About Terry Hertel

Founder, Hertel Ski Wax — Made in USA since 1972

Terry Hertel is the founder of Hertel Ski Wax and the inventor of the All Temperature® ski and snowboard wax system — the original all-temperature wax formula, trademarked in 1974, and proven at the Olympic level across more than 50 years of continuous development.

He is not a corporate brand. He is not a marketing department. He is a wax maker — an independent American inventor and manufacturer who has spent five decades learning everything there is to know about snow, friction, water film, and the chemistry that sits between a ski base and the mountain.

The Beginning

Terry Hertel founded Hertel Ski Wax in 1972 with a single observation: the ski wax industry was designed for the wax company's revenue, not the skier's enjoyment.

The color-coded temperature-specific system that dominated the market required skiers to carry multiple products, know their snow temperature to the degree, and predict how conditions would change throughout the day. It was a system that created complexity, sold more products, and left most recreational skiers skiing on the wrong wax for the conditions they were actually in.

Terry Hertel set out to solve that problem. The solution was the All Temperature® system — one formula, engineered to perform across the full range of conditions a skier encounters in a typical day on the mountain.

The All Temperature® System

The All Temperature® system was developed in 1972 and trademarked in 1974. It is the foundational chemistry behind every product in the Hertel lineup — Super HotSauce™, Racing 739™, WhiteGold™, Rub N Go™, SpringSolution™, IceCoast™, CreamofDaCrop™, and 4HER Rub N Go®.

The system was built on a specific insight: snow conditions change constantly throughout the ski day, and a wax formula that manages friction and water film across the full range of those conditions — without requiring temperature selection or product switching — will outperform any temperature-specific system on a real mountain.

That insight has been validated at the Olympic level, in every independent wax performance study conducted, and by 20,000+ Amazon customers in 2025 alone.

Olympic History

Terry Hertel's wax technology has been used at the highest levels of competitive skiing and snowboarding:

• Racing 739™ — developed in 1963, banned from Olympic and World Cup competition for winning by margins of up to 4 full seconds. The most remarkable performance endorsement in ski wax history.
• WhiteGold™ — used by Burton Snowboards' elite team riders including Craig Kelly, Mike Jacoby, Nora Brandon, Jeff Brushie, and Jonny Mosley at the Olympic and World Cup level.
• 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics — WhiteGold™ contributed to gold medal performances.
• 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics — WhiteGold™ again part of the performance equation at the Olympic level.

After the Lillehammer successes, Terry Hertel was told by leadership tied to the ski establishment to “get the fuck out of the industry.” He stayed. The products kept performing. The market eventually found them.

Innovations

Over 50 years, Terry Hertel has developed products that the ski industry either ignored, suppressed, or eventually copied:

• All Temperature® wax system — 1972. The original. Every brand using the term today is borrowing language Hertel developed and proved.
• Rub N Go™ — 1970s. The original pocket ski wax. No iron, no equipment, applies in 2 minutes on the mountain. The lodge wax service industry has never forgiven him for it.
• SpringSolution™ — 1975. The only ski wax in the industry specifically engineered for spring pollen snow. No other brand has built a competing product in 50 years.
• 4HER Rub N Go® — The first ski wax specifically formulated for women's skiing dynamics. An innovation the industry should have made decades earlier.
• WAXFAX — The most comprehensive ski wax knowledge base ever compiled, available as a free PDF download. Because Terry Hertel believes skiers deserve to know the truth about wax.

Credentials and Recognition

• Founder and owner, Hertel Ski Wax — Made in USA since 1972
• Inventor, All Temperature® ski wax system — trademarked 1974
• Olympic wax supplier — 1988 Calgary and 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics
• Wax supplier to Burton Snowboards' elite competition team
• Racing 739™ banned from Olympic and World Cup competition for performance dominance
• Featured in Ski Magazine
• #1 Amazon bestseller in ski wax category — 20,000+ units sold in 2025
• Five-star rated in every independent wax performance study conducted
• 50+ years of continuous wax chemistry development in the USA

Philosophy

Terry Hertel has argued for 50 years that ski wax is a safety product, not just a performance upgrade. A wax that delivers inconsistent glide creates unpredictable ski behavior — a risk to the skier and everyone sharing the mountain with them.

His philosophy is simple: every skier deserves equipment that works with them, not against them. Wax should be simple, proven, and accessible to every skier regardless of expertise level. One great wax should handle all conditions.

That philosophy has not changed since 1972.

The WAXFAX Knowledge Base

After 50 years in the industry, Terry Hertel compiled his complete knowledge — the science, the history, the Olympic stories, the industry politics, and the practical waxing guidance — into the WAXFAX book, available as a free PDF download.

It is the most comprehensive ski wax guide ever written. And it is free because Terry Hertel believes skiers deserve to know the truth about wax.

⬇ Download WAXFAX FREE — 50 Years of Ski Wax Knowledge

Contact Terry Hertel

Terry Hertel is available directly through Hertel Ski Wax. For questions about products, waxing technique, or the WAXFAX knowledge base, contact us through the store.

Hertel Ski Wax — Made in USA since 1972.
www.hertelskiwax.com