The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics mark the first Games without fluorinated ski waxes, banned due to concerns over toxic PFAS chemicals. These waxes, prized for their speed on snow, have been linked to health risks and environmental contamination. Athletes and technicians now adapt to slower, more variable alternatives amid heightened competition stakes.
Fluorinated ski waxes, known as fluoros, have been a staple in competitive skiing since the 1980s, offering superior water-repelling and dirt-shedding properties that boosted speeds on wet snow. As Tim Baucom, the United States cross-country ski team's wax technician, noted, “There’s nothing in the chemical world that I’m aware of that can replicate their hydrophobic and dirt-repelling properties.” However, these products contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), dubbed "forever chemicals" for their persistence and links to thyroid disease, developmental issues, and cancer.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) banned fluoros in 2023, following a 2019 announcement, after studies revealed high PFAS exposure among wax technicians. A 2010 study found Scandinavian technicians with blood levels of PFOA 25 times above the general population, while a 2024 study confirmed wax techs face the highest occupational concentrations. Environmentally, PFAS from waxes have contaminated aquifers, as seen in Park City, Utah, where 11 compounds matched those from ski lubricants.
For the Milan-Cortina Games, starting in February 2026, athletes like U.S. skier Julia Kern face new challenges. “There are a lot more unknowns with the new waxes,” she said, adding that non-fluoro options perform worse in warm, wet conditions, making downhills tougher. Canadian skier Katherine Stewart-Jones emphasized environmental duty: “I think it kind of is our duty as a winter sport to have some concern for the environment.”
The shift has upended preparation. Without fluoros, ski grinding—creating patterns on bases for specific snow types—now determines up to 97% of speed, per Baucom, leading teams to acquire more specialized skis. This raises fairness concerns, as nations like Norway with advanced resources gain edges. U.S. skier John Steel Hagenbuch, whose PFAS blood levels exceed averages, acknowledged the trade-off: “For Tim and the other service technicians and for me and for our groundwater and for the environment, yeah, I think it’s good that we don’t do fluoros.”
Companies like Swix have discarded stockpiles, and while alternatives lag in performance, industry experts predict improvements within three to five years. The ban, though, highlights broader PFAS issues, offering a model for reducing these chemicals elsewhere despite ongoing questions about new waxes' safety.
