U.S. cross-country ski group coach Matt Whitcomb with Yolanda the wax truck and a number of the 600 pairs of skis it holds at a World Cup race in Goms, Switzerland Jan. 23, 2026
Eric Whitney/NPR
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Eric Whitney/NPR
America’s Olympic cross-country ski group has seen some historic wins at this yr’s Video games in Italy. Ben Ogden received a silver medal, turning into solely the second American man to win an Olympic medal within the sport in 50 years. And that is the third Olympics in a row that Jessie Diggins has medaled for the U.S., with a bronze.
Their potential to get on podiums is thanks largely to a behind the scenes group of technicians who spend hours earlier than each race making ready the athletes’ skis; making use of secret wax formulation, fastidiously scraping and brushing them, after which testing them obsessively on snow earlier than the starter’s gun goes off.Â
Diggins praised their efforts on the final World Cup cross-country ski race earlier than the Olympics, in Switzerland in January. She took second in a 20 kilometer contest within the basic approach, which requires skis that have to each grip, or “kick” on the uphills, and in addition glide actually quick happening. It is powerful to get that wax ratio excellent.
“Actually, at this time I really feel just like the win belongs to our wax group,” Diggins mentioned, whereas cooling down on a stationary bike simply previous the end line after the race. “I had wonderful kick. I used to be simply so, so impressed, that was tremendous essential to success at this time, particularly for 20 kilometers … like, you’ll be able to’t faux it for 20K.”
There are 10 ski technicians on the U.S. cross-country group. They spend the winter driving to totally different race programs throughout Europe (World Cup cross-country races are not often held in North America, however there may be one in Lake Placid, N.Y. this yr in March). Their trip is called Yolanda the wax truck, which can be their workspace.Â
Yolanda’s title is a reference to the film Pulp Fiction, during which Samuel L. Jackson’s character shouts, “Yolanda! We’re not going to do something silly, are we?”
Group USA’s Wax Boss, Oleg Ragilo, an Estonian who speaks 5 languages, has been with them since 2008.
Ragilo says when the group bought Yolanda eight years in the past it made an enormous distinction — no extra working in steel storage items with unhealthy air flow, and no extra continuously packing up and unpacking the entire group’s skis and preparation gear each week.
Yolanda is just a little smaller than an American 18-wheeler. When it is parked, the edges of the trailer behind the cab broaden out about 10 toes, and there is a little deck on one facet with an awning. It seems to be type of like one thing you’d see at a flowery RV park, however inside, it is a ski store.
“So, all of the magic occurs over right here,” Ragilo says, standing beside his workbench, “It is known as just like the kitchen facet of the snowboarding.”
Eight techs can work concurrently, on lengthy benches that skis clamp into. And there are skis in all places, vibrant yellow, blue, pink, and glossy black. They fill piles of luggage and horizontal and vertical storage racks.
“I feel it is round 600 pairs of skis, together with, like, athlete skis, all of the check skis, all that,” Ragilo says.
Every of the group’s 16 athletes has about 30 pairs of skis every. Some skis are higher for some race programs than others, their backside surfaces totally different to higher match the various totally different sorts of snow the group will compete on every winter.
Snow is all the time altering, which is why Ragilo has drawer after drawer of various sorts of ski wax. He and his group obsess about dialing in simply the precise wax, giving their skiers any benefit they’ll in races that may determined by hundredths of a second. Meaning evaluating a giant set of variables that embody snow temperature and density, whether or not its newly-fallen or has been sitting for some time, whether or not it is pure or man-made, and the way the day’s climate forecast is predicted to have an effect on it.
It is plenty of work, beneath excessive stress, and intense competitors. And Group USA’s skiers, coaches and technicians all say Yolanda is making an actual distinction for them.
It is not as huge because the vehicles for Norway, Sweden and Finland, with are double-deckers, however, “we’ve got the perfect truck,” says longtime American coach Matt Whitcomb.
Norway’s cross nation ski group, a perennial over-achiever, is among the many groups with double-decker wax vehicles
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Eric Whitney/NPR
It did not come low-cost, he says, about $750,000.
“One factor cool about Individuals is if you need to increase cash for, say, airplane tickets or resort rooms, you actually must persuade folks,” Whitcomb mentioned. “However if you wish to increase cash for a truck? Individuals get fairly excited.”
Yolanda features a particular refreshment station, with a espresso pot and, “additionally some very random bottles of liquor,” says Technician Tim Baucom, “and a few of them are, are do-it-yourself. A whole lot of these have been simply scared to drink, so they have been there for just a few years.”
When a U.S. athletes achieves a podium end; first, second or third place, a Yolanda custom is toasting them athlete with a shot of Aquavit. And the skier will get to place a star sticker on the ceiling with their title and date of their accomplishment.
