How to Wax Skis or a Snowboard using Whacks Wax

Waxing Preparation and Supplies

Waxing your skis or snowboard shouldn't be seen as optional or a once-a-season chore.  Waxing is crucial to the health of your supplies.  Yes, waxing makes you go fast, but it also keeps your base healthy and prevents it from drying out. 

Most full-service shops offer waxing services, but waxing your own skis or snowboard is a simple, money-saving process.  Instead of paying $10 every time your shop slaps some inferior wax on your skis, you could spend $10 and get a blob of Whacks Wax that'll last you 6-10 waxes.

So if you want to wax your own gear, here's the bare minimum stuff that you'll need: 

• an iron
• a bar of Whacks Wax
  
• a scraper
• a flat table

Now once you get the hang of things, here are the items that will maximize your tuning:

• a waxing iron (it has more consistant temperature settings)
• Whacks Wax
• a scraper (try to buy a snowboard one, they are usually bigger, so you take less strokes - even if you're waxing skis)
• tuning vices (makes everything a lot easier)
• a wax brush (or at least a scotch-brite pad) to structure your base afterwards

1. Set up your board on the table/tuning vices.  Preheat the iron.

2. Apply Whacks Wax to the base.  There’s two ways you can do this: 

Drip method: touch the ski wax to the iron, and let the drops of wax fall on your ski/snowboard.  if you space the drops about 1 inch apart from each other, you should have plenty of wax on your gear without using way too much.

Crayon method: touch a part of the wax to the iron, and once it melts, rub the wax-goo onto the base.  Once you're rubbing fully-solid wax again, repeat the process.

3. Iron the wax into the ski or snowboard.  Touch the iron to the base of the ski or snowboard, remelting the drops and spreading the wax around.  If the wax starts to smoke (at any point), turn the iron temperature down. 

Hint: It’s a good idea to put your hand on the top sheet (underneath your upside-down gear), and if you feel it start to get warm, you should move the iron to a different place. 

Once it's all melted and spread out:

4. Wait.  Try to wait for as long as possible so that the base can fully absorb all possible wax.  If possible, let it set overnight.  But if you're leaving in 15 minutes to go ski, that's ok too.

 5. Scrape.  With your scraper, make long tip-to-tail motions until there is no more visable wax on the board.  There’s going to be lots of wax shavings, so scrape in a place that's easy to clean up.

6. Structure.  Using a wax brush (or a scotch-brite pad) make tip to tail strokes.  These little groves will help you go even faster.

7. Go out and ride.  Your skis or snowboard are now waxed with the world's best ski wax... Whacks Wax!