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On Test – The Best Snowboard Wax

[series align=”left”]Whilst the secrets of snowboard wax are usually reserved for true boardercross nerds, choosing the best one for you can be a bit confusing – especially when the internet’s full of jargon surrounding fluorocarbons and operating temperatures, and bizarre videos of Playboy bunnies showing you how to apply it.

Essentially, wax is absorbed by the P-tex material found on the base of your snowboard. As well as adding an extra layer of protection, when scraped off properly it channels water down the length of the board better, allowing you to ride faster. If you don’t wax your board regularly you’ll find yourself getting outpaced by those who do, as well as getting stranded on the flats.

Whilst there’s a myriad of different options from most brands, we’ve kept it simple by comparing four of the most popular all-temperature waxes (anyone who’s not a downhill ski racer won’t notice any difference). As well as taking into account how fast they make you go and how long they last (giggity), we’ve also compared how easily they’re applied with the same iron and how their eco credentials stack up – often the high performance recipes can leave nasty compounds out on the snow. Happy waxing, and godspeed.

Butta Ski and Snowboard Wax – Pro

Price: £15 for 200g
butta.co.uk

Still made in the UK (in Jim’s kitchen no less!), Butta is a homegrown brand that focuses on being as ecological as possible, forgoing fluorocarbons in favour of much friendlier hydrocarbons. Whilst it’s not super fast straight off the first chair, after a couple of laps it’ll ‘run in’ and that’ll keep you going for a good few days. They also do a dryslope specific version.

Demon Snowboard Wax – White Lightning

Price: £9 for 133g
demonsnow.com

The name might conjure up visions of a pissy tramp, but this White Lightning is fast as hell, easy to apply and durable enough for a couple of days’ hard riding. Whilst it doesn’t excel at anything, it does everything about as good as you’ll ever need it to.

OneBallJay – Walter Wax

Price: £12 for 130g
one-ball.com

Matt Cummins is a man who loves the outdoors (and wax) and as a snowboarder has explored the mountains of the world from the pillows of Japan to the banked slaloms of Washington State. He, like so many men of his generation, became fed up with polluting chemicals, and in his wisdom took it upon himself to create an ethical, high-performing snowboard wax. Fuck it dude, let’s go snowboarding.

Bluebird – All-Temp Wax
*Best On Test*

Price: £12 for 150g
bluebirdwax.com

Snowboarding is about the little things, like the smell of wax being applied. Bluebird is renowned for smelling amazing, and as it’s best scraped off when still warm (it goes rock hard when cool) you get to savour the scent. It’s the fastest we tested, which is probably why their team boasts almost the entire cast of The Art Of Flight.

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