What Is the Best Ski Wax? The Honest Answer After 50 Years on Snow
"What is the best ski wax?" is the most common question in the ski wax industry. It is also the question the industry has the most financial incentive to make complicated.
After 50 years making ski wax at the Olympic level, Terry Hertel has a simple answer.
The Industry's Answer vs The Honest Answer
The ski wax industry's answer to "what is the best ski wax?" is always the same: it depends. It depends on the temperature. It depends on the snow type. It depends on whether you are racing or recreational skiing. It depends on your base material, your skiing style, and a dozen other variables that require you to buy multiple products to cover all the scenarios.
That answer is designed to sell more wax. It is not designed to help you ski better.
The honest answer is different: the best ski wax is the one that delivers consistent, predictable glide across all the conditions you actually encounter on a real mountain — without requiring you to become a wax technician to use it correctly.
By that definition, the best ski wax is Hertel Super HotSauce™.
Why Super HotSauce™ Is the Best Ski Wax
Super HotSauce is not the best ski wax because Terry Hertel says so. It is the best ski wax because the evidence says so.
- #1 Amazon bestseller in its category — 20,000+ units sold in 2025. When more customers choose a product than any other in its category, that is a signal worth paying attention to.
- Five-star rated in every independent wax performance study conducted — not self-reported, not marketing copy. Every independent study.
- Featured in Ski Magazine — recognized by the industry's leading publication.
- Olympic and World Cup heritage — the All Temperature® system behind Super HotSauce was used at the 1988 Calgary and 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Racing 739™, built on the same system, was banned from Olympic competition for winning by margins of up to 4 full seconds.
- Made in USA since 1972 — over 50 years of consistent quality control from a company that has never outsourced its manufacturing.
- All-temperature performance — one bar handles 6°F to 52°F. No selection required. No kit needed.
No other wax in the market has this combination of independent validation, sales volume, Olympic heritage, and documented history.
What About Race Waxes?
If you are asking "what is the best ski wax for racing?" the answer changes slightly.
For recreational and club-level racing, Super HotSauce™ or CreamofDaCrop™ — Hertel's premium upgrade — deliver outstanding performance without the complexity of a professional race wax system.
For maximum race performance, Racing 739™ is Hertel's dedicated race formula — the wax with the most remarkable performance history in the industry. It was banned from Olympic and World Cup competition not because of its chemistry, but because it was winning by margins the governing bodies considered unfair.
Racing 739 is 100% legal for recreational skiing, snowboarding, club racing, and any non-sanctioned competition.
What About Spring Skiing?
For spring conditions when pollen covers the snowpack, the best ski wax is SpringSolution™ — the only wax in the ski industry specifically engineered for pollen-covered spring snow. No other brand has a product that addresses this specific condition.
What About East Coast Ice?
For East Coast ice, hard-pack, and abrasive conditions, the best combination is IceCoast™ base hardener paired with Super HotSauce™ or Racing 739™. IceCoast hardens the base structure for maximum durability; the glide wax delivers performance on top.
What About On-Mountain Convenience?
For mid-day touch-ups when you do not have access to a wax bench, the best ski wax is Rub N Go™ — the original pocket ski wax, developed by Hertel in the 1970s. No iron needed. 8+ applications per stick. Apply in under 2 minutes right on the slope.
The Simple Answer
The best ski wax for most skiers, most of the time, in most conditions is Hertel Super HotSauce™. It is the #1 Amazon bestseller for a reason. It is five-star rated in every independent study for a reason. It has been made in the USA since 1972 for a reason.
The reason is that it works. Consistently. In every condition. On every mountain.
A Note From Terry Hertel
I have been asked "what is the best ski wax?" for 50 years. My answer has never changed.
The best ski wax is the one that works every time you go out — in cold conditions, warm conditions, icy conditions, and everything in between. The one that does not require you to carry a kit or know your snow temperature to the degree. The one that has been proven at the Olympic level and validated in every independent study.
That wax is Super HotSauce. It has been since 1972.
— Terry Hertel, Founder, Hertel Ski Wax — Made in USA since 1972
The best ski wax. Full stop. Shop Super HotSauce™ — #1 Amazon Bestseller, Five-Star Rated, Made in USA →
The premium upgrade: Shop CreamofDaCrop™ — Hertel's Best All-Temperature Wax →
The banned race wax: Shop Racing 739™ — Too Fast for the Olympics →
For spring: Shop SpringSolution™ — The Only Spring Pollen Wax →
For East Coast ice: Shop IceCoast™ — Professional Base Hardener →
On-mountain: Shop Rub N Go™ — Pocket Wax, No Iron, 8+ Applications →
📚 Want the full story? Download the FREE WAXFAX book — 50 years of ski wax knowledge by Terry Hertel →