Snowboard Maintenance

Hi folks.  I just purchased my first snowboard.  What type of maintenance is required?  Do I have to wax it or treat it in any way before I take it out for the first time?  What's the purpose and process of waxing a snowboard?  After a ride, can I just let the board air dry or do I need to do something to prolong the life of the board?  Thanks for your help.

yeah i like to dry it with a towel also..

but afterwards i still air dry it. usually by just standing the board against the wall.

another thing.. not about the board tho..

ALWAYS dry out your gear!! boots and gloves

my friend doesnt dry them out and they STINK

yeah, just keep em dry with everything, when I go out I rubber-band my boots and gloves to a hair dryer ( a trick I learned from my dad) and anyway, I have 4 hair dryers here, lots of women-relatives

waxing depends on the base.  extruded bases dont need to be waxed, as they dont really hold wax.  sintered bases need to be hotwaxed regularly, or theyll get really slow.

bring the board inside when youre not using it (its okay to leave it outside if you go into the lodge or something), like when you get home.  dont leave it in your car or garage (unless the garage is heated).

you can tune the edges once in a while, but unless you ride on dirt a lot (that was a joke....), you shouldnt have to worry about it for quite a while.

as far as base maintenance goes, it depends on the base just like waxing.  extruded bases are much softer and can be repaired by melting, scraping, and then buffing with p-tex.  sintered bases are much more dense/harder and theyre more complicated to repair.

exactly what everyone else is saying, make sure your board is dry when your done. Also in the spring if your base gets really dirty make sure you get that dirt off when you get home. i try and hot wax every time i go but you really dont have to, you can tell when your base is dry. It will look very dry and you wont go down the mountain well. Good luck this season, happy shreddin

how often should you wax a TNT base?

ok thanks

With that said it reminded me... and I'm sure most people know this but if you carry your board on the top of your car make sure its in a board bag or at the least covered with something. All the dirt, salt and everything else that flies up is not good for your board at all. Especially if you live where they use road salt in the winter... like here. blah

Wax nourishes the base of the board, helps protect it and ensures you glide well. Hot wax needs to get into the pores of the base, so you need to iron in the wax after a good clean then allow to completely cool, then scrap off using a plastic scraper, then use a structure brush or brillo pad to take out as much of the remaining excess wax as possible.

Anything more serious like gouges or holes in the base going right down to the core will need a workshop fix. Else you can apply a temporary fix with a repair candle.

If you've had a hard day on the edges, it's worth checking them while you wipe down, as it can affect your riding if they are not smooth or straight.

Is there any benefit to washing a snowboard? Or is wiping it down with a towel sufficient? 

Get a stone and file down all the grooves from rocks, ice, etc. on the side walls and metal edges. if you run your hand over it you'll feel the imperfections.

Scratch you nails on the base and see if any marks show up through the wax. If not, it is probably dry.

Thanks for advice JPhillips I will try as soon as I can

Originally posted by Wizard1990 Originally posted by hana24 How do you know when a board is dry? What should it look like or feel like when it's dry? You can also see white streaks on your base, more prominent around the edges.

This is also happening to my board. So it matches those 2 criteria...gotta get it waxed before I go up to Tahoe.

Wax it after 4 or 5 rides everytime that will help the life and def keep it somewhere where it will not get damaged. Also put it on its side when you travel with it helps keep the wax