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Hot-waxing your snowboard is the easiest way to improve your riding. A freshly waxed and tuned board will outjump, outrun, and out-maneuver a slow and sticky board. Wax on the base of a board acts like a micro-thin layer of protection, helping your base block small particles of dirt and snow.

Fresh, high-quality wax will make your board feel alive and snappy from edge to edge, as well as smooth when you are carving down the mountain. Don't get hot wax confused with rub-on paste and gel waxes. A "hot wax" is just that. An iron is used to melt drops of wax on the base, and it's then very slowly smoothed out to a thin layer, allowing for a bond with the base material. After the wax is cool, excess is scraped off with a sharp plastic scraper, leaving the protective layer. Make sure when you wax that the iron isn't so hot that it's smoking. Breathing the wax fumes from the the iron is harmful. If possible, wax outside, and keep your face away from the iron. When waxing with fluorinated waxes, always use an industrial-strength respirator mask with filtering cartridges. Other waxing necessities include a base cleaner, a structure pad or brush, a file, and a deburring stone. When your base looks dry, paste and gel waxes are great quick-fix products to use as an alternative to hot waxing. Most of them contain a wax product blended with a solvent for easy application. Although paste and gel waxes are convenient solutions, they can't compare to the benefits of hot-waxing. When your base looks extra dry, the easiest way to get it looking good again is to wax and scrape it a couple of times when the wax is still warm and soft. This is called a "hot scrape."

You'll never know which wax to use until you've checked out the conditions. The temperature as well as the amount of water in the snow will affect what type of wax will work best.

Different waxes are made for different temperatures and snow conditions-choose one appropriate for the local scene. Talk to someone at a snowboard shop in the area to find out which variety is the call. If you're unsure of the conditions, use a good universal wax with the broadest temperature/humidity range. When in doubt use a wax that is meant for slightly colder conditions. Cooler temperature waxes are usually harder waxes. Harder waxes last longer (especially along the edges where pressure is most concentrated) and tend to be more forgiving in varied conditions.

Straight paraffin wax and blended paraffin wax are both sold as snowboard waxes. The straight paraffin waxes are the most inexpensive. Good blended paraffin waxes quicken your ride. Blended waxes are sold in a wide range of temperatures, and are available with additives to increase performance and reduce friction.

The most misunderstood additive is fluorocarbon. Many companies sell a low-cost wax that they claim is fluorinated. Most likely, if it costs around five dollars, it is fluorinated with PTFE Teflon, made by the Dupont company. PTFE wax works best in warm conditions. A good fluorinated wax that contains an actual fluorocarbon specifically formulated for snowboards is a whole different program. A wax like this is available in a wide range of temperatures as well as in a fluorocarbon concentrate. A highly fluorinated 40-50 gram bar of wax will cost close to 25 dollars, while a low fluoro bar of wax will sell for around nine dollars.

Graphite is another additive, that when used under the right conditions, is very fast and durable. The reason graphite works so well is that it has a sheeting property. If you were to look at graphite coating through a microscope, you'd see tiny plates of graphite sliding on one another. Graphite also neutralizes static (static electricity attracts dirt and moisture that cause drag) created by friction between the base plastic and snow as the board slides. The only real drawback to graphite is that it makes your board look ugly, but that goes away after a day or two of riding. If you want to go fast and get the most out of your expensive lift ticket, wax and tune your board as much as you can. The little time and money spent are worth it.

After choosing the right wax for the local conditions its time to get down to the waxing

Get Prepped

• Start with a clean base. Rubbing alcohol works well for removing dust or light dirt. A sticky layer of black goo left over from impure spring snow may require a more aggressive approach, but stay away from toxic degreasers like acetone or gasoline. Citrus solvents, available at hardware stores, work well for the rougher jobs.
• Before firing up the iron, make sure the board is at room temperature. If it's been outside in sub-zero cold, sudden heat can cause internal delamination.
• While setting the iron's temperature, start low and work warmer in small increments. The temperature's right when the wax melts easily without smoking.

Wax On

• Drip wax liberally along the entire base of the board. It's not an exact science, but drips three-quarters-of-an-inch apart is a good general rule (enough to achieve a wet layer for the iron to glide over without hitting any dry spots). Go a little heavier along the edges, where the friction is the greatest while riding (If you have it on hand, drip a harder wax along the inch of base running along the edges-this fights rapid wax erosion in these high-pressure areas).
• Then start pushing the iron evenly around the base, trying for consistent coverage. As the molten wax is absorbed into the base (sintered types only), be cautious of overheating the board. Hold your non-ironing hand lightly against the underside of the board (the topsheet). It should become only slightly warm, but not hot.
• Never allow the iron to sit motionless on the base. The plastic will start bubbling within ten seconds or so and you'll be really bummed.
• Wax the whole board! Too many wax jobs that end just past the running surface. Wax all the way from nose to the tail. At one time or another the whole running surface of your board will touch the snow.

Wax Off

• Once you're done waxing and the board has cooled back down to room temperature (core and all), scrape off the excess wax with a plastic scraper. The wax that's been absorbed by the porous P-tex base is what translates into a faster, more responsive board, so get rid of as much superfluous wax as you can. As the saying goes, "Thin wins, thick sticks."
• Angled in the direction it's traveling, move the scraper down the entire base, applying smooth and even pressure all the way from nose to tail.
• Don't neglect to scrape the side edges and sidewalls. It all adds up to reduced drag.
• Don't wait to scrape 'til you find the picnic table next to the lift-cold wax is much harder to remove. The Brush-Off
• A post-scrape pad and brush job is as crucial as choosing the right wax. Smooth out any lumpy spots with the Fiber-tex (Scotchbrite pad), then go to work with the wax (or "structure") brush. Brushing blends the wax, making it as uniform as possible.