Biathlon-Wax works a model of cooperation in bid to concoct perfect ski sauce

ANTERSELVA, Italy Feb 17 : The Olympic biathlon races have showcased the skills of both the well-resourced traditional superpowers of the sport and the less-established nations, and nowhere is the gap between rich and poor more obvious than in the waxing cabin. 

In a specially built trailer tucked away in the corner of the car park at the Olympic venue, Sweden has a team of eight technicians working long hours to ensure their skis are prepared for whatever the snow Anterselva provides, while the likes of Denmark and Britain are dependent on the kindness of others. 

"We are always on site six hours before the first race starts, then we prepare the skis for the day, and three and a half hours before the start we go out and start testing the skis," Sweden's waxing team boss Ulf Eriksson told Reuters. 

"We do this until about an hour before the start, and then we wax the skis according to what we have found during those tests."

Ski wax is the unseen secret sauce of winter sports like biathlon and cross-country skiing, with competitors seeking the perfect blend of glide through the snow on downhill and flat parts of the track, and grip under the bindings that attach to their feet for climbing the hills. 

With different wax required depending on the type of snow, the temperature and altitude, it is part art-form, part alchemy.

"The snow in Anterselva is dry and fine-grained, and a little bit rough because of the altitude," Eriksson said. "But we have the same routines regardless of the weather and the conditions."

Eriksson's technicians also look after waxing for the British team, but they often remain tight-lipped about the details of what they do. 

"Absolutely no way, no chance," American biathlete Campbell Wright said with a grin