Waxing Your Snowboard

Waxing your snowboard is a lot like waxing a set of skis. So what we're actually saying here is if you've waxed skis before, why are you reading this! Replicate a similar process and you'll save yourself some money, as well as make life faster on the pistes!

How Do I Know if I Need to Wax?

Okay are you sticking the board down the hill and trying to go as fast as possible and grandma still overtakes you on the inside? Ever looked at the base (the bottom) of your snowboard and seen some white blemishes or spots? If either of the above apply, then you probably need to get it waxed!

Another way of looking at it is in an ideal world if boarding is your life and you do nothing else, every 3rd or 4th day out, you re-wax your board! For us mere mortals, if you go away for a weeks boarding, then get your board rewaxed before you hit the slopes again!

How Long Does it Take?

It varies on how proficient you are and how careful you want to do it. But whether it's a rocker, camber or flat base, we'd say it's about an hour from start to finish which would include drying time.

You can do it easily from home with the right equipment and seriously, you won't believe the difference it makes on the slopes.

However, if you consider waxing your snowboard as dropping it off at the ski shop and paying for the service, then you may want to read the following set of instructions that can get your on your way to waxing your own snowboard.

To start with you need to choose an area to begin waxing your snowboard in, and since wax is prone to dripping you will want to choose a location where you are not worried about damaging the flooring.  For instance, you may decide waxing your snowboard is best kept to the garage or shed, but even in these locations you will still want to place some newspaper down over the floor to protect it.

Once you decide to figure out where this location is you will want to set your snowboard up on two sawhorses, or something similar like two old chairs, then place the bindings face-down towards the ground.

After you are all set up, the next step is to heat up your iron and begin to melt the wax block.  To do this you should turn your iron up to medium temperature and place the wax block right up against the iron so that it begins to melt.  Your aim however is to melt the wax without burning it, so be patient and keep the iron on medium, and if the wax begins to smoke you need to turn it down so that it does not burn.  Depending on your iron you may even have to keep the heat setting on low.

Next, you need to drip wax along the snowboard bottom by dropping two small drips about every inch and allow it to cool down until it is cool to the touch.  After it has cooled place the iron on the bottom of the snowboard and melt away each drop of wax so that only a thin glaze of wax is left coating the entire base of the snowboard.  From here you can let the wax dry again and use a scraper to take the excess wax off the snowboard.  Brush the snowboard down and you are all ready to go.

By Will Smith