About Hertel Ski Wax

Hertel Ski Wax is an American ski and snowboard wax company founded in 1972 by Terry Hertel. For over 50 years, Hertel has been engineering wax technology built around one core belief: skiers should not need five different waxes to enjoy one mountain.

The Founding Story

In 1972, Terry Hertel set out to solve a problem that the ski industry had created but never addressed: the color-coded wax system that forced recreational skiers to carry boxes full of temperature-specific waxes, brushes, scrapers, and additives just to go skiing. For those interested Hertel invented the first ever HotWaxer applicator and sold 50000 units. available on Craigs List and eBay.

His answer was the All Temperature® wax system — a single formula engineered to perform across a broad range of snow conditions, from approximately 6°F to 52°F, without switching products or second-guessing conditions.

That system became the foundation of every product Hertel has made since.

All Temperature® — A Trademarked Innovation

All Temperature® is not a marketing phrase. It is a trademarked system developed by Hertel Ski Wax and built on real wax chemistry — specifically engineered to manage snow friction and the thin water film between ski base and snow as temperatures change throughout the day.

Real mountains do not hold one temperature all day. Morning groomers at 15°F behave completely differently than afternoon slush at 38°F. Hertel's All Temperature® formula was built for the mountain as it actually exists — not as a laboratory test assumes it to be.

Olympic and World Cup History

Hertel wax technology has been used at the Olympic and World Cup level, where the company claims measurable performance advantages and race success over many years.

Racing 739™, Hertel's flagship race wax developed in 1963, was so dominant on race courses that it was ultimately banned from Olympic competition, World Cup racing, and other sanctioned events. Skiers using Racing 739 were winning by margins of up to 4 full seconds — in a sport where races are decided by thousandths of a second.

That ban remains one of the most remarkable endorsements a wax company has ever received.

Many race technicians at the Olympic and World Cup level quietly combined Hertel products with traditional race wax systems because of the measurable difference in how skis performed on snow.

The Hertel Philosophy

From the beginning, Terry Hertel's philosophy has centered on control, not just speed.

Most wax companies focus on raw glide performance. Hertel has always focused on:

Predictable, consistent glide across changing conditions
Side-to-side stability and reliable edge feel
Reduced fatigue throughout the ski day
Skier safety — a wax that makes you faster but harder to control is not a better wax
Simplicity — one quality wax should handle most conditions
Consumer honesty — skiers deserve straightforward answers, not complicated product ladders designed to maximize sales

Terry Hertel has said it plainly: on the mountain, you matter to me.

Our Products

Every product in the Hertel lineup is built on the same All Temperature® foundation:

Super HotSauce™ — Hertel's flagship all-temperature wax. #1 Amazon bestseller with 20,000+ units sold in 2025. Five-star rated in every independent wax performance study. Featured in Ski Magazine. The #1 choice among women skiers and snowboarders.
Racing 739™ — The race wax banned from Olympic and World Cup competition for being too fast. Now available for recreational use. Made in USA since 1963.
SpringSolution™ — The only wax in the ski industry engineered specifically for sticky, pollen-covered spring snow. Made in USA since 1975.
Rub N Go™ — Pocket-sized all-temperature rub-on wax. 8+ applications per stick. Apply on the mountain in minutes. No iron needed.
4HER Rub N Go™ — The first ski wax specially formulated for women's skiing dynamics. All-temperature, pocket-sized, no iron needed.
IceCoast™ — Professional-grade base hardening wax engineered for East Coast ice, hard-pack, and abrasive snow conditions.
CreamofDaCrop™ — Hertel's premium upgrade wax for ultimate performance.

Made in USA Since 1972

Every Hertel product is manufactured in the United States. That has never changed in over 50 years of operation.

USA manufacturing means consistent quality control, accountability to our customers, and a product that Terry Hertel is proud to put his name on — the same wax he would put on his own skis, his family's skis, and the skis of every person he cares about on the mountain.

Industry Recognition

📰 Featured in Ski Magazine
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five-star rated in every independent wax performance study
🏆 #1 Amazon bestseller — 20,000+ units sold in 2025
🇺🇸 Made in USA continuously since 1972
🚧 Racing 739 banned from Olympic and World Cup competition
💕 #1 wax choice among women skiers and snowboarders

A Personal Note From Terry Hertel

I started Hertel Ski Wax because I believed skiers deserved better than what the industry was giving them. A complicated system of color-coded waxes designed more to sell products than to help people ski better.

Fifty years later, that belief has not changed.

Every wax I make is something I would put on my own skis. Every claim I make is something I can back up with documented history, real-world testing, and 50 years of results on snow.

If you are looking for the best ski wax on the market — not the most marketed, not the cheapest, not the newest — I believe you will find it here.

Welcome to Hertel Ski Wax.

— Terry Hertel, Founder