From Slopes To Streams: How Plant-Based Ski Wax Can Make A World Of Difference

Peter Arlein wasn’t looking to change the world when he began to experiment with making plant-based ski wax, but he hoped to create a product that would allow him, and others, to make better choices for the mountains and lifestyle he loves.

An avid skier and longtime ski tech, Arlein has waxed hundreds of skis over the years. One day, as he waxed yet another pair of skis in the small back room of a ski shop, he wondered: what exactly is in ski wax?

“I assumed it was just made of wax,” he says, and laughs. “Then I learned wax is made from petroleum. Not just ski wax, but the candles in our house, the wax on our food — it’s all petroleum-based. That really grossed me out.”

It’s true: paraffin wax and other synthetic waxes are the by-product of the petroleum industry. And it turns out synthetic wax is not the only ingredient in traditional ski waxes. The waxes are formulated with a number of chemicals — some have been known toxins — which help repel water and dirt in order to improve glide and increase speed as you slide across the snow.

“When I learned about the quantity of wax used every year in the U.S. alone, and how all of that ends up directly in the snowpack and then in the watershed, it really got me motivated to come up with a solution,” says Arlein.

That was almost 10 years ago. Now Arlein’s company, MountainFLOW Eco Wax, based in Carbondale, Colorado, sells a variety of plant-based ski waxes and bike lubricants (all packaged conscientiously in an effort to reduce long-lasting waste). It is one of the largest plant-based ski wax companies in the nation.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT

While few of us have the motivation, knowledge and determination to create an environmentally friendly product (and company) as Arlein did, his work can serve as an example to all of us: Change begins with small steps. If we can each consider the environmental impact of our lives — from what we eat and buy, to how we travel and play — and begin to make new and informed choices, we can make a difference.

It all begins with education, says Melissa Kirr, senior programs director of sustainability at Walking Mountains Science Center in Eagle County, which works to inspire environmental stewardship and sustainability through natural science education.

Most of us who ski and snowboard love the outdoors. We love the snow, the seasons, the mountains, the beauty. Much of the joy we derive from our snow sports comes from that deeper sense of connection with place, a kinship with nature.

Recognizing that connection is the first step toward becoming an environmental steward, Kirr says. “If you’re already wanting to be outdoors, it seems right to want to take care of that relationship.”

She and her colleagues at Walking Mountains Science Center recognize that not everyone thinks alike, nor do they necessarily have the same values. So, in their work to promote environmental stewardship and sustainability, they focus on helping people find common ground.

“For the ski industry, it would be wanting to be outside, to be on the snow, to have snow, to enjoy nature and be healthy, happy humans,” Kirr says. “Thinking about it in those ways can help people understand why change is important.”

“It’s a funny dichotomy, because skiers and snowboarders love to play outside, they love the beauty of nature … but as an industry, it’s not particularly green,” Arlein says.

Ski wax may seem like a small thing — and maybe in the realm of the ski industry’s environmental impact, it is. But consider that all the wax on the base of each of our skis and snowboards scrapes off into the snow with each run we take. That wax remains in the snow as it melts each spring and flows into our watershed, affecting not only the health of our rivers, aquatic life and wildlife, but also, ourselves.

PFAS + FOREVER CHEMICALS

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, traditional ski waxes contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. PFAS are a group of chemicals, known as “forever chemicals,” widely used in many products, from ski wax to cookware, household products and more. Similar to microplastics, they don’t break down and have been found in waterways and in the blood of both humans and animals. Studies indicate exposure to these chemicals is harmful to our health.

“It’s a classic micro-pollution problem, in the sense that you can’t see the wax in the snow, but it’s going there and it’s accumulating and it’s millions of pounds every year,” Arlein says.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) began banning the use of fluorocarbon-based ski wax in races, as part of a greater movement to ban those PFAS through legislation.

“Not everybody likes to be told what to do, but legislation is one way of pushing people to be environmental stewards,” Kirr says.

Though Colorado’s legislation works to remove ski wax as a source of PFAS in our watershed and environment, some people continue to use the product.

“I know there are a lot of people out there that are passing them on for others to use,” she explains. “That’s not the right way. We need to get it out of the system.”

Park City, Utah is working to do just that. Home to two ski areas and a Nordic center, the mountain town banned the use of fluoro waxes in 2023, after it discovered PFAS in its drinking water and traced the source to the ski areas. To prevent banned waxes from being used, the municipality launched a “takeback” program, allowing residents and visitors to turn in their fluoro wax in exchange for a trade-in or discount on an environmentally friendly alternative.

While many, if not all, ski wax manufacturers now offer an environmentally friendly alternative to fluoro waxes, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s plant-based.

“For the most part, they don’t have to disclose their ingredients,” Arlein says. “Yeah, maybe there’s less fluorinated wax on the market now, but it’s still petroleum- based and we don’t know what’s in there. What we do know is it all ends up in our watershed.”

On the contrary, MountainFLOW Eco Wax is made of five ingredients and is 100% plant-based.

“There’s no mystery,” he says. “There’s no scary chemicals.”

SMALL STEPS, BIG CHANGE

Arlein is passionate about his work and the fact that his company makes products that are as safe for his young children as they are for the environment. It’s a step toward cleaning up the sport he loves.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Arlein says. “It might be a small step, but it’s part of the solution.”

Sometimes, as individuals, we feel powerless in the face of the environmental consequences of our society, including our sports. But each of us has the power to make change, says Peter Franson, watershed restoration manager at the Eagle River Coalition, which works to advocate and protect the health of the Upper Colorado and Eagle River watersheds.

“Be mindful of where you’re getting your products from and the businesses you are supporting by purchasing their product,” Franson says. “There is room to advocate for different practices. There is room to support specific groups or businesses who are trying to make change.”

“I think doing small things can go a long way, because, eventually, those small things add up and we really start making an impact,” Arlein says.

There is a quote Kirr loves to repeat when illustrating how education can lead to environmental stewardship: In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.

“Again, it goes back to those values and loving where you live and hoping to find connection between your life and the world we live in, which is nature,” she says.

Originally published in the winter 2025-26 issue of Spoke+Blossom.