Snow Skills

As the season winds down, it’s time to start considering how to set yourself up for success next season. If you take the time now to store your equipment properly, you’ll able to basically pick right up from where you left off. Consider the following:

Leave your skis and snowboard in a tuned condition. Either tune your own or have a shop do it for you. Once the wax coat has been applied, ask that the excess wax not be scraped off. The extra coating will help protect the bases.

Store all gear (skis, snowboards, boots, etc.) in a dry place where temperatures stay fairly constant. Upstairs closets are a great location. Locations that are not great are garages, basements, and sheds.

Store your boots in a closed position. Buckle downhill boots and buckle/tie snowboard boots in a shape similar to the size of your feet.

Store all clothing in a clean condition. Remove grease and oil which tends to fall off the tower wheels of the lift in warmer temperatures. Re-waterproof outerwear using the manufacturers’ recommended method; wash-in products like Granger work very well.
Store goggles and eyewear in the case or box that it came in. A really good option is to get a hard case made of plastic or metal (Bolle makes both) that provides a higher level of protection.

You can dial back your downhill ski bindings so that the DIN is zero. This releases the tension on the spring which may extend the lifespan of the bindings. A more important consequence of dialing back your DIN is that you’ll be in a position to have the bindings checked by a certified ski shop at the beginning of next season, which is an excellent way to go.