As the snow season approaches, the first thing you need to do is get your snowboard out from the attic and get in shape for the winter season. That will involve waxing your snowboard to ensure that it remains fast and reliable on the slopes. Most people who don’t know how to wax a snowboard may prefer turning it over to their local snowboard shop for a waxing session.
However, it’s not that difficult to learn how to wax a snowboard, and you can easily do it yourself. The best part is that you can save a lot of money if you choose to wax your snowboard since you will need to do it fairly regularly during the winter months. Even though it would mean spending extra on equipment, it will cost you considerably less if you choose to get your snowboard waxed from a shop.
How Often Should You Wax Your Snowboard?
The question that is on the minds of people when snowboard season approaches is how often they should wax their snowboard. The experts advise that you should wax it every three days you ride it, but the frequency of waxing your snowboard depends on several factors that include the conditions you are riding in, the condition of the base, and how frequently you ride your snowboard.
There are two types of construction bases for snowboards you must be aware of. These include the extruded bases and the sintered bases. With a sintered base, you get a more porous texture, which can absorb more wax. Snowboards with a sintered base will also runner smoother and faster than an extruded base when they are waxed.
However, a sintered base that isn’t waxed will run a lot slower than an extruded base that isn’t waxed, which is why it requires frequent waxing to ensure that it runs fast. You can quickly tell when your snowboard needs to be waxed based on the condition of the base and how it feels. If you have noticed that your snowboard has slowed down considerably, especially on flat sections, and the base looks dry and white, it is time to get it waxed.
Equipment You Need for Waxing Your Snowboard
There is a couple of equipment you will need for waxing your snowboard. It is best to spend a little extra on them instead of turning your snowboard over to a shop for a waxing session. The equipment you will need for waxing your snowboard yourself include the following:
- Wax
- Structuring brush
- Scraper
- Iron
- Cloth
How to Wax a Snowboard in 8 Steps
Once you have all the necessary equipment, you will not face any problem in waxing your snowboard. Here is how you should go about it.
1. Remove All Bindings
Before you apply the iron to the base of your snowboard, you should completely remove all the bindings from the board. That should be done because the binding screws shouldn’t be near the base surface as that can conduct heat when hot and may cause permanent damage to the board.
2. Clean the Base
Once you have removed all bindings from the board, you should start cleaning the base to remove any dirt and old wax entirely from the base. When you have a clean base, the fresh waxed can be absorbed appropriately by the board. You can clean with a cloth and a base cleaner or by using the hot scrape method.
That involves using a clothes iron for applying a thin layer of hot wax and immediately scraping it off while the wax is hot so that any grime and dirt are removed from the pores. After you have finished cleaning the base, you should wipe it over with a cloth to remove any remaining residue from the board.
3. Choose the Wax
There are various types of waxes available in the market, and some of them are specific to temperatures, such as cold wax and warm wax. They are designed for the temperature of the snow you will be riding in. If you don’t know which conditions you will be riding in, it is best to go with an all-temperature wax.
4. Melt the Wax
Even though you can purchase a specific snowboard waxing iron, you can also use a regular clothes iron for waxing your snowboard. However, you can’t use it on your clothes again. You should heat the iron to a medium temperature and hold the wax against the iron until it starts melting and the wax starts to drip down on the board.
Start moving the wax around the board as it is dripping, and cover the edges entirely before applying it to the middle. The aim is to use an even coating of wax all through the snowboard.
5. Iron the Base
After the wax has been applied to the snowboard evenly, you should place the iron on the snowboard base and move it in a circular motion all over. Cover the entire surface of the board and ensure you keep moving the iron so that the board’s base doesn’t get hot. You can permanently damage the base of the board by leaving the iron in one place.
6. Allow the Wax to Cool
Once you have applied the wax and ironed the board, you should let the wax cool down. Leave the board alone for about twenty to thirty minutes. That should be ample time for the wax to completely set on the snowboard.
7. Start Scraping
When the wax has completely cooled, you need to take your scraper and carefully start scraping at a 45- degree angle. Start from the nose and go all the way up the tail to scrape off any excess wax. Keep scraping in long and continuous strokes so that you get a smooth base at the end.
8. Structure the Base
Once you have scraped the excess wax, you need to take the structuring brush and start firmly brushing the snowboard base from the nose to the tail. That will expose the base structure and removes excess wax. It will help in ensuring that your snowboard runs faster and smoother.
Our Final Thoughts
As you can see from our step-by-step guide on how to wax a snowboard that it isn’t too complicated or difficult to wax your snowboard. You can save a considerable amount of money by learning to wax your snowboard yourself. All you need is the equipment and follow the steps we have highlighted in this article, and you can have a snowboard that runs smooth and fast on the slopes.
