Snow’s supposed to be pouring again in the next couple days, what a perfect time to clock in a couple of late season shifts on the slopes! Yes, there is still a lot of fun to have out there, provided of course that your board’s edges are well sharpened!
If you have the time and you prefer your tune up to be done by professionals, it's simple, visit us in store. If, on the other hand, you prefer to do the job yourself, it's not very complicated either.
And we encourage you to do it, because not only will you feel like your capacities on your board are way better, but sharpening your edges when it's needed will greatly increase your snowboard's life.
As mentioned before, it's not that difficult to sharpen your edges, but still, there are some technicalities you absolutely must know to get the job done right. If you want to be able to sharpen your edges whenever you want and wherever you want, Follow the steps below.
For those who also want to wax their boards themselves, CLICK HERE to learn how and keep in mind that sharpening should be done before waxing if you want to do both.
1- Having the necessary tools in hand
Basically, what you need to tune up a board is a file, but you have to know how to set it up to give your edge the good angle. To avoid headaches, take a look at our specialized files and tune up kits. Knowing that with this, you will be able to sharpen your board's edges whenever you want and for as long as you want without having to worry about giving them the right angle (the angles are already set up on our tools). If, like us, you like your board nice and sharp, especially at the end of the season, let us tell you it's a really good investment. Always Keep in mind that having a specialized tool is not everything, there's a particular technique too. To know how to sharpen your edges efficiently without damaging them, keep reading.
2- Know the area that needs to be sharpened
Both ends of your board do not need to be sharpened, they actually shouldn't be sharp ever. There is a good trick to know which part of your edge you need to sharpen: Everything that touches the ground when you are standing on your board needs some love. To avoid vicious edge cuts when you hit the slopes, make sure you don't use your tool on the parts of your edge that don't touch the ground.
3- The technique
The most important step of the process is the technique. First, it is important to mention that you need to begin your sharpening session with the base edge of the board, meaning the one that's below its board.
Place your tool on the edge of the base at the right angle (there's often two different angles available on sharpening tools, we will go with the standard angle 90 degrees), file the part of the base edge in a repetitive single direction movement: from the nose to the tail, never the opposite. All while making sure the file stays aligned with the edge's angle. Then continue with the side edge, the one on the side of your board.
Start the side edges at the widest point of the board near the nose and file from the nose to the tail again. Repeat a couple times, always making sure your tool is straight. To be able to know if your edge is good to go, you can use a marker pen on it before the filing. When you can't see your marker's trace anymore after filing, that means you sharpened enough.
Pay close attention to the friction points when you file. This usually indicates a little dent in the edge. Make sure you file these areas several times until you can run the file smoothly while using light pressure. Once you're done with the tuning, clean up your edges with a paper towel to remove the metal dust.
4-Verifying if your board is sharp enough
Once you've filed your two edges a few times, it's time to check if the base edge and side edge of your board are well sharpened. To see if the job is done right, use this simple trick: Rub your fingernail on the corner of the edge. If the edge cuts small pieces of nail, it means it's well sharpened. If it's is not the case, repeat the sharpening from top to bottom so that the edge is well done on all its surface.