wd-40 on bases??

Anybody ever try wd-40 on the bases for super sticky conditions.  We used to use it and found that it worked quite well.  We quit when we heard it might ruin bases.  I've heard it is  made of fish  oil,  but I imagine it has all sorts of nasty stuff in it as well.   Curious, where the truth lies.  Probably bad for the environment too (people around here used spray their bait with it while fishing..more chemicals in the water along with oil and gas?).

Seemed like it would make our bases whitish which probably meant it was stripping out any wax as well.

The "fish oil" is a urban legend/ myth, it's mostly made from petroleum distillates ie mineral spirits.

WD-40 will help increase glide- but for only about 100yds. Most sprays will wear off very quickly as well. Repeated use will strip out any wax remaining in the ski base, and can lead to increased oxidation (whitening).

For sticky wet warm snow conditions, various things I and other people have tried:

WD-40
Silicone spray
PAM
Rain-X
Ivory soap
Zardoz
Warm temp wax (yellow)
Glacier Wax
Aggressive linear structure

Of the first five, all will significantly improve glide, but again for about 100 yards before wearing off and needing another application. Slippery sprays work, but not for long- you might get 1/2 a run out of them.

Warm temp wax improves glide and lasts much longer, but doesn't work worth a damn once you ski through dirty snow/ pollen/forest drippings which the wax picks up and slows the skis waay down. I've had better luck with glacier wax and/or moly blends as they tend to repel the dirt a bit more.

An aggressive linear structure noticeably improves glide by creating grooves for the for water to channel out of and works the best imo.

Assuming you maintain your bases by regular waxing, scraping, and brushing (p-tex bases of course), the best solution to sticky conditions I've discovered is a rub-on RF-4 flouro-carbon wax; skin up, take a brake, rub it on, let it sit, then rub it in (buff it).

On XC-skis with plastic bases, regular application of Zardoz or Maxi-glide helps.

I wonder if running your skis though a stone grinder would help all that much. Those machines texture the ski base. For warmer conditions you want a base w more texture to break the surface tension between the base and any moisture in the snowpack. I would be willing to give it a go if I was touring this late in the season. Good on you hardcores for getting out there this time of year. You must love the scenery or something.

An aggressive linear structure noticeably improves glide by creating grooves for the for water to channel out of and works the best imo.

Winner

I have had good luck with moly waxes, but they take a lot of fussing, and will only last a day at best.  I often mix moly/ dirty snow xc wax with canning wax and it seems to work almost as well as strait molly or flouro. And structure works well, but again way to much work.