Why does a snowboard need wax

Type of Base — There are two main snowboard base types: sintered and extruding. Sintered bases are made of a material that will naturally absorb more wax because they have tiny holes that soak it up. This means that sintered bases will need to be waxed more often than extruding ones. Your Need for Speed — A freshly waxed board is always going to be faster than a board that has even a few days of use on its wax job. The easiest way to tell if your board needs wax is by feel.

Luckily, there are a few other ways to see if you need new wax. You can also run your fingers across the base of your board when it is dry. That will then help you in the future. By taking into account the factors mentioned above, you can get a general idea of how often you should wax-up based on your riding habits and the conditions you most often find yourself in. Your email address will not be published.

Skip to content. By waxing your board regularly once per week , you will ensure your board rides fast! In doing so, waxing your board reduces your chances of having to one foot along flat spots Because let's face it, no snowboarder enjoys getting caught on the flats and having to one foot.

Waxing your board will increase the longevity of your snowboard. Waxing hydrates the base and stops the pores of the P-tex base drying up. If you wax your board regularly, your board will stay as fast and fresh as a daisy. Press the wax on your heated iron above your snowboard.

The wax will liquify and pour off of the iron and on to your board. Draw a line with the liquid droplets on your board near the edge closest to you.

Make sure you run the wax the entirety of the boards length. You want a hot iron that melts the wax quickly, but not too hot that the wax begins to smoke when in contact with the iron. As soon as you get to the end of your snowboard with the drip line.

Press your iron onto your snowboard and start going back and forth along the drip line. You can push the wax in as hard as you like, just make sure to spread it. The harder you push the wax into your snowboard base, the more the wax will seep into each P-tex pore. The trick is to get the board nice and warm. Feel the underneath of the board to ensure the iron is not too hot and the board does not overheat. If the top sheet feels warm but not hot and the wax is nicely spread out, move onto the other side of your board.

Do another drip line making sure its 1cm in width along the other edge of your snowboard and repeat the same motions as before. Push the iron and wax into your base with smooth back and forth strokes. Leaving the board in one place is how you can end up damaging your base permanently. Let the wax cool. Leave the wax on the board for approx minutes, until it has cooled down and set. Get scraping.

Once the wax has cooled, hold your plastic scraper at a 45 degree angle and carefully work from nose to tail, scraping off any excess wax. Long, continuous strokes are key for a smooth base. Check your edges. Any wax left on your rails will render your edges pretty ineffective, so make sure to use the notch at the end of your scraper to remove any stray wax.

Structure the base. Finally, use a structuring brush to firmly brush the base from nose to tail. This removes any excess wax and exposes the structure of the base, which ultimately allows your board to run smoother and faster.