Wax man plays key role in wacky snowboardcross

Curtis Bacca is the master wax man in the frenetic Olympic sport of snowboardcross.

The wax technician for defending Olympic champion Seth Wescott and 2006 silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis, Bacca is one of the best in the business _ a sort of mad scientist with an ability to turn snowboards into glistening missiles that glide over the wild series of twists and turns.

"It's almost like a language," Bacca said.

Bacca has kept a detailed journal for the last 20 years chronicling conditions on mountains across the world, measuring everything from temperature to the water content and crystal size of various types of snow.

He …