Tallinn World Cup's waxing revolution 2.0 continues

The innovative unified waxing project initiated at the 2023 Tallinn Cross-Country World Cup will continue this year, but in a simplified form. According to Michal Lamplot, FIS Cross-Country Competition Manager, the rules have been refined for this year's competition - restrictions during the official training day have been reduced, and wax technicians will be allowed to help athletes select skis on the course.

Robert Peets, a member of the FIS World Cup Committee, notes that teams are enthusiastically supporting this approach again, and this year the process is significantly simpler for them. "The wax used is applied to the ski with compressed air from a can, and the dried surface is smoothed with a brush. There's no need to bring an iron anymore. It takes a team a maximum of five minutes per pair, and essentially they only need to prepare one pair for the competition," he explains.

In 2023, this represented a revolutionary change initiated by Peets - previously, each team prepared their athletes' skis separately in individual waxing rooms using large teams (sometimes up to 15 people). For the first time in World Cup history, all waxing work was consolidated into a single 300-square-meter tent, where 40 wax technicians handled all athletes' skis. Countries no longer needed to bring their own service trucks and large teams. Each athlete could submit up to two pairs of skis for waxing, with one pair selected for the final.

"The only criticism from 2023 concerned the preliminary ski inspection. We lacked controls to determine what had been done to the skis before applying the unified wax. This could have created inequality, but that factor has been eliminated this year," explains Peets, adding that FIS has been conducting thorough fluorine testing at every stage for the second season.

Peets dismisses rumors that service technicians would become unemployed. "This type of unified waxing can only be done for city sprints in free technique. If the Tallinn competition were held in classic technique, such an approach would be unthinkable." This is confirmed by FIS Cross-Country Competition Manager Michal Lamplot, who assures that wax technicians have no reason to worry.

The 2023 Tallinn World Cup made a deep impression on him. "It was an excellent event with a fantastic atmosphere and numerous spectators. The event was very well organized, with many side events, a concert stage, and an expo area - exactly how a World Cup event should look," Lamplot commends.

The previous success helped Tallinn secure the right to host a World Cup event again this year. "For FIS and national ski associations, it's important to work with organizers in a long-term perspective. It's essential to maintain the people, knowledge, experience, and passion. Therefore, Tallinn's two-year rotation is a good solution. We need organizers like those in Estonia who show others how to put together an exciting event."

Despite this year's challenging winter with snow shortages everywhere, Michal Lamplot remains optimistic. "Thanks to the excellent work of organizers, not a single World Cup event has suffered from lack of snow this season. Very positive news is also coming from Tallinn, so I believe everything will be ready."

The FIS Cross-Country Competition Manager sees a bright future for World Cup events. "Our biggest challenge is to organize events rather than just competitions. We want the World Cup to become a platform where various ski enthusiasts meet, share skiing joy, watch the world's best athletes, and feel good. When leaving, they should feel that it was an excellent experience they would like to experience again."

On the evening of March 19, Tallinn's Song Festival Grounds will become the focal point of international skiing as the world's best sprinters take to the starting line. Steep climbs and technical descents will test both speed and endurance. The Song Festival Grounds track has already proven itself as one of the most technical and challenging for sprinters in the World Cup series. Every point of the course is clearly visible from the slopes of the Song Festival Grounds - such an immediate experience cannot be found at any other World Cup event.

Event Details:

- Date: March 19, 2025

- Venue: Tallinn Song Festival Grounds, Estonia

- Format: Individual Sprint (Free Technique)

- Tickets available at: https://www.piletitasku.ee/et/event/7078

- Full event information: www.tallinn-nordic.ee

- Live coverage on Eurosport