Posted 15 December 2024

How to wax a snowboard

Why do I need to wax my snowboard?

The short answer is: it makes your board faster!

Wax is naturally hydrophobic and will reduce friction between a snowboard and snow. Less friction means you can travel longer with the same initial velocity. - Basically it helps you get over flats.

If you find yourself constantly getting stuck whilst other boarders are inexplicably gliding past you, chances are your board needs waxing!

What do I need?

1. An iron
2. A block of wax
3. A scraper
4. Bristle brush
5. Bottle of citrus wax solvent & cleaner

For obvious reasons, do not use your household iron - you wont be able to iron clothes with it after!

Any snowboard wax will do, Butta is what we used & has a nice vanilla smell.

For the scraper, you can use a plastic car deicer or a square of acrylic, do not use anything metal or wooden (it needs to only scratch wax not plastic)

You'll need a clean brush with firm bristles.

Wax solvent is particularly necessary if you need to clean the old wax off. Get this online or any winter sports shop.

A waxing kit can be purchased that includes all the above (minus the iron) for around £20.

My Snowboard is brand new should I wax it?

Generally no, most snowboard come pre-waxed and ready to be used. This first coating is often harder wearing than normal wax, if your a casual snowboarder going on a couple of trips you shouldn't need to wax in the first year of ownership.

Should I just buy the 'never wax' coating when buying the board

Whilst I've never personality tested these for longevity, I personally don't see how any product is going to protect you against scratches.

How often should I wax my board?

Always at the start of each season, then it purely depends on your usage and the cleanliness of the snow you take it on. Once you have the equipment the whole process only takes 10 minutes so there's no reason not to top up every now and then.

What are the steps?

Preparation

Wax is awful to remove, do not even attempt this in carpeted areas, preferably do it outside. Setup an ironing board completely covered in newspaper and cover the surrounding floor in newspaper as well if your indoors.

Step 1 - Clean

Spray the citrus cleaner all over the base and rub clean using a new sheet of kitchen towel. Repeat until there is no dirt / discoloration on the kitchen towel. This normally takes about 3 passes.

Step 2 - Melt

Set the the iron to medium heat, hold the iron upside down so the tip faces the board, slowly melt some wax and drizzle the dots around the board until roughly 20% of the surface area is covered in wax dots (see picture). Ensure you fill any deep gouges with extra wax.

Don't go crazy with the wax as you'll just have to scrape it off again in the next step!

Step 3 - Iron

Important: Do not get the board too hot, or risk permanently damaging it.

Iron and spread the wax to cover the entire surface. Take your time and allow for multiple passes, you'll know when your done when the iron can glide smoothly across the entire board. Take extra care to avoid getting wax onto your edges.

Step 4 - Scrape

Turn off the iron and grab your scraper, hold it around 45 degrees and without applying too much pressure gently scrape the excess wax off. You'll want a rubbish bag to scrape the waste into. Scrape until smooth and very little wax is coming off - the surface should still feel tacky, don't over-scrape.

Step 5 - Brush

Use the brush to create microscopic groves in the direction of travel (nose to tip). Don't over-brush, just clearing the flakes off should put you in the right spot. The idea here is to reduce the surface area going forwards and increase the area when slide slipping.

Step 6 - Polish

Optional: As I usually wax in the UK, I prefer to further polish my board at this stage as it leaves the board less tacky to the touch and helps maintain my snowboard bag.

If your heading straight out onto the snow - please skip this step its a waste if time - the snow will do a much better job!

Using a bit of paper kitchen towel gently rub from nose to tail until the desired smoothness and tacky level is achieved, avoid swirling as you'll undo step 5 (you can always re-brush if you mess up).

Cleanup

Use the Citrus solvent and hot water to clean your scraper and brush, fold the newspaper in to itself to trap any wax flakes. Brush the surrounding area (avoid hovering at the wax may melt inside it).

As for the edge blades - carefully use a corner of a kitchen scourer to remove any wax off your edges. Immediately dab a kitchen towel in cooking oil and re-coat the edge to prevent rust.

Note: You should oil your edges every time you store your board or you will have some rust spots appear in just a few hours, whilst it's initially cosmetic, over time these can develop into a serious problem.

I have deep gouges will wax fix them?

Up-to a point... however when filling bigger gouges; you'll quickly find as the wax cools it contracts and the gouge reappears. Instead, use a specialist base filler which is much harder wearing and better suited. You can take it to a ski shop to have your base properly ground and resurfaced.

How much does it cost to have my board waxed on resort?

As of 2024, the average price in france is around €30, with edge sharpening costing an additional sum. Still, its often cheaper to get this done in-resort than at a UK shop (£55 at Chillfactoré manchester).