The Art of Stickering a Snowboard
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by Jason DyerStickering your board is like customizing the outfit you wear. It’s a unique expression of who you are — a showing of what you represent. Do you want to be the loser who can’t dress without mommy’s help, or do you want to be the ruler whose style gets bitten left and right? Just remember stickering is like a rite of passage from just an average warrior to Jedi Master.
Materials:
- Stickers
- Windex or other glass cleaner
- Paper towels
- Hair dryer (Steal one from your girlfriend, mom, boyfriend, etc.)
- Paint marker or spray-paint (for additional style points) Image 1
- Razorblade and or knife Image 2
- Music and 420 Kit (for inspiration, dogg)
| 1. | Spend some time trying different patterns. Nothing says gaper more than, dare we say it, shameful sticker layouts. For example, don’t center the stickers on the nose or tail of your board, too much symmetry is for squares. |
| 2. | When choosing stickers, avoid conflicting companies (Ex. Burton sticker on a Ride board or Adio and Circa stickers on the same board). Remember, these stickers reflect you. Do you want everyone to think you’re not in the know? (Uhm, don’t answer that.) |
| 3. | Match the stickers with the gear you wear. If you rock Oakley goggles, no Dragon or VZ stickers on the board. |
| 4. | Bleeding the stickers off of the sides and running them under the bindings looks especially good. |
| 5. | As a public service announcement, die-cuts give that sponsored feeling at a rate of almost ten to one. |
| 6. | Layering and overlapping different colors of the same die-cuts puts you in line for a paycheck! |
| 7. | Limit the sticker count. No more 100%-sticker jobs, the aerodynamic drag and extra ounces will severely reduce your pop and the chance of getting stickers from a real sponsor in the first place. |
Process
| 1. | Using the Windex, make sure all the grime is cleaned off the top sheet of your board. |
| 2. | Dry the board thoroughly. Image 3 |
| 3. | Take the next half hour or more to rearrange and view how your sticker set up will look. Make sure the pattern is exactly what you want; this is your last chance. Sticker patterns are like tattoos — unless you’re into laser surgery, you’re stuck with them for life. Image 4 |
| 4. | Begin to peel and place the stickers. Remember to have a game plan, or you’ll find yourself in an unpleasant sticky situation. (Sorry, we had to say it.) Image 5 |
| 5. | Once you finish applying each sticker, use the hair dryer to get the adhesive really fixed to your board. The worst thing is to work out a great sticker pattern and have that hard-to-come-by TechNine or Airblaster die-cut come off your board after the second run. Image 6 |
| 6. | While blasting the hair dryer, use your knife or razor to poke holes in the bubbles and work the air out. (This only applies to the over-excited, sloppy, or just plain lazy person who didn’t take more care in the first place.) |
| 7. | Once you finish, take a step back and look at the Picasso before you. |
| 8. | Now get out on the hill and claim (err, reign) as much as possible. Image 7 |