# How often should I wax my board?



## Backcountry (Nov 27, 2012)

It's a Burton Hero 138 and I've rode it 5 times. I don't ride to "hard", because I'm still in the beginning stage. Should I get it waxed before the next time I go up next time?


----------



## crystal (Oct 29, 2012)

I wax my board before the season starts, I think once every 5 rides is a little much


----------



## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

There is a large thread about this issue, once every 5-6 days seems to be the consensus


----------



## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

The real answer to this question is based on two things.....

1) Is the base extruded or sintered?

2) Do you care if the board rides as fast as possible?

I believe your board has an extruded base. With that said, if you don't mind if the board doesn't ride super fast, you don't have to wax the board very often, if at all. 

When I was first learning, I had a board with a cheap extruded base and I waxed it once at the beginning of the season and never again. It rode just fine for what I needed. 

So honestly, in your case, every 5-6 times is probably more than you really NEED.


----------



## 2hellnbak (Sep 21, 2012)

I do it every few trips out or every time if I have the available time. Having a sticky board is NO FUN at all. Once a season won't cut it for sure. I wouldn't even personally push it to 6 days myself but I guess that depends on how many runs you get a day etc. as well.

You'll know when it needs it bad because the board will be a flat out pain in the ass to ride. From there, it's your preference


----------



## Slush Puppie (Aug 15, 2011)

ARSENALFAN said:


> About as often as your girlfriend does.


I was thinking the exact same thing 

Personally I've found my board is ready for more wax every 4 days on average. But the world absolutely would not end if left a few days longer.


----------



## onthefence (Dec 16, 2010)

Nobody can give you a definite answer here since it depends. A guy riding 8 hour days in garbage terrain may need waxing more frequently than every 5 days, whereas someone riding in powder a couple hours a day may be able to go more than 5 days in between waxes. I recommend getting familiar with what a base looks like when it's in need of a waxing.


----------



## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

onthefence said:


> I recommend getting familiar with what a base looks like when it's in need of a waxing.


Great advice!


----------



## blunted_nose (Apr 26, 2012)

I wax every time i go out. Feels so nice to be able to do something for the board that give's that much. And an excuse to spend money on beer and wax


----------



## onefutui2e (Jan 25, 2011)

if the color of your base is black, then it'll grey out as the wax is worn off. after that use your judgment to decide when to wax it; generally, you don't want it to turn white.

if it's not black, it becomes a smidge trickier, but you really just need to hold it at an angle to some light and see the color fading.


----------



## glm (Aug 12, 2011)

onefutui2e said:


> if the color of your base is black, then it'll grey out as the wax is worn off. after that use your judgment to decide when to wax it; generally, you don't want it to turn white.
> 
> if it's not black, it becomes a smidge trickier, but you really just need to hold it at an angle to some light and see the color fading.


On my board, at least, whenever the edges are showing signs of dryness it's pretty evident even though the base is green. It gets quite white compared to the other parts of the board. I ride in crap conditions so I normally have dry edges that need waxing by the end of every day.


----------



## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

I wax every 3-4 days on the hill since a slow board is a deal-breaker for me. Usually edge tune when I do a wax, just depends on how they look/feel at the time.


----------



## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

I can usually visually tell when it needs waxing 
plus our conditions here are very hard packed and icey, especially with this brutal, no snow winter. So they take a little more beating and the wax wears faster. 

As many have said general rule 5 tx's or so but still condition dependent I'd say


----------



## MikeCL (Oct 13, 2012)

You know I was doing some searching here and my board still has the factory wax which some say is fine and some say it's a crappy job, but say for a noob like me it should be ok and should I not worry about it?


----------



## Frozen (Apr 21, 2012)

I'm surpised no one has advocated never waxing their board yet. Heres a thread on it.

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/49883-what-if-i-dont-wax.html

Also if thats tldr then heres what seems to me a smart dude on the science of it.

Hergozone posted this.

During the winter that wasn’t I did quite a bit of reading on this subject, and there seems to be some confusion persistent here.

First let me state that sintered P-Tex, or UHMWPE, is a pretty awesome material for the purposes of snowboard bases. It has very low friction, doesn’t really absorb moisture, resists impacts, and is incredibly abrasion resistant (10 times more than carbon steel).

The idea that sintered bases are porous and absorb wax like a sponge is a myth (or at best a “poor” analogy). UHMWPE consists of crystalline lamellae and amorphous (disordered) regions. The crystalline lamellae are the ordered regions that give the P-Tex the whitish, dry appearance (sometimes incorrectly called “oxidation”). Wax simply binds to the surface, filling the amorphous regions and binding the lamellae. Wax does generally measurably increase the hydrophobicity of the surface, which improves glide on snow (as everyone with a freshly waxed board has no doubt experienced to some degree).

Interestingly, Leonid Kuzmin’s PhD thesis “Interfacial Kinetic Ski Friction” demonstrates that it is even possible to produce a lower friction surface on UHMWPE without any wax, through structuring alone. I know he has been widely criticized on the internet, but based on the critiques given I think few of those people actually bothered to read his thesis. I read it in its entirety. He simply demonstrates that it is possible to get optimal glide without wax, if the surface is correctly structured. This does not mean simply not waxing is faster. In fact, he clearly shows that an unwaxed stone ground base is slower than a waxed base (as everyone has experienced). His findings are really about showing that wax is not necessary if a different structuring technique is used in place of stone grinding. Unfortunately for us, I think his method only readily applies to edgeless cross-country skis, since it involves scraping the base with a steel scraper (also, personally, I have no desire to sacrifice base material in the name of performance).

For my own views on the original post, I’m with BA on waxing. That is, I don’t do it anymore. I didn’t wax all last season and noticed no detrimental effects, aside from a little less glide in the flats. I’ve haven't experienced any increase in unpredictability on snow or jibs. The only time I might even still consider waxing is during spring mashed-potato snow, but last season here on the ice coast we pretty much missed that altogether. I used to wax every few days on the snow, but I found it didn’t last long. My advice is, unless you’re a die-hard racer, give a try to going waxless. It won’t do any damage and you may save yourself a bit of money, hassle, and even reduce potential health/environmental risks from PFCs. On the latter point, if you do prefer to wax, consider a PFC-free wax if possible. 

EDIt: --> this is me not Hergozone: FWIW i've never waxed a board I own and they've always ridden fine. But to be fair, I've never waxed a board. So I could be missing out.


----------



## Slush Puppie (Aug 15, 2011)

I personally love the feeling of a freshly waxed board, especially on the flats.

In the same way, I like to deburr my edges at the end of each day. 

But I've no doubt you could get away without doing it if you don't care about that and always carry extra speed over flats.

I've seen plenty of people do no maintenance and they seem perfectly happy. Each to their own


----------

