# Should I wax my new board?



## Leo

If you are waxing it yourself, then go ahead. Nothing beats an intimate, private wax session with your new board... ooohhh yea baby... Oh sorry... *ahem*

If you are planning to shop wax it, then by all means just shred it out first. There is nothing wrong with riding factory wax for at least the first session.


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## HornyPossum

When I started snowboarding I didn't wax my board and nothing seemed wrong with it. I really didn't notice a difference, but I did screw up and not wax it the whole season I started. I don't know if this is your first time snowboarding or not, so I will say that when I watched how to wax videos when I didn't know how, they said to wax either after 1-2 rides, or 2-3, I think it mattered between the type of wax. I would imagine the board would come nice from the factory, but I really don't know.


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## KIRKRIDER

Agree.. the first time is sacred..




Leo said:


> If you are waxing it yourself, then go ahead. Nothing beats an intimate, private wax session with your new board... ooohhh yea baby... Oh sorry... *ahem*
> 
> If you are planning to shop wax it, then by all means just shred it out first. There is nothing wrong with riding factory wax for at least the first session.


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## Digger

Yeah I'll be waxing it my self what's the best way to take off the factory wax.


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## DC5R

No need to take off the factory wax. Just wax over it.


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## Digger

I tried that with my girls board last year and it didn't stick to good. So what's the best way to take it off


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## jpb3

If you really feel you need to just give it a hot scrape, but make sure you drip fresh on it before you apply iron to factory wax!


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## drunkinmonk

I love waxing my board. Zen like state makes you more connected to your board.


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## KIRKRIDER

Love checking the weather on the Ipod and pick the wax...while sipping SIerra Nevada in My garage...and enjoying a well deserved bud...no, not the crappy beer.




drunkinmonk said:


> I love waxing my board. Zen like state makes you more connected to your board.


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## legallyillegal

drunkinmonk said:


> I love waxing my board. Zen like state makes you more connected to your board.


that's not Zen, those are the hydrocarbons giving you cancer


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## DC5R

Digger said:


> I tried that with my girls board last year and it didn't stick to good. So what's the best way to take it off


What do you mean it didn't stick too good?


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## Lstarrasl

Why would you put wax on a board with factory wax on it? Ride it a few times then wax it.


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## Digger

I was told factory wax was real shitty. And what I ment was the wax just didn't stay on the board after one run it was like stripped it's hard to explain. So how do I take off the factory wax?


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## Cr0_Reps_Smit

i never had to take off a factory wax before waxing my board but like someone else said already hot waxing is your best bet. wax your board like you would normally but dont letit cool and scrape it while it still hot. sometimes its easier to do it in sections like nose, middle, tail so that you can get it all while its still hot enough. but i really think thats a pointless step with a brand new board.


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## Qball

Digger said:


> I was told factory wax was real shitty. And what I ment was the wax just didn't stay on the board after one run it was like stripped it's hard to explain. So how do I take off the factory wax?


Factory wax is usually half ass at best. I always wax new boards, especially if I get one in the off season. I wax then just leave the wax on (not scrape it off) until I'm ready to ride.

There is no need to take the factory wax off. Just wax then scrape all the wax off. If you think it needs more wax there's no harm in waxing again.


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## SPAZ

HornyPossum said:


> When I started snowboarding I didn't wax my board and nothing seemed wrong with it. I really didn't notice a difference, but I did screw up and not wax it the whole season I started. I don't know if this is your first time snowboarding or not, so I will say that when I watched how to wax videos when I didn't know how, they said to wax either after 1-2 rides, or 2-3, I think it mattered between the type of wax. I would imagine the board would come nice from the factory, but I really don't know.


i rode a whole season on factory wax (8-9 times before i broke my arm and was out). but every day i rode i would use the cold wax stuff to keep it pristine


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## idshred

Digger said:


> I was told factory wax was real shitty. And what I ment was the wax just didn't stay on the board after one run it was like stripped it's hard to explain. So how do I take off the factory wax?


you should prob. learn how to wax properly. was the base extruded? if so, wax is never going to last as long vs. a sintered base. IMO you will not get all the factory wax off... its a very thin layer to begin with and as mentioned before hot scraping it with wax over top might get some off but you could also fuck up the structure of the base if you are scraping with something hard enough to get most off.. i.e. a metal scraper.


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## Wiredsport

Digger said:


> I was told factory wax was real shitty. And what I ment was the wax just didn't stay on the board after one run it was like stripped it's hard to explain. So how do I take off the factory wax?


You have some bad info there. Good manufacturers use very high quality wax and apply it incredibly well. Also, there is likely no (or very little) excess wax that you could remove even if you wanted to. Wax fills the micro-pores in your board's base and will remain there until it wears off with riding. Please read the following if you have time:

The Boarder's Blog - Prepping your new stick

Finally! The season is almost here, and your brand new board is sitting by idly, not-so-patiently waiting for the resorts to get a little more of that sacred white stuff, and open up at least a few early season runs. But...Is your board ready? Sure, it looks nice, and it has all of the latest and greatest technology, but what's the real story? Do factories send out their boards ready to ride or do they still need a little luv'n before they are really prepped for the hill?

The answer will depend on the type of riding you intend to do, your ability level, and the type of snow you will be riding on. These days, all high quality board factories own some of the best finishing machinery that the snowsports industry has ever seen. That is to say that your board's base will come perfectly ground, flat, true, and with an exceptional all purpose base and finish wax job. Additionally, the edges will be sharpened to perfection, and pre beveled to the specs of the designers (we will go over edge bevel in detail in a future post, but the short story is that bevel refers to the angle of the edge in relation to the flat base). So, in short, your board will never be more perfectly tuned than when it arrives. 

Sounds pretty great, right? Well in many cases, it is great, and nothing more needs to be done. BUT...don't stop reading quite yet, cuz that may not be the whole story for you. 

Snowboard factories do not know the conditions that you will be riding in when they manufacture their boards. The same model may sell to a lucky rider who is getting Valdez face-shot powder days and to a Big Bear rider who may be dealing with warm weather slush and crud. Why is this important? The wax they put on your board will be all temperature wax. "All Temperature" is actually a bad name for it, because what it really means is middle temperature. This wax has no greater temperature range than warm or cold wax, it is simply more neutral. Soooo, if you are going to be riding in very warm or very cold weather, you will benefit from getting a temperature specific wax job.

Additionally, not all riders are going to want perfectly sharpened edges all the way 'round their new board. Along with the comments we made above on beveling, some riders will find that the ultra sharp edges that come on their new board are just too much. Who does this apply to, and why? Edges are there to help us carve on snow. This is especially important when the snow is hardpack or worse even, snow's ugly cousin, ice. In those instances, sharp edges help us bite into the slippery-slick-stuff and maintain control. But, sharp edges can tend to grab unexpectedly (especially for newer riders) and can be the source of some frustration. Furthermore, some freestylers who are focused on riding rails, trees, boxes etc. choose to "detune" their rails on a portion of (or all of) their board. This very specific type of riding can make for some spectacular wipeouts when, for instance, a heelside rail, catches on a kinked railing and sends the unsuspecting rider for the slam of his life. For this reason, some riders will take a file to their edges and round them off. This will help with one very specific problem, but it should be noted that it will hurt in all other areas of performance and most importantly, it cannot be reversed.

So what is the bottom line suggestion? Go ride! Unless you have a specific reason to do something special to your new board, don't do a thing. Get the bindings mounted up and adjusted for your boots...and hit the snow! 

Happy Riding!


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## Digger

Hey thanks go the info. To start the season I will be just riding no park or anything like that just gonna chill. So I will do as u said and just put my bindings on and wait for the snow (or the man made Midwest stuff.) thanks for the tips


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## vote4pedro

Factory wax is usually about as good as the board. Better boards come with better wax jobs. but there's no harm in putting a fresh coat on a new board.


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## AWNOW

Meh, factory wax sucks serious shit regardless of what the snowboarding manufacturer wants you to think. I generally get my new sticks hand waxed, but I am a bit of a slut when it comes to a smooth wax job.


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## Digger

so what brand of wax do people use?


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## Lstarrasl

one ball jay


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## legallyillegal

vote4pedro said:


> Factory wax is usually about as good as the board. Better boards come with better wax jobs. but there's no harm in putting a fresh coat on a new board.


anything other than a backyard shop is going to be using the same type of wintersteiger/etc machine that a place like sports authority uses


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## Mr. Polonia

you CAAANNNN wax it but you dont HAAAAVEE to. factory wax will last u for maybe 2 or 3 trips. you gotta remember that factory wax is mediocre compared to the high end stuff u can purchase. if u buy a high end board like a custom x or t6/7 etc then that wax might last u for an entire season depending on how u ride and what the snow conditions are. 

u can always wax over factory wax...u probably didnt melt it good enough into the factory wax the first time thats why it didnt "stick"....OR you probably didnt scrape it enough and so when ur girl went riding, the base looked as if it were peeling.

if u do need to scrape the new stuff off, then just use warm temp wax and as soon as u take the iron off the last section, scrape immediately (hot scraping)


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## DC5R

Mr. Polonia said:


> u can always wax over factory wax...u probably didnt melt it good enough into the factory wax the first time thats why it didnt "stick"....OR you probably didnt scrape it enough and so when ur girl went riding, the base looked as if it were peeling.


Some great advice here.


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## xxfinnellxx

Digger said:


> Hey guys im just wondering if i should wax my new board or if i should just keep the factory wax on it. Any opinions would be helpful. thanks


if you are a novice rider who side slips down black diamond runs and only runs up to the mountains less than 10 times a year...then don't even bother waxing it. that crappy factory wax will do you good. I doubt that you will demand a lot out of your board, including your base. If you are a novice, then I mean no offence. Every body has been there before...except Torstein Horgmo. 

If you are able to demand some performance out of your board, then I highly recommend waxing it. Because if your base runs dry because of the weak factory wax, then your base will start to dissolve because the snow will act like sand paper against your base. And it wont be much fun to ride at all.


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## Triple8Sol

I firmly believe you need to wax a new board before it ever touches snow. Admittedly, I take above average care of my gear though.


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## m_jel

if its this year's board, don't bother, if it's last year's model, give it a fresh wax. 



legallyillegal said:


> anything other than a backyard shop is going to be using the same type of wintersteiger/etc machine that a place like sports authority uses


unless you get your board from Prior and pay for a pro wax. Then, they hand wax it and bake your board so it absorbs even more wax


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## Method

Leo said:


> If you are waxing it yourself, then go ahead. Nothing beats an intimate, private wax session with your new board... ooohhh yea baby... Oh sorry... *ahem*
> 
> If you are planning to shop wax it, then by all means just shred it out first. There is nothing wrong with riding factory wax for at least the first session.



I know what you're saying man, that first time with that new board. I like to set the mood, dim the lights, put on some shred music, light some candles and while I'm lathering it up I like to imagine myself on it. Pressing it down the slopes, buttering it oh so beautifully throwing out some boned grabs, It's like foreplay.


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