how to clean skis and equipment

Snesrud explains that it’s not feasible, as using fluor is not the same as doping.

Even though the fluor ban shares similarities with doping rules, there are also significant differences. It’s not illegal to use fluor-containing ski wax, except on skis that will be used in competitions sanctioned by FIS or in Norway by NSF.

“It’s no longer legal to use fluor on skis that will be used in competition. Regardless of whether the ski is cleaned, it’s still the use of a banned substance to gain an advantage,” says Snesrud, clarifying:

“Competition skis that had fluor last season should be worked on so much with fluor-free that the fluor should be gone and thus also the competitive advantage from fluor gone.”

It’s not illegal to use fluor products for recreation and training on skis not intended for competition. Still, you cannot apply fluor on competition skis during training and then clean the skis for the competition.

But that means testing athletes’ skis outside of competitions becomes complicated. If a controller shows up at a training session where the athlete/athletes are skiing with fluor, it may well be that these skis are exclusively used for training.

Fluor-free coordinator Stein Olav Snesrud summarizes:

“My recommendation is that all fluor on all skis be discontinued to avoid speculation and the risk of contaminating skis and equipment.”

The article continues below.

FACTS: The Fluor Ban 

From the 2023/24 season, a total ban on fluor for all competitions was introduced. This was announced by both the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) in March 2023.

In the summer of 2023, the International Federation presented the testing procedure and protocol for how the fluor ban would be enforced this winter. The consequence of a ‘positive’ fluor test is severe: Those who test ‘positive’ for fluor will be disqualified, and the decision cannot be appealed.

Therefore, Norway’s Ski Federation has invested considerable resources in developing procedures and guidelines to ensure that athletes do not start with skis that lead to disqualification.

In May 2023, the Norwegian Ski Association hired a fluor coordinator, and they set up a professional portal on their websites with information, videos, and other content related to the fluor ban.

Also Read – Norwegian fluor guide becomes international standard