The ski industry, despite the pristine mountain settings, is not what you’d call environmentally friendly. From the fleece cap on the top of your head to the plastic toes of your boots; from your polypropylene inner layer to your water resistant outer shell, everything is synthetically produced. The thin wood core inside your skis or snowboard could be the only natural material you bring to the hill on any given day, and even its been treated and glued with chemicals.
One Vancouver company is hoping to replace at least one of the synthetic materials in your ski equipment with an environmentally-friendly substitute – biodegradable, non-toxic ski wax.
Tyler Bradley set out about three years ago to develop a wax that wasn’t based on fossil fuels – "an alternative fuel for skis and snowboards," he explains – and in the course of studying alternatives he learned a lot more about the other ingredients that comprise ski wax.
"What we wanted to do was take the paraffin out, because paraffin comes from fossil fuels, and that’s when I started to learn about the whole perafluorocarbon thing. It’s really just a Pandora’s Box from there when you see how nasty this stuff is and how little the public knows about it," said Bradley.
Recent revelations suggest that a wide variety of chemical compounds like fluoroploymers, PFOA, C8, flurorotelomers and other related chemicals are much worse than previously thought. Not only have some of the chemicals been linked to cancer, birth defects, and organ damage, they are extremely persistent in the environment and won’t break down for thousands of years. When they get into the water system, they can have a major impact on aquatic life as they progress through the food chain.
Although he’s not a scientist by training, Bradley has spent the last few years gathering research on chemicals used in ski wax. Most of the worst data has only been released within the past year as the public and governments have placed more pressure on chemical companies to release their data.
At the same time, Bradley hired scientists at UBC, SFU and the private sector to develop an environmentally friendly alternative for skiers and snowboarders. HillBilly Wax products should be on shelves by next winter.
Rather than push his company, however, Bradley would like to see public awareness of the issue grow and for other wax companies to stop manufacturing waxes that contain chemicals like PFCs.
The ski wax industry is unique in that some brands actually promote the high content of certain harmful chemicals, because that’s what consumers are looking for.
"We don’t want to come out and throw mud at ski wax manufacturers… but the fact is ski wax companies and the ski industry have been unwittingly co-opted into polluting mountain areas and watersheds for about the past 20 years," said Bradley. "The reason is that things aren’t regulated in the chemical industry, and chemical companies… weren’t regulated to release their medical records and test data. Up until recently everybody assumed this stuff was safe.
"Where we’re coming from on the ski wax issue is that it’s such a small niche thing, but because (wax) uses such a high concentration of PFCs – 80 per cent, 85 per cent in some cases – it’s unique because you’re literally injecting chemicals into the arteries of a wilderness system. You put it in the snow and when the snowpack melts it goes right into the watershed."
Applying the wax without proper ventilation may also pose a health risk. Studies have shown that some of the chemicals used in non-stick pans are released as toxic fumes at certain temperatures. The use of Teflon-coated pans has been linked to the deaths of possibly thousands of pet birds.
Bradley has met with Whistler-Blackcomb to discuss his research, and they are interested in learning more.
"(Ski wax) is one of those products you look at and you wonder… what is it comprised of, what’s its application, what level of pollution, contamination is it causing? We don’t know and that’s why we’re interested in HillBilly Wax and what Tyler has to offer," said Arthur DeJong, the manager of mountain planning and environmental resources for Whistler Blackcomb.
"First of all we know wax is a fossil fuel-based product… and the less fuel-based products we use, all the better it is in our fight against global warming. As for the other stuff, the CFCs and other chemicals, we don’t know what quantities we’re dealing with yet. If we have X skiers a year, how much (wax) a skier uses, what does that multiply to? What measured impacts are we talking about here?
"Ski wax is in the tray right now as one of the things we’re assessing."
DeJong says he supports the concept of HillBilly Wax, and says the mountains will be taking a closer look to measure the impact of PFCs, both on human health and on the environment. So far PFCs have not turned up in Whistler-Blackcomb water samples, but the company will be watching more carefully.
"We appreciate (Tyler’s) research and his potentially bringing out a product that is better for us and the environment. We’re definitely watching with some interest," said DeJong.
Bradley has also been interviewed for an upcoming article in Maclean’s magazine on PFCs and the recent revelations of risks to health and the environment. Through the media he hopes to bring the issue to the attention of a national audience.
HillBilly Wax has only made a few production runs, but is taking orders for next season. The company has had offers from investors to bring it to the global market, but Bradley, his wife and partners are hoping to build a grassroots market first. They are also waiting until their wax can be certified as environmentally friendly by various groups.
HillBilly Wax-Works is already supplying wax to a few pro snowboarders, including Prior rider Allan Clarke and Rome’s Jonaven Moore. They don’t get any money for using the wax, but support it because of their own environmental concerns. Moore has even converted his truck to run on biodiesel.
The company is perpetually on the edge of insolvency Bradley admits, and there’s some pressure to start selling wax, but they are sticking by the plan to manufacture the wax in Canada and release it slowly to stores and resorts that have "a green slant."
Once the public learns about the issue and is given an alternative, Bradley believes most people will do the right thing.
"The biggest mistake environmentalists make is to come out and shake their fingers at people, saying ‘do this, don’t do that’, but until you can provide an alternative that’s affordable and easy for people to make the shift… and that’s market ready, you’re turning people off," he said.
"This is too important, so we want to get it right."
