SWriverstone Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 I hot waxed my board two nights ago. Then, yesterday, while boarding in really warm, mushy conditions, I experienced what I think was base suck---I was just coasting along flat, near the bottom, and suddenly my board starts seizing up and slowing down. A real drag (figuratively and literally). Is this base suck? And does it mean my base has no structure? I noticed some concave dimpling under my inserts (I didn't take off the bindings to wax)...could that be the problem? Alpinecarving.com says... If you have significant base suck, a shop may not be able to safely get the area under the bindings structured with the base grinder, in which case you can use a steel brush, or even a file card to add structure by hand. I haven't had a base grind done on this board and have no clue when or if it was done in the past. Any recommendations? Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daneille Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Around here that means "spring conditions":mad: Daneille Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Dahl Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 That is what happens when that wax is not suitable for conditions. You need a wax that is made for warm snow, or maybe you just wore all your wax off! You bums, I'm looking at the weather to see if a motorcycle ride to work is in order! BTW, base suck is the base of the board pull into a convex (edge high) shape. Use a flat steel too look for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Scott, did you notice the board feeling 'slow' or sticky when you first stepped into it ? Probably just missed the 'right' wax for the conditions / temperature. Yes, sometimes it can make a big difference. Also at this time of year, with it warming up, the difference in 'drag' between the natural snow, and the man made snow (noticed especially at runouts and flatter sections) at times makes it feel like someone is squeezing the brakes 'off and on'. Sometimes to the point where if you are not ready for it , it will almost throw you 'over the bars'. Just like reading the water on a river, you'll learn to read the snow. Just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 Originally posted by jp1 Scott, did you notice the board feeling 'slow' or sticky when you first stepped into it ? Probably just missed the 'right' wax for the conditions / temperature. Yes, sometimes it can make a big difference. Also at this time of year, with it warming up, the difference in 'drag' between the natural snow, and the man made snow (noticed especially at runouts and flatter sections) at times makes it feel like someone is squeezing the brakes 'off and on'. Sometimes to the point where if you are not ready for it , it will almost throw you 'over the bars'. Just like reading the water on a river, you'll learn to read the snow. Just a guess. Yes!! That's exactly what it felt like---like the brakes going "off and on." And yes, the board started feeling sticky as the morning got warmer. It's very possible I didn't have the right wax for the 60-degree conditions too...I've been sort of clueless about waxes and just using the "general all-purpose" stuff for everything. And that's really interesting about the different "slide factors" in manmade versus natural snow---makes sense. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daneille Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 The thing about spring conditions here is that the morning is quite hard and the correct wax for the warmer conditions later, gets scraped off before it is effective. Shady spots are fast and sunny spots are sticky. Daneille Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 In my experience, a base with an aggressive crosshatch structure, *even unwaxed*, will work better than a well-waxed base with no structure on warm slush. Structure tips and tricks courtesy of Tognar: http://www.tognar.com/base_structure_tips_ski_snowboard.html I'm obsessive about waxing and yes, that helps too. I use the very inexpensive SVST Ultra Wax (10 oz. bricks for $10). I use their yellow for slush and it works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 as a quick fix, try this: wax your board with a moderate, NOT THICK layer and then DONT scrape it. get a wax comb like surfers use, and cut a crosshatch pattern in the wax from edge to edge and tip to tail. I used to do this all the time and I could blow through even the wettest snow 99% of the time. give it a shot maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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