dumb question. scraping? - Snowboarding Forum

Snowman26 · 03-27-2010, 01:44 AM

why do we scrape off the wax? doesnt it make more sense to just keep the molten wax on the board? ive been waxing my board for a while now and i know the wax is supposed to penetrate the base but what if you just leave the wax on? i glide around my apartment so much better without having it scraped maybe on snow too?

Reede · 03-27-2010, 01:53 AM

Depending on the conditions, the wax will wear off yes but the board wont glide too well until it does.

A snowboard works by melting a thin layer of water underneath the base and effectively floating on that. Wax facilitates the melting process but it is the structure of the base which channels this layer of water and prevents it from sticking.
A thick layer of wax will cover up the structure of the base entirely, which can lead to a vacumn effect when molecular attraction sucks your board down on the snow like a suction cup.

freshy · 03-27-2010, 02:16 AM

Just try going without scraping your board, you will just stick to the hill like bug on fly paper.

legallyillegal · 03-27-2010, 09:29 AM

i rarely scrape anymore

extra0 · 03-27-2010, 11:10 AM

on icy conditions, you don't need to scrape as much because ice chunks don't melt, they don't even really let you contact the base surface completely and ice is very abrassive.

Most east coast, mid west or early spring morning conditions anywhere don't need wax to be scraped...unless you put on way too much. I'd just scrape the overlap of the wax ribbons - that's good enough

earl_je · 03-27-2010, 06:17 PM

wait, what?? You're supposed to scrape the wax off??

arsenic0 · 03-27-2010, 06:33 PM

Stop being lazy and coming up with excuses why you dont need to scrape it off. Just do it!

Reede · 03-27-2010, 07:00 PM

For best performance yes, you want to scrape it. But riding for a day will have a similar effect anyway, depending on snow conditions.

03-27-2010, 08:05 PM

I cant imagine hitting a box/rail with an unscraped board. Maybe it would help me with my front flips

Snowman26 · 03-27-2010, 11:49 PM

guess ill be scraping tonight

03-27-2010, 01:44 AM	#1 (permalink)
Snowman26 Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 61	dumb question. scraping? why do we scrape off the wax? doesnt it make more sense to just keep the molten wax on the board? ive been waxing my board for a while now and i know the wax is supposed to penetrate the base but what if you just leave the wax on? i glide around my apartment so much better without having it scraped maybe on snow too?

03-27-2010, 01:53 AM	#2 (permalink)
Reede Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 398	Depending on the conditions, the wax will wear off yes but the board wont glide too well until it does. A snowboard works by melting a thin layer of water underneath the base and effectively floating on that. Wax facilitates the melting process but it is the structure of the base which channels this layer of water and prevents it from sticking. A thick layer of wax will cover up the structure of the base entirely, which can lead to a vacumn effect when molecular attraction sucks your board down on the snow like a suction cup. Last edited by Reede; 03-27-2010 at 01:58 AM.

03-27-2010, 09:29 AM	#4 (permalink)
legallyillegal -LIFETIME MEMBER- Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: fuck Snowboarding Posts: 4,448	i rarely scrape anymore __________________ THERE ARE SPECIFIC REASONS AS TO WHY I AM MORE LOCAL THAN YOU GOD IS DONUT

03-27-2010, 06:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
arsenic0 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Hillsboro, Oregon Posts: 2,106	Stop being lazy and coming up with excuses why you dont need to scrape it off. Just do it! __________________ '09 151 Never Summer SL-R '10 K2 T1 DB Bots '09 Burton Cartel Bindings

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03-27-2010, 02:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
freshy Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Vancouver BC Posts: 581	Just try going without scraping your board, you will just stick to the hill like bug on fly paper.

03-27-2010, 11:10 AM	#5 (permalink)
extra0 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: CA Posts: 582	on icy conditions, you don't need to scrape as much because ice chunks don't melt, they don't even really let you contact the base surface completely and ice is very abrassive. Most east coast, mid west or early spring morning conditions anywhere don't need wax to be scraped...unless you put on way too much. I'd just scrape the overlap of the wax ribbons - that's good enough

03-27-2010, 06:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
earl_je Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Keystone, CO Posts: 824	wait, what?? You're supposed to scrape the wax off??

03-27-2010, 07:00 PM	#8 (permalink)
Reede Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 398	For best performance yes, you want to scrape it. But riding for a day will have a similar effect anyway, depending on snow conditions.

03-27-2010, 08:05 PM	#9 (permalink)
VNlilMAN Guest Posts: n/a	I cant imagine hitting a box/rail with an unscraped board. Maybe it would help me with my front flips

03-27-2010, 11:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
Snowman26 Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 61	guess ill be scraping tonight