TECH TALK - HELPFUL TIPS ON EVERYTHING FROM TUNING YOUR SNOWBOARD TO HOW TO KEEP YOUR HANDS WARM ON THOSE REALLY COLD DAYS.

BUYING THAT NEW GEAR

BOOTS - We will start with boots cause they are the most critical. The boot needs to fit like your foot was poured into it, nice and snug but not too tight. In particular around the instep or top of the foot, ankle, and heel. Try on as many different boots on as possible. The boot needs to brake into your foot, therefore a used boot is not advisible. Flex the boot. Does it feel too stiff or too soft. Terrian park riders prefer softer boots for freestyle moves. Hard boots work good on hard pack. Big mountain riders like a boot just on the stiffer side. A good custom insole makes for a better fit, stablizes the foot, and is more comfortable. Leave them on for a while and narrow it down to two or three boot models. Then try those two or three on in the same day. A good two piece boot should cost between $175 and $300.

BOARDS - Most snowboarders should have boards that measure from the floor to the riders chin. A little longer for the powder and a little shorter for the park. Smaller mountains tend to use smaller boards. The width of the board is very important, if it's too narrow you get foot drag, too wide makes for slower and less power in the turn. Most new boards have a spec sheet on the base where you can see the waist width. It seems like most manufactors will make the boards 25mm wide at the waist give or take a couple millimeters. Most men have a size 10 foot. Boards that are 26.5mm or more at the waist would be for people with a size 12 foot and bigger. Women's foot size 8 works best with a board waist width at 242mm give or take a couple millimeters. Flex is similar to boot flex. A stiffer board is for harder snow, softer for smaller people and softer snow. You can flex a bunch of boards in the shop and start to get a feel for it, but there are some other factors that could make this type of comparison vary a little. Park riders like a little stiffer tail so they can load up on the jump and big mountain riders like snowboards that are just a little stiffer than average. Unlike the boot, the board could be bought as a used board. Look at it using the previous specs, then you should be able to ride it once as a demo. Maybe you would have to pay for one days demo, but that should be taken off the sale price. The cost of a new board will start at about $300.

BINDINGS - Bindings are the easiest part of the hard goods buy. First, bring your boot with you to interface with the binding. Bindings also have flex. Hold the baseplate on the floor and flex the highback at the top. This is where you can start to feel the whole binding flex. The highback needs to flex at least a little or it will bite you in the leg at the top of the highback. Binding flex is similar to board and boot flex. Hard boots drive hard through the snow. Softer bindings feel powder better. Somewhere in the middle is usually best. The binding highback should come up to within two finger's width of the top of the supportive part of the boot. Strap the binding down to any board and get in them with your boots on. Move around, toe side, heel side, are there any pressure points? Or is it comfortable all over. Decent bindings start at about $130.

HOTWAX

Snowboard bases are P-tex plastic and intended to absorb wax. The correct wax helps to maintain the right amount of melted snow under your board, so you can slide. If the base is not saturated with wax it will absorb anything from your greasy hands to crap on the hill. The following is our way of getting a nice, smooth wax.

CLEAN BASE - Put the board on the tuning bench and scrape everything off the base that will come off. Clean with citrus base cleaner and paper towels. Let it dry.

GHETTO STYLE - Use rolled towels, on a table for your tuning bench. Any light thinner like mineral spirits, rubbing alcohol, etc. for cleaning.

WAX ON - Use a hydrocarbon, temperature gradient wax. We like Bluebird Wax. With your waxing iron set at the temperature that is just below where the wax begins to smoke, drip one row of wax close to both edges and randomly down the center. Hold the iron in the perpendicular position, about four inches above the board to drip wax on. When there is enough on there, set the iron flat on the board base, always moving to spread wax around. Sometimes you need to put the iron on it's edge and drag wax into depressions in the base. Let it cool.

GHETTO STYLE - Mom has an iron, but it can never do clothes again. Some hotels have a wax room, or at least an iron in the hotel room closet, but if you use the hotel room iron be ready to get charged extra for damages.

WAX OFF - Sharpen scraper. Make four or five passes over the file. Round off the corners of the scraper so it doesn't gouge the base. Plexiglass is harder than P-tex. Scrape all the wax off. What we want left has been absorbed by the base.

GHETTO STYLE - Any plexiglass will work like a cassette case, windshield scraper, brochure rack. I've also used a CD. Sharpen on the sidewalk.

BUFF BASE - Brush tip to tail, with a horsetail or nylon wax brush. This takes off the rest of the wax, plus it gets in the grooves of stone ground bases. Those abrasive pads scratch bases, they leave micro hairs, and dulls edges.

Bonus - Flourinated paste wax comes in here, after hot wax is finished. Use it like car wax. Put on a thin coat, let dry, buff lightly with a soft cloth or your wax brush.

Static electricity makes the base stick a little. This theory is widely believed but never totally proven. To break this phenomenon we use water with a little window cleaner, sprayed on the base and wiped off.

GHETTO STYLE - warning- Your mom or the hotel personal is looking for you cause ruined their iron. Mom has a little spanking in mind. This makes me feel sick. I just threw-up a little in my mouth.