Skiboards University/Tech Shop Series<

Waxing
A polyethylene base is made of a low friction material but water does stick to it. The skiboard base glides best however when water beads (meaning small droplets of water) form under the base acting like small ball bearings. This enables the skiboard to glide faster. Wax serves this purpose.

Wax also helps to protect the base from oxidation. When oxidized, the base won't bead water and becomes slow and sticky. Ultra Violet rays radiating off the snow contribute to the oxidation process and a subsequent breakdown in the polyethylene base. The bottom line is: wax helps skiboards to go faster, ride smoother and protects your bases.

Waxing options:
Hot waxing is best but takes more time. Hot waxes penetrate the base and make for the smoothest ride.

The next best waxing method is the hair dryer method (see below for details) with a high wax content wipe on wax such as Race Paste. This requires much less effort but with great results. For more speed with both methods, you may want to scrape the wax and buff it.

Next in order is simply using a regular wipe on wax. These will work with very little effort on your part however try to apply them in warm, dry conditions.

Lastly, and the easiest by far, are the teflon-like applications such as Zardoz Notwax. This can be applied while you are on the lift and can be used over wax for maximum speed. However, depending on conditions, Zardoz may need to be applied up to two or three times a day.

Too lazy to hot wax, but demand the best ride?

The Hair Dryer Waxing Method:
We have found this technique to be quite good and the next best thing to hotwaxing. This works best with Test Pilot's Race Paste as it has one of the highest wax contents of any wipe on waxes. You could also use Purl's Northern Light Hemp Wax.

1. Clean the bottoms of your boards of dirt, etc. and scrape off all the old wax.
2. Take a hair dryer and heat the bottom of the skiboard (do one at a time).
3. Apply a coat of race paste evenly.
4. Use the hair dryer and heat again drying the wax.
5. When dry, you can carefully scrape or wipe off the excess wax.
6. For even better coverage, repeat this procedure.

Quick, easy and inexpensive. And you don't need to ruin an iron. Works even on trips. And the best part is, it really gives a great ride and is way cheaper than getting your skiboards hotwaxed at ski shops. For the "icing on the cake", apply a coat of Zardoz NotWax on top for that super fast ride. It is our favorite here at Skiboards.com when time is short.

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