Ski techs hope their secret wax recipes will be liquid 'gold' for Canada's Olympians

Anyone who has watched ski cross athlete Brady Leman barrel down a mountain slope alongside his competitors can tell he's powered by immense strength and skill. Ski cross is a dangerous sport, and the Albertan had to overcome previous injuries in order to win gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. But beyond athleticism, Leman is keenly aware of the importance of his skis — and crucially, what's under them — when it comes to skiing fast.

"Good wax makes my job way easier," he said, referring to the compounds applied to the undersides of skis to help them glide over snow.

"I mean, we're dealing with tenths, hundredths of a second," Leman added, and ski wax "can be the difference-maker."

Like the high-tech shoes developed for runners in the Summer Olympics, good ski wax is a highly prized technology in snow sports, fuelling another more secretive competition beyond the slopes.

The behind-the-scenes chemistry of wax development and ski preparation is carried out by ski technicians who work with various alpine and nordic sports teams. With new research and technology playing a key role in their plans for Beijing 2022, the ski techs with Canada's ski cross team are the keepers of some of the most highly coveted trade secrets of the Olympic Winter Games.

"If we ask them, [the ski techs] will always tell us what's on the skis," Leman said. "But every once in a while, if it's something a little 'out there,' the message will be conveyed that this is not for ears outside of Canada Ski Cross."

To guard that knowledge, most of the tuning and waxing is done long before athletes put on their skis for a competition, in rooms tucked away in hotel basements or garages.

During the Ski Cross World Cup at Nakiska ski resort in Alberta last