Right, let's be frank here, without breaking into a song and dance about it. We actually want to seriously chat about taking care of the one who is by your side all winter.... Your board baby.
1.WAX IT PAL!
Basic stuff here, but a lot of us don't get around to often enough, guilty culprit right here writing the article. Lather that shit up, regularly. Treat it right, go all in. Its good for the board, keeps the ride smooth, fast and improves the longevity of your pride possession. Its also good for you, coming up short on kickers is not good for your own longevity; board care is health care, essentially. If you do find yourself on the short end of a slow board, you may discover first hand that they use the same Polyethylene (P-Tex) of your board base to replace blown apart knee caps.
2.BLUNTS OR RAZORS?
We're talking about your edges here friends. This one obviously depend on what board and what type of rider you are. De-tune with a file if you're down with sliding steel or wanna try your hand at some urban warfare. Just the tips though, never file between the feet. However if you're more at home in an icy pipe or blitzing corduroy, you want them edges tuned like a samurai blade. You'll need tools and skills for that, and majority of the time it's far easier, quicker, and you'll get a better job hitting up a boardshop for this. Support your local 👊
3. STASH SPOT
So your holiday/season has just come to an end, time to stash 'till winter rolls back around. Don't just shove all your stuff in a bag else you'll be pulling out Outerwear covered in nasty boot mould that stinks like the great depression next Autumn. Dry off/wash/waterproof your outerwear before putting it away in the back of the cupboard, like a human. Remove your bindings, dry out board thoroughly, give it another heavy dose of wax and do not remove the excess, let it absorrrrb it all. Boards don't like drastic temperature changes so find a decent stash spot and go skating, its rollin' season and you're done here.
4.WHAT'S YOUR RANGE?
Going away somewhere? Whether you packing up the car, jumping on a train or checking onto a plane (anyone remember what that feels like?), you would not want to go bareback. Get yourself a sturdy board bag. Reminder edges are sharp and can cut/damage other things in your bag (or car seats). An old towel should do the tricks, also ideal to stack up the boards. Tie / Tap it all up so it's not too loose in the bag.
And there you go, a little breakdown on some board care. We're probably the wrong ones to ask about it, ours are often neglected and inhale wax everytime we get to it. But it's a tool, not a jewel, so ride it like you stole it friends.