Posted 15 December 2024

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. It also helps fill in the small grooves in the base left by stones, which is the primary cause of added friction.

If you find yourself constantly getting stuck on flats and other boarders are gliding past you, chances are it's not you, its your base!

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

Do not use your household Iron, you wont be able to iron clothes with it after! instead buy the cheapest Iron you can.

Any snowboard wax will do, Butta is what we used.

For the scraper you can use a car deicer or a square of acrylic, do not use anything metal or splintery.

Any brush will do with firm bristles.

Wax solvent is particularly necessary you will need this to dissolve the existing wax and clean it so new wax can be applied. Get this online or any winter sports shop.

You can also get a waxing Kit that has everything on eBay, amazon etc.

My Snowboard is brand new should I wax it?

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

How often should I wax my board?

At the start of each season, or when you start to feel particularly slow on flats. Once you have the equipment the whole process only takes 10 minutes so no reason not to top up every now and then.

Lets get started

Preparation

Setup an Ironing Board covered in newspaper and cover the surrounding floor in newspaper as well, wax is not fun to clean up!

Step 1 - Clean

Spray the citrus cleaner all over the base and rub clean using kitchen towel. Repeat until there is no dirt released onto your 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've filled 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

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 board.

Important: Do not get the board too hot, as you will damage it.

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 bin bag handy 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), it'll also wipe away any leftover wax flakes from scraping. Don't over-brush, just clearing the flakes off should put you in the right spot. The idea here is that less surface area in contact with the snow the less friction, so adding these tiny groves helps.

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 keep my snowboard bag cleaner.

If your heading straight out onto the snow - please skip this step; 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 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. Hoover the surrounding area. As for the board use a kitchen scourer to remove any wax off your edges. Dab a kitchen towel in cooking oil and re-coat the edge to prevent rust. (You should oil your edges every time you store your board)

I have deep gouges will wax fix them?

Up-to a point... but filling any bigger gouge you'll find as the wax cools it contracts and the gouge reappears. Instead, use specialist base filler which is much more suited for fixing this, or you can take it to a shop to have it properly 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).