Mt. Baker Snowboard Shop Standard Tune
$28 - boards
$35 - skis
Our standard tune includes hand-filing of edges and of course, a handmade hot wax with a wax of your choice. If your gear requires work on the base material, we will fix minor p-tex problems and wax it when we're finished. De-tuning can be done per customer request. If you're a jibber, we get out the belt sander and get rid of those silly edges. Who needs 'em?
Hot-Waxing
$15 - boards
$20 - skis
No fancy machines here! If you don't specify, the tech will hand-apply the best possible wax for the conditions that day and the next. Let us know where and when you will ride and we can get it perfect for you.
Repairs
Prices Vary - Stop in for quote
Every Winter our experienced snowboard surgeons come back to bring your mangled, scratched, bent, and unwaxed boards back to life. We've got a reputation for carrying out some of the most technical repairs in the business. Once in a while, people come by with a core shot or a de-laminating topsheet. This is no problem for us!
Our technical repairs have been taken back up to Baker and tested with success - they should last well through the life of the board. We do it right the first time. Come on in and we will check out your gear and quote you for the repairs. We once repaired a board that fell off a rack at 50, got hit by a few cars, and spent some time in a ditch, so don't hesitiate to ask for a quote. Call toll-free 1-(888)-466-7392 or 1-(360)-599-2008.
Common Repairs
- Core Shots
- Separated Edges
- Cap Reconstruction
- Sidewall Reconstruction
- Insert Damage
- Topsheet Damage
And if your board flat-lines on the operating table, we've got great bench legs you could use to make a bench out of the thing!
Wax to Win!
By George Dobis
Waxing is all about speed. Faster gliding, less fatigue, more turns, longer riding, and more fun.
In race time, waxing is a ritual and is an important part of your mental preparation. While you wax your snowboard, you want to mentally visualize your self riding down the race course, while memorizing every turn you have to make, every bump and obstacle you have to negotiate. When your mental run is over, you visualize yourself on the victory stand. Yeah!! I can do it, I have won.
Your choice of wax is also a great excuse for your failure to win. When the race is over, while you're hydrating yourself, and you're hanging out with your buddy's, you can always blame it on the wax, "Yeah, wrong wax, dude".
Wax also protects the base of your snowboard or skis from drying out, oxidation and total erosion. Wax should be on your board or skis base all the time.
Wax comes in different forms:
Powder, solid, pellets , paste and liquid. Make sure to follow the manufacture's recommendation and use your preference of application.
Good wax should have:
Low melting point - Good base bonding capacity - Exceptional water repellency - Abrasion resistance to snow crystals - A good dirt, oil and pollution resistance - Temperature range consistency - Antistatic and oxidation properties - Good durability (longer lasting) **
Wax is made of components and blends consist of:
100% Fluoro carbons - Fluorinated hydro carbons - Hydrocarbons/synthetic paraffin - Polymers - Graphite - Teflon - Silicon - Blend
Safety:
Each component has a different melting point. When applied with an iron, it's imperative that you follow the manufacturer's recommendation for temperature settings. High temperature's cause decomposition and destruction of wax. With high temperature's you are not only melting the wax, you are vaporizing it. Wax belongs on the snowboard and not as fumes in your lungs.
If you using an iron the base should be solid (no holes for the steam) the iron's to use should have a dial or digital temperature adjustment that heats up to 300F max. If you are using an older type of iron and your iron is smoking, you already lubricating your lungs and not your board or skis. So, pay attention!
The average temperature for most waxes is 135C or 275F. The maximum for most waxes is 150C - 300F. Do not exceed these temperatures.
Selection and choice of wax:
Each component and blend is designed to perform at its optimum in certain temperature ranges and snow crystal structures. From extremely cold arctic snow deprived of any moisture to the Northwest snow (If you can't drink it, it's powder). Just don't drink yellow snow.
To select a proper wax for the wide range of conditions, you will need help from the manufacturers recommendation. Some times you will have to mix two or three waxes together. It's important to have a basic knowledge of meteorology to be able measure the fallowing:
Water content of snow - Snow density - Humidity (Low - High) - Snow temperature - Air temperature - Wind (velocity/direction) - Cloud cover - Sun
One should also be able to identify snow crystals and their structure:
Course, granular, fine, new, old, cold, wet, sharp, or soft.
Tools you need:
Iron - Base cleaner(citrus solvent) - Plastic or steel scraper - Combination stiff and soft brush - Fiber tex pad for final polishing
If you want to win the race or just have fun riding, waxing is not just a "slap it on"
It makes the difference between winning or just dragging your ass behind all day.
If you are not confident that you can't prepare your board or skis properly, you can always let a Mt.Baker Snowboard Shop professional technician do it for you.
Good luck, have fun and Wax to Win!