Tough Job: Norway’s Ski Wax Chief Is Only Noticed When He Failsbr Svein Moen said that If an athlete is in bad shape it’s easy to complain about the skis,br One says "516," another says "516.9." The tech team has a database with test results of 7,000 combinations of grinds, waxesbr and powders along with scads of information about the weather in which tests were conducted.br But the mood in what is called the wax cabin — a metal structure half a mile frombr the finish line, where skis are a science project that never ends — was subdued.br " he said, clutching a fistful of pink ski poles as he headed back out the door.