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independent ski wax, ski industry, ski wax truth, Terry Hertel speaks, WAXFAX - May 26, 2026

Terry Hertel Speaks — The Industry: What 50 Years Taught Me

The following is Terry Hertel speaking directly — in his own words, in his own voice. This is WAXFAX the way it was meant to be heard.I have been in this industry for 50 years. I have seen things that most skiers will never see — the inside of Olympic race rooms, the handshake deals between wax companies and national teams, the editorial decisions at ski publications that had nothing to do with which products actually performed best.I want to tell you what I have learned. Not to be bitter about it. I am not bitter. I am still here,...

Terry Hertel Speaks — The Olympic History of Hertel Ski Wax

The following is Terry Hertel speaking directly — in his own words, in his own voice. This is WAXFAX the way it was meant to be heard.People ask me about the Olympics a lot. And I understand why — it is a remarkable story. But I want to tell it the way it actually happened, not the way a marketing department would tell it.So here it is.Racing 739™ came first. I developed it in 1963 — a professional race wax built around one goal: maximum glide performance on competitive race courses. It was used at the Olympic and World Cup...

Terry Hertel Speaks — How to Wax Skis the Right Way

The following is Terry Hertel speaking directly — in his own words, in his own voice. This is WAXFAX the way it was meant to be heard.I have watched people wax skis for 50 years. And I have watched the same mistakes get made over and over again — not because skiers are careless, but because nobody ever told them the right way to do it.So let me tell you the right way.First: the iron. You need a dedicated ski wax iron. Not a clothes iron. A clothes iron has uneven heat distribution and no precise temperature control. You will...

Terry Hertel Speaks — The Science of Snow: What Every Skier Needs to Understand

The following is Terry Hertel speaking directly — in his own words, in his own voice. This is WAXFAX the way it was meant to be heard.Let me tell you something about snow that most skiers never think about.Snow is not a static surface. It is not a fixed thing you slide across. Snow is a constantly changing medium — changing by the hour, by the altitude, by the direction the slope faces, by whether the sun has hit it yet this morning. And every one of those changes affects how your ski base interacts with it.Most people think of...

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Terry Hertel speaks RSS

Terry Hertel Speaks — The Industry: What 50 Years Taught Me

Terry Hertel Speaks — The Olympic History of Hertel Ski Wax

Terry Hertel Speaks — How to Wax Skis the Right Way

Terry Hertel Speaks — The Science of Snow: What Every Skier Needs to Understand

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