Proper Summer Storage for Skis and Boards

If you are a non-stop active mountain riding enthusiast you’ll never need to worry about storing your skis or board, but more importantly how to transport them from one mountain range to another all year long! For the rest of us, we usually call it quits on the season around the time the snow melts away or our favorite mountain stops turning the chairs. The best thing to do in order to keep your skis or board well maintained in the off-season is to store them properly. It’s easy and ensures you a quality performance the next time you’re on the snow.

If possible you should have your skis or board tuned-up at the end of the season by professionals and the machines at your local ski and board shop, such as Heavenly Sports here in Tahoe or at Any Mountain if you are down in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, if you tune your own equipment or weren’t able to get into the local shop you can do a couple things in the garage to help out in the storage of your equipment.

Hopefully you dry off the edges after use each time you ride?? If not, you might notice a small layer of rust buildup on your edges. While that rust comes off when riding in most cases, it can otherwise be removed with a gummi stone or other tuning material. For the best storage of your equipment you will want to remove all rust and other materials from your base before waxing or storing. Once your edges are clean, flat and relatively ready for skiing the next season, you should remove all the wax from the base of the skis or board. Most ski and board shops can sell you a mild citric solution that cleans the wax from the base appropriately called – base cleaner.

Then with a clean base and smooth edges, pull out the hot iron and melt wax all over the base of the boards. Melt the wax as though you were waxing your skis or board normally, making sure not to melt your equipment ironing in one spot for too long or by using your Mom’s new iron! Be sure to apply an ample amount of wax, more than usual covering the edges adequately. Once the wax has cooled and has set on the skis or board, do not scrape it away. The wax will protect your edges and base during the off season.

In order to protect your ski bindings in the off season, you should back off your bindings to the lowest setting available on your binding. This allows the coil inside the ski binding to release pressure and tension while in storage, preserving the life of the binding. Remember, by releasing the tension from the bindings you will want to bring your skis into a ski shop next fall in order to have your bindings reset at the appropriate release setting. This is an important safety measurement based on a formula of your height, weight, age and specific boot sole length… which is why you should let the professionals assist you with this setting.
For snowboarders it is recommended to remove your bindings. This will make for more streamlined storage. Also, straps, screws and ratchets need a rest. Don’t store any of your equipment in high heat or it could affect the wood core of your skis or board.

It is good standard practice to have you skis and snowboard bindings inspected prior to hitting the snow each year. Any time your equipment is not in use for any long period of time there is a risk of something being loose or in the release hardware that might not work properly, which creates an unnecessary risk.
With your bindings set, simply pull out a flat edge and scrape off the wax you left on the bases of your skis or board. Smooth, buff and polish and you are ready for the snow! You be on the slopes gliding and carving with ease, all because you put a little care in at the end and beginning of each season.

These recommendations are not necessary of course, but it will make for a better experience when you hit the slopes once again! You can find materials to perform these simple steps at your local ski and board shops. Any Mountain offers a tune and repair shop at each of the six Bay Area locations and their sister shops in Tahoe, Heavenly Sports, offers two full-service tune and repair shops open during the winter season.

Long live endless winters!!

Adam Turner

Adam has lived in Tahoe for the past six consecutive seasons working for Heavenly Mountain Resort ski and snowboard shops. While he only made it out on a snowboard once this season, he continues to avidly ski well into this summer season…as long as there’s snow up there!