Signs Your Snowboard Needs Wax: 5 ways to tell
Regularly waxing your snowboard not only improves your performance on the mountain, but also prolongs the life of your board. But how do you know if your snowboard needs wax or not?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the 5 most telltale signs that your snowboard is due for a wax, from visual cues you can spot before you even hit the mountain, to performance red flags you’ll feel the moment you drop in.
Visual Signs Your Snowboard Needs Wax
Look at the picture above. I haven’t waxed this snowboard in 3 years and it desperately needs some waxing. See how the color of the base is faded. Notice the white, chalky areas on the board (left picture). Also, there are streaks of white lines completely covering the base. These are sure signs of your snowboard needs wax.
Performance Signs Your Snowboard Needs Wax
An unwaxed base creates more drag and glides less efficiently over the snow. You’ll feel it in a few different ways.
The most obvious sign is losing speed faster than usual, especially on flat sections where your momentum just dies out, and end up with the unfortunate situation where you’ll have to unstrap and skate to make it through. And when you do skate, you’ll notice your legs working a lot harder than they should, pushing more often and not going very far with each push.
Another performance sign is, the ride feels inconsistent. Because an unwaxed base doesn’t interact with the snow evenly, different parts of the base create different amounts of drag, so the board might feel fine for a moment, then suddenly feel sticky as a drier patch makes contact with the snow.
Other Signs Your Snowboard Needs Wax
Another way to tell if your snowboard needs wax is to run your fingers across the base. A dry base will often feel rough, fuzzy, or uneven, while a properly waxed base feels smooth and slippery.
Lastly, if you haven’t waxed your board all season, that’s enough reason to wax it. According the Burton, you should wax your snowboard after every three riding days.
Wax Your Snowboard!
In summary, you’ll know your snowboard needs wax if:
1. You see white patches and lines on your base.
2. You are losing speed faster than usual.
3. You need to skate harder to cover the same distance.
4. Your snowboard base feels fuzzy to the touch.
5. You haven’t waxed your board for the entire season.
Waxing your snowboard improves glide and prolongs the life of your base, so if your board is showing any of the signs we covered, don’t put it off, go wax it! For a step-by-step walkthrough, check out this beginner’s guide on how to wax your snowboard.
I’d love to hear from you: Got questions? Spotted something unclear or want to share feedback? Please reach out to me in my contact page!
