Before you race off to the slopes to catch those first tracks, spend a few minutes of quality time with your snowboard. Checking your gear before you ride can help prevent small problems from becoming impossible to fix. Besides, who has the extra money to shell out for a new board just because of carelessness with the last one?
What can possibly go wrong with a snowboard, you ask? While it doesn't have moving parts, your snowboard is still a complex piece of workmanship. These days, snowboards are layered with composite materials that offer flex, strength, and vibration dampening. Under certain stressful conditions, these layers can become separated. Most often, the topsheet will start to peel back from the underlying layers. This is called delamination, and chances are it will happen along the nose or tail of your board. Mild to moderate delamination can usually be fixed by a qualified repair shop.
If you notice stress cracks radiating from the nose or tail of the topsheet or congregating around the bolt holes, it's time to make an emergency trip to the repair shop. Stress cracks can spell doom for a snowboard if they involve layers other than the topsheet. And since the untrained eye often cannot tell from where they originate, it's better to get those evil little things looked at.
Edge maintenance is also important. We all bonk trees or snag rocks with the steel edges of our boards, and who can count the number of times inconsiderate souls ran over our boards in the lift line? Most edge blemishes are cosmetic, but it's wise to get them filed out before a few small burrs turn into an edge that looks like the Abominable Snowman chewed on it. It's also a good idea to get those edges sharpened on a frequent basis. Sharp edges turn better and ensure a solid purchase as you fly over ice patches. When it comes to detuning (dulling) your edges, your best bet will lie in the hands of a professional. Racers like to keep their edges sharp, while those who tweak the halfpipe tend to detune the entire edge contact length to prevent them from catching in the snow.
