A couple of weeks ago Fasterskier ran a story on Peter Johansson, the head of service for the US Ski Team, and the regular waxer for Kikkan and Andy. I couldn’t help but chuckle because we had already ordered a whole bunch of custom-printed Red Creek scrapers with Peter’s signature on them. I’m not quite conceited enough to put my own signature on a scraper, but it seemed like a fun idea to have some cool signature on there, just to make people wonder what was up. Peter was cool with the idea, and we even got Chris Grover’s go-ahead (all good as long as there’s no use of USST logo or name).
And then Peter went and got famous! First with a big spread in the local paper after Kikkan’s distance podium in Peter’s hometown of Gallivare. And then with the Fasterskier story. Now we’ve got a full-fledged ski-waxing celebrity on our hands, and we were smart enough to get his signature on our scrapers while he was still offering signatures for free!
A word on Peter from my point of view. I’ve worked with a lot of waxers, and Peter tops the list of my favorites. He’s a tireless worker, he knows where to draw the line and make a decision, and he consistently puts great skis on the snow with a systematic approach. Like all the good waxers, he makes it look pretty basic and easy. He’s also just about the most low-key guy in the world, and a guy who will NEVER put skis ahead of athletes. I’ve congratulated him on his work with Kikkan and he’s always quick to deflect attention to her performance. For instance, after Kikkan’s 4th place finish in the classic sprint in Kuusamo last season we had the following email exchange:
Zach: Hot Damn! 4th in a classic sprint? Must have been the skis!
Z
Peter: That held her off the podium? I think it was..
See you soon
Peter
A word on the Red Creek scraper: A plastic scraper is just a plastic scraper, right? Well, right, except that some work well and some don’t. I first ran into these Red Creek world cup scrapers on one of my first service trips with the USST, and I promptly stole one to take home. I’ve been sharpening it and using it ever since. Whatever plastic they use in these scrapers takes an edge really well, and it removes wax extremely efficiently. Scraping hard paraffin is the toughest thing a scraper gets asked to do, and these ones work really well.
These are 3mm scrapers. You’ve probably seen 3mm, 4mm and 5mm scrapers. 90% of the pros I’ve seen on the World Cup use 3mm scrapers. K-G Lundqvist, the Red Creek guy, suggested that 5mm scrapers are better for amateurs, and that maybe I should order those instead. But I wanted to get the scrapers that I like to use. These are also Peter’s favorites, and after all, it’s his signature on the scraper. So, if you want to rock the Red Creek Caldwell Sport Peter Johansson Signature World Cup scraper, you’re going to have to rock it like a pro!
email us if you want one. $7