New Board

Posted: 21 February 2012 03:56 PM

I’ve been in the rental market for a while.  I just bought my first board and will be using it this weekend.  I don’t think I’ll get a chance to have it waxed before going though.  How critical is this?  Should I rent and just wait until next season to use it?

Posted: 21 February 2012 05:24 PM

Is your board brand new? If so, then it’s got a factory wax and should be good for a couple of days.
If your board has been used previously and not waxed, then it might be an idea to get it done. Most resorts have places that will do that overnight for you - you drop it off in the afternoon when you’re done and pick it up the next morning. it’s usually not expensive. Some places will do it while you wait if they’re not busy.

For the future, its totally down to you how often you get a wax done. Some people like to do it every couple of days, but I know some people who’ve owned a board for years and have done it twice. Wax helps preserve the base and gives you speed on the snow - if you start going slower than everyone else and find yourself getting stuck on flats that you previously had no issues with, then it’s definitely time to get it done.

Posted: 21 February 2012 05:30 PM

It is brand new.  I was thinking I’d wax it once a season at the beginning (just because I don’t know any better).  I only get to go a handful of times each year (probably 10 or so).  Does that sound often enough or should I do it more/less?  I’m only lower intermediate level so I’m not sure I’ll feel the difference.

And thanks for the info.

Posted: 21 February 2012 05:49 PM

You’ll start to feel the difference if you ride the board consistently for a longer period of time - i.e if you’re away for a week or more, you’ll notice a difference between the start and the end of your holiday.
There are a few things to look out for which will tell you your board needs a wax:
The base might start to look ‘dry’ - the colour starts to look washed out at the edges of the base, or the whole thing looks a lighter colour than when you started.
Speed - as already mentioned, if you get across a flat easily in the first couple of days, but struggle to keep your speed at a later point then you need a fresh wax.
‘Sticky’ base - if you’re lucky enough to ride powder, and your board feels like it’s a bit sticky in the snow, or when you pick it up the fresh snow sticks to the base, then you need a wax.

Totally appreciate you’re only away for a couple of days, so this time i doubt you’ll need to worry about it. It’s absolutely down to whether you want to or not, but I’d personally try to get my board done every 5-6 full day’s riding.

Posted: 22 February 2012 06:21 AM

snowkat is right, if it is a new board than yes it does have the factory wax on it, as for how often you wax, depending on your riding schedual, once a season probably isnt gonna cut it i wax mine probably every 7-10 days of boarding