How to Properly Store Your Skis or Snowboard Over the Summer
To truly love your gear is to care for it during the times when it’s easy to prioritize (i.e. powder days) and the times when it’s not (i.e. mountain biking season). An easy way to show that love: Store your skis or snowboard with care to ensure your gear outlasts the summer heat.
Before you give your backcountry skis or splitboard one last loving caress for the season, there are a couple of things you should do first. Follow these six tips, and your planks will remain snappy, supple, and damage-resistant for seasons to come.
Spring skiing: Sun, glory—and plenty of mud and core-shots.? Photo: Lucas Mouttet
1. Clean ‘em up.
If you did your fair share of spring skiing, you’ve probably got some mud and pine needles stuck in your bindings. Scrub them down with water and a clean rag. (Try to avoid using soap or detergents on your bindings.)
2. Scrub off any rust.
Use a scouring pad to remove any rust from your edges to prevent corrosion during storage. Fix any obvious burrs. Better yet: Go ahead and get your edges sharpened and base tuned now to avoid long wait times in fall.
Get your skis professionally tuned over the summer to give yourself a head start on next season. Photo: Justin Wilhelm
3. Treat Your Base.
If you live somewhere with hot summers and dry air, you may want to treat your base before you store your skis or snowboard for the season.
- Scrape off any residual wax or skin glue. Wipe down your base with base cleaner.
- When the base is clean and dry, fix any core shots.
- Cover the entire length of the base with a thick layer of hot wax. Use a soft storage wax, usually labeled as warm-weather wax or base-prep wax.
- Leave the wax on. It will keep your planks from drying out or becoming brittle over the summer. (When the snow starts falling again, scrape off the storage wax and re-wax with a temperature-appropriate product. Voila: You’re ready for your best season yet.)
4. Take off your bindings.
If you want to get serious about improving the longevity of your backcountry gear, store your skis or snowboard separate from your bindings. Bindings create tension through the base, and leaving them on could alter the shape of your skis or board over time. Be sure to store your bindings somewhere they won’t get lost or crushed. You may also want to consider loosening them or turning down the DIN to reduce tension even further.
Store your skis or snowboards in a cool, dry corner where they won’t be knocked over or disturbed during the summer. Photo: Erik Lambert
5. Find a safe spot.
Don’t store your skis or snowboard in rooftop boxes, attics, or other places that get ultra-hot in the summer. Instead, find a closet or a cool, dry corner of the garage or basement. Make sure your skis aren’t tightly strapped, compressed by locked-together brakes, or hanging from their tips when you put them away; they should be in a neutral, relaxed position. If you keep them in a bag, make sure both your skis and the bag are completely dry first. Otherwise, you risk rust.
6. Wish your winter gear sweet dreams.
Sing your skis a lullaby, wish them well—whatever you need to do to ease the pain of goodbyes. After all, winter will be here before you know it, and you’ll be reunited with your old friends soon enough.
Want to give you and your skis something to look forward to? Bluebird Backcountry 2021/22 Season Passes are on sale now!
Your backcountry gear worked hard for you this season. Thank it by storing your skis or snowboard with care. Photo: Logan Mayer via Unsplash
