One of the most common questions we field around this time of year is how to properly care for and store skis and equipment in the off-season. In this article, we'll answer just that.
This is an important topic as it has an impact on the condition of your skis before your fall tune-up, as well as the longevity of your equipment in general. In this post, we will cover where you should store your gear, how you should prep it for storage, and why it is important to do so.
Even the best skis and snowboards need a tune up. It is common to walk over your gear before the season begins and get everything ready to go.
You need to consider if any repairs are needed. It's also a good idea to grind your base, sharpen the edges and apply a summer wax. A summer wax is when we melt wax onto your skis/snowboard and completely coat the base/edges.
Preventative maintenance is an essential part of making sure your winter gear lasts a long time.
Keeping the edges rust free and preventing the base from drying out will help ensure your equipment has a long happy life. Dry bases can be ground down to fresh material and rust can be removed from your edges. However, pitted or deep rust may not all be able to be removed.
Also, any rust on the edges means you will have to grind your edges more than you would have to for a normal sharpening. The same goes for an overly dry or worn base. If you need to grind a thicker layer of ski material away, ultimately it will shorten the life of your skis/snowboard.
The best way to ensure the longevity of your equipment is to make sure that you are taking measures to protect it during the off-season, as well as during the winter!
The ski storage location is an important part of the equation when it comes to keeping your equipment in the best condition possible.
Ideally, you want to keep your gear somewhere inside your house, in an area that is both temperature and moisture regulated. A cool dry place such as a bedroom, coat closet, or displayed in your man cave are great locations.
You want to avoid leaving your gear in a garage, attic, shed, backyard or unfinished basement. These types of locations will not adequately protect your gear from rust and other issues that may result from too much moisture.
If a storage location is too hot, it can lead to de-lamination of your skis by heating up the glue that binds all the layers of the gear together.
Another frequently asked question about off-season storage is how to store your gear.
The first item to address on that topic is: should your equipment be standing up or lying down? Either way is actually fine!
If you want to lay your skis down and slide it under the bed, that is a perfectly acceptable solution. If you would like to stand them up in the corner of your bedroom or in your closet that is also a great way to store them. The main trick is to make sure that your gear is not covered up by piles of boxes, other sports equipment or anything else that may bend the skis out of shape.
Before you put your gear away for the season, you will also want to take steps to prepare them for the off-season. There are several different levels of preparation that you can go with, each being slightly better than the option before it.
So the key takeaways here are that maintenance during the off-season is crucial to ensure the longevity of your skiing gear. It is recommended that you sharpen edges and do a wax treatment as well.
Always store skis in a dry place to minimize the accumulation of rust and wear that moisture can inflict. Make sure not to overload the equipment with too much weight as it may eventually bend the skis altogether.
If you follow these simple steps, your skis will be good to go for the upcoming season and you can rest assured your equipment will last for years to come.
