Waxed and Ready to Slide

A few weeks ago I took my board into a local shop to get it waxed before the season. Yesterday I picked it up. Now all I need to do is put the bindings back on.

I had taken the bindings off. One reason was to give the topsheet a good cleaning; the other was to make it easier for the shop to store the board before they actually started working on it.

Shows you what I know.

When I took the board in, the store employee asked if this was a new board that had come without bindings, or if I had taken them off.

"I took them off," I answered.

"Well, it would really help us if you left them on. It gives us something to hold onto as we work the board."

I suppose the whole question would go away if I started doing the waxing myself. But the house already has enough winter gear--downhill skis, poles, and boots; the same for cross country; and for the snowboard, the board, boots, not one but two bags, and a variety of protective gear. Adding more "stuff" -- iron, files, scrapers, six kinds of wax, etc. -- doesn't seem that attractive at the moment.

On the other hand, if I start getting the board waxed more often, the cost savings may make the stuff storage worthwhile.