From Apply Now,
Your Guide to Snowboarding.
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Before you throw your snowboard in the back of the closet for the summer, take a few minutes to prep it for the off-season. Here's how.

1. Have a local shop perform a basic snowboard tune and wax.
This simple end-of-the-season task (about US$20) will clean off any dirt and rust, and will prepare your snowboard for next winter. You'll also avoid the beginning-of-the-season rush on snowboard tunes -- a shop can only tune so many boards in a day.

2. Do it yourself -- a snowboard cleanup and hot wax at home.
If the base of your board is dirty, purchase a general base cleaner at your local board shop. Follow the instructions on the bottle to clean the base of your snowboard. Then apply a coat of hot wax. You don't need to scrape the wax until next winter, then give it a quick scrape and you'll be ready to go.

3. Bindings
It is fine to leave the bindings mounted to your snowboard. If you remove them, be sure to keep a record of your stance width and angles for reference next winter.

4. Storage
Store your snowboard out of direct sunlight -- in a closet or under the bed is fine. Avoid stacking heavy items on top of your board because you could flatten out the camber.