When Should You Wax and Tune Your Skis or Snowboard?
As you know skiing and snowboarding is our LIFE here at Mammoth Bound so we know that finding the right gear and traveling to the mountains when the conditions are right is a serious investment of time and money.
If you put that much effort into getting on the snow, then the last thing you want is for your gear to let you down as soon as you do. That’s why the Mammoth Bound team has put together a guide to how often you should wax and tune your skis or snowboard below.
Check it out ahead of your trip to Mammoth Mountain, and then use Mammoth Bound to book your Mammoth Lakes rentals and lodging!
The General Rule
One easy number to remember for how often you should have your skis or snowboard serviced is roughly once for every 20 days you ride them.
That being said, there is much more to know about when to tune and wax your gear, so we’ve listed the details below.
After Riding Icy Snow or in the Park
We would all ride powder and fresh corduroy non-stop if we could, but the reality is that sometimes you have to ride icy slopes. Icy and hardpack snow will wear down your base and edges faster than soft snow, so if you find yourself riding it often then you’ll need to get your gear serviced sooner than you would with regular snow. Similarly, if you know you’re going to be riding icy terrain then you may want to get your gear tuned beforehand to make sure you get a consistent performance out of it.
The rails and boxes in terrain parks will also wear down your base and edges faster than regular snow, so if you ride the park then you’ll need to also get your gear serviced often.
When There is Damage to Your Base or Board
No matter how you ride, there’s always a chance that you’re going to hit an obstacle that does significant damage to your base or edge.
If you see that there is a large scrape on your base that goes past the wax or a chunk of your edge missing, then consider taking your gear into a shop for a tune-up so you can keep the damage from spreading further.
When Your Base is Dry
One of the easiest ways to tell that your skis or snowboard needs to be waxed is by looking for areas where the wax has dried out and is white or flaking off.
Once the wax on your base has dried, it won’t slide smoothly over the snow. Although this can lead to you simply sliding slower, if the wax has dried unevenly then different parts of your gear will slide on the snow at different speeds creating a jerky ride instead of a smooth one.
When Your Edges are Dull
The edges of your board or skis are what cut into the snow and allow you to stop and turn. Of course, if your edges are dull then you’ll have a much harder time doing so.
You can quickly check your edges by simply running your finger along them to make sure that they’re even and still sharp. If you see rust on your edges then you should take your gear into a ski shop where it can be treated.
End of Season Tune Up
Lastly, you should consider taking your skis or snowboard in for a tune-up at the end of the season to protect your gear in storage as well as making sure that it’s ready to ride as soon as the snow starts falling next season!