In cross-country skiing, the wrong wax can cost you a race, while the right wax can help you reach the podium. This ...

Steve Janisch irons wax onto a snowboard, a 1980s ski movie playing on a TV in his south Minneapolis alley garage. Slope signs, skis and other equipment line almost every inch of the walls.

The French Parliament has approved a landmark ban on using “forever chemicals” in common products including cosmetics, ski wax and clothing, a move that could reverberate beyond its borders.