Thread: Snowboard sharpening

They are not too expensive. Just roll down to your local ski shop and ask. The best time for buying your gear is at the end of the season....But this is a small item (I'm guessing ~$20 or less). Personally, I'm lazy and just have the shop do an overhaul at the beginning of each season...You have me thinking though that I might as well buy my own sharpener. Seems funny...I've been honing my own razor, but not my own board. I guess old habbits die hard.

As for boarding, keep at it...the nice thing about snowboarding is that the learning curve is steap! As in, you learn quickly (versus the long learning curve of skiing). Also, I HIGHLY recommend a helmet. I use to not wear one, until I broke a molar, landing and catching an edge. It's not like skiing in which you fall, the gear breaks away and your speed/momentum is lost in the forward tumble. As I am sure you have experienced, when you catch an edge, all speed/momentum STOPS hard in that one spot (make sure it's not your head that takes the brunt of the fall!). Try that at full speed, soaring down the mountain (I'm a down hill, back-woods boarder, versus your halfpipe type). I'm glad I only cracked a tooth!

I have 2 Burton boards, and my gear somewhat dates me...I have clicker bindings that you can no longer buy, but were the newest thing when I got them. I bought 2 sets (one for each board), and they have lasted me from coast to coast boarding...or I guess they call it "riding" now...

ANYWAY, keep at it, it only gets better!!

C utz

One more thing!!
There is something to be said about staying dry and warm....
Get good compfortable boots.

AND as for gear, I HIGHLY recommend Helly Hansen pants. They come with a lifetime guarantee, and I only have to wear my underwear under the pants and am warm and dry the whole time. I love 'em!

If you don't have the step in bindings you probably spend a lot of time sitting at the top of the lift, strapping in. That = cold wet ass! Get good pants!! Sometimes you have to spend a little more to be happy in the long run.

C utz

Thanks for the tips. I am definitely getting a helmet for next season. Hit my pretty badly a few times. Fortunately I've gotta hard one lol. My boots are the best part of my gear. The reason I'd like something with Flow bindings is that they make great step ins for regular boots. Got decent slush pants and that doesn't matter because I don't have to sit to strap on my bindings. However they are useful for taking spills.

When it comes to maintaining the board, I am decent at waxing (bought an iron at value village for $5 specifically for that purpose), got a decent scraper and after that, all it takes is a bit of tightening, maybe adjusting the angles (still haven't found the right one, been taking too many spills with an alpine setup), and a spray of WD40 to prevent snow from sticking to the top of the board.

Unfortunately my board and bindings are REALLY crappy. I may spring for better gear anyways.

Now, do you have any tips for moving on from beginner trails to intermediate ones?

Practice!
Don't be scared, and just get out there! If you are wondering if it's time to move up, push your present level to it's limits...i.e. if you are on the beginner trails, hit the sides where the hills and bumps are, if you feel comfortable, move up to the Intermediate (perhaps that's how I wound up enjoying the woods!).

BUT, like honing, you just need to practice. Don't blame your gear (unless it falls off). And don't get cocky...that's when you'll fall (trust me).

One last thing, practice going down hill 'forward' and 'backwards' and switching between the two. You'll need this skill eventually......

Let me know if you are ever in the "New England" area.....If you learn here, you can go pretty much anywhere! Falling here, is like falling on concrete (none of that fancy powder-snow)
Good luck!!

C utz

That's the same problem on the Ontario trails. Hard packed snow. Taking a spill leaves you with bumps and bruises every time. My bindings give me good contact with the board, but I do have a couple of issues with the board itself:
1) It's short (145). Since I'm like 5'9, a 155-158 would be more suitable for me. Since the board is so short, I get less blade contact and it's easier to catch the edge the wrong way.
2) It's thinner than the rentals I've tried out, so it bends more easily, which is not good when going down some faster hills.
If I could get a few pointers from you, I wouldn't mind driving down to N.E. as it would finally give me a good excuse to go down to the States lol.

P.S. Some of my gear does fall off, but I just replace it on a continuous basis.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

Lol gentlemen. I guess that will get my rotation up to 7:
1) Taylor's Eye Witness 6/8 FH RP
2) Satinedge 5/8 FHS with DOVO scales SP
3) G. Butler 6/8 FH SP
4) DOVO Bismarck 5/8 FHS SP
5) M&Y 6/8 W SP
6) The Winner 5/8 FH RP
7) El-cheapo Austrian-made board/bindings (with binding parts coming from 2 broken sets) 85/8 W RP

For the rookies, after the names, I was giving the blade width/grind/point. The FHS signifies a full hollow grind "Singer" (a blade that produces a clear note when strummed).

Actually it's been so hot over here that I've been trying to cool myself off by daydreaming about snowboarding. I wanted my board to last me another winter before having to buy another one, so I decided to sharpen it now before we re-do the flooring in the house. By the end of last winter I took a few nasty spills because the board wasn't digging into the snow properly.

Damn it....you have a razor that is wider than mine.....I dont think I can live with that on my shoulders.....does anyone sell shave ready surf boards???

D00d, surf-boards don't have edges! You just need a wider snowboard than mine, which won't be too difficult to fine.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

D00d, surf-boards don't have edges! You just need a wider snowboard than mine, which won't be too difficult to fine.

I bet Lynn could give one an edge!!! so there

Lynn may be able to push the limits of physics, but nobody can fight it. The bottom line is that the wood/composites of a surfboard do not have the right molecular density to take a real shaving edge. However I'm pretty sure Randy Tuttle can make it shave better than a Zeepk

Skiing is soo much less of a leanring curve then snowboarding I found. But that might be becuase I learned how to waterskii when I was younger.. No that I do wakeboard at my cottage behind my seadoo, I think my snowboard might have to come out of retirement and see the slopes again thsi winter.

Hey all your Southern Ontario Boys, Maybe we should hook up a ski weekend somewhere...