Why wax?

Why is it required to wax the base of a snowboard (or skis as well)?

Is it so that scientists have not yet invented a material that would glide
on snow without waxing? Or is it a price issue, a no-need-to-wax base would
be too expensive? Or is it a conspiracy between equipment and wax
manufacturers?

-Pertti

Pertti Ruismäki wrote:

Why is it required to wax the base of a snowboard (or skis as well)?

Is it so that scientists have not yet invented a material that would glide
on snow without waxing? Or is it a price issue, a no-need-to-wax base
would be too expensive? Or is it a conspiracy between equipment and wax
manufacturers?

-Pertti

well, you may like to hear that the label elevation by bert lamar just
invented the self-waxing base! this year this so called "ooze" base only
appears in elevations advance series, but next year all boards by elevation
will be equipped with this base.

keep on riding, flo

Wonder why no one has developed a teflon base for boards or skiis. I'm
thinking more along the lines of the thicker solid teflon plastic - not the
coating on mom's fry pan. I've seen teflon tape being sold in harware stores
for use on woodworking machines to make the wood glide on saw tables and
such. Also teflon blocks for saw guides. Is the material not durable enough?
It looks to be the same as density as our current base materials.


"Pertti Ruismäki" wrote in message
...
Why is it required to wax the base of a snowboard (or skis as well)?

Is it so that scientists have not yet invented a material that would glide
on snow without waxing? Or is it a price issue, a no-need-to-wax base
would
be too expensive? Or is it a conspiracy between equipment and wax
manufacturers?

-Pertti

Wonder why no one has developed a teflon base for boards or skiis. I'm
thinking more along the lines of the thicker solid teflon plastic -
not the
coating on mom's fry pan. I've seen teflon tape being sold in harware
stores
for use on woodworking machines to make the wood glide on saw tables
and
such. Also teflon blocks for saw guides. Is the material not durable
enough?
It looks to be the same as density as our current base materials.

One important thing to consider is reparability - no matter how hard you
make the base, at some point you'll go beyond that and need to fix it!
For example there are harder ptex grades than the 4000 that is currently
used on most companies' high end boards... but I recall reading a post
over on Bomber from John Gilmour (Madd Snowboards) saying it took a lot
of effort just to do the initial stone grind on a new board - never mind
doing ptex patches later!

Bases that don't need waxing might have similar issues.

Mike T

There are a number of reasons why the material being used is used. The
physics of sliding on snow is quite complex and varies dramatically with
changes in snow temperature, humidity, and type. Different surface
preparations are necessary for each different type of snow or condition. As
you may know, wax comes in a large variety of types. Some may be very hard
for cold dry abraisive snow. Others may be very hydrophic (usually contains
teflon) for very wet warm conditions. Still others contain graphite for
reducing static charges between the base and the snow. There are also a
variety of temperatures available in each of these waxes. I won't pretend
to understand all of this tuff 100%, but can say the the better tuners and
racers must. You might say that this market is being driven to a certain
extent by the racers. You'd be right, but there is an even greater number
of techies who drive it.

The next issue is the surface treatment or structure of the base. Different
patterns ground into the base of the board effect the boards performance
differently on different types of snow. In order to produce these patterns,
you need a machine that will cut them and a material on the base of the
board that can be cut. Many of the bases on the market today are so tough
to cut that it makes it difficult to cut a pattern in the base of the board.
Making a harder base would make it virtually impossible. This brings us to
the manufacturing end. Every board manufactured goes through an aggressive
base grinding phase. At this point in time the board will probably see more
material removed from the base than any other time in it's existence. This
is done to remove any glue that adhered to the base in the mold and grind
the bottom of the board flat. Harder bases take longer to process and use
up more abraisives. This drives the cost of the board up.

Another consideration is weight. This is one that is probably driven by
every skier or snowboarder out there. Everyone seems to want a light stick.
Polyethelene is a good solution. Cost is another. In todays market where
kids are sliding their board across things other than snow, damage is very
common. A lot of people want a cheep disposable board they can afford to
readily replace after breaking it on a rail. As a result, I think there is
little motivation in the industry to find a more expensive solution.

In essence the material used on the base of the board is there to satisfy
the customer.

I choose base materials largely on how easily it can be tuned. I look at
wax absorption and hardness. I want a base that is hard enough to withstand
the majority of the rocks on the hill, yet still relatively easily take a
base grind. It also has to absorb wax very well. Wax is terribly important
to how much fun I have on the mountain. It also hardens the base so it is
less likely to be damaged when I hit a rock.

Wax your base frequently and take care of it well. If you do, it will give
you more life in the board and make your experience more enjoyable.

--
Sean Martin
Donek Snowboards Inc.

http://www.donek.com/
phone:877-53-DONEK

"Pertti Ruismäki" wrote in message
...
Why is it required to wax the base of a snowboard (or skis as well)?

Is it so that scientists have not yet invented a material that would glide
on snow without waxing? Or is it a price issue, a no-need-to-wax base
would
be too expensive? Or is it a conspiracy between equipment and wax
manufacturers?

-Pertti