Storage during the
season. Care for expensive and high-tech equipment is a clear responsibility for every skier. A duty that is important to perform every time after each ride.
After returning from the track it is imperative to clear the skis of snow and wipe off all the water droplets that will remain on them with a soft rag. Then you can put them on the street - on the balcony, loggia or in the garage. It is important to ensure that no water remains in the fixtures. Otherwise, frost and water can damage them to such an extent that you cannot fasten them or they will not work at the crucial moment during the descent. The best option is to bring the skis home, where it is warm and dry, but it is important to make sure that they do not stand next to batteries and heating devices. High temperatures can ruin them!
At the end of each day spent on the slope, check the integrity and serviceability of the mountings. Carefully look at whether they show signs of corrosion. If there are, urgently take action, which will be listed next.Putting skis is always toes up, not tying each other against the wall. Ski sticks are also advisable to put next. But the boots on arrival home must be fastened so that the plastic from which they are made has no chance of deforming.
Before packing skis in a case, make sure they are completely dry.
To transport them correctly, just slipping inwards, so as not to damage them. In the long journey, the equipment must be carefully packed, tied up with special rubber bands, hidden in a case. In sports shops, you can purchase a special plastic case in which skis will lie very tightly and which can be safely handed over to luggage, for example, at the airport. If you do not have such a cover, before packing them in a cloth cover, wrap the skis with a cloth, preferably soft and in several layers. So you will save your equipment from injury. If you are traveling by car, you should not leave skis in the trunk for a long time on top, there they can suffer because of the dirt and reagents in it.
How to store skis in the summer
The saying that you need to prepare sleds in the summer is fair with regard to skis. Any sports equipment requires special care after the end of the season. Otherwise, at a time when the snow will once again delight the eye, there will be nothing to ride. What factors most negatively affect the sports equipment of this kind:
- humidity and condensate, which cause corrosion of edges and can lead to the fact that the slides start to peel off;
- is very high and low temperatures, extremely bad for plastic and wood;
- temperature jumps;
- frequent and intense UV radiation, including the sun's rays;
- intense thermal radiation.
Preparation of conventional skis for storage
When preparing skis for the warm season, it is important to exclude all negative factors from the “life” of your equipment. What is required to do this:
- First, it is important to clean the equipment with detergent to remove the negative effects of dust and dirt. After washing the ski, it is imperative to dry it thoroughly and, as we already know, it must be done away from batteries and other heating devices.
- Special handling needed and anchorages. They must be carefully wiped, opened and lubricated with technical petroleum jelly or other similar lubricant so that they remain elastic and are not exposed to the external environment.
- Then you need to carefully examine the equipment for any damage. If you find any irregularities on the surface, they must be carefully polished with a fine sandpaper so that irregularities are not felt to the touch.
- The sanded place should be covered with two or three layers of lacquer and wait until it is completely dry.
- After inspecting and grinding, the slides will be properly coated with a special lubricant that will protect them from the external environment. What kind of lubrication should be used depends on the material of the ski. So, wood must be treated with hot resin, which should hide all the irregularities. Special plastic wax must be applied to plastic skis.
Preparing Alpine Skiing for Summer
With mountain equipment, it is worth doing something different because of its high-tech features. Here are the basic rules for how to store alpine skis:
- Alpine skiing, like any other, first requires purification. It is advisable to clean them with a paper napkin soaked in a solution of ordinary tooth powder and liquid ammonia. This will clean and gently polish their surface. You can use and professional tool specifically designed for these purposes. Do the same with sticks.
- Be sure to carefully clean the fasteners, open them, set the knobs to the minimum possible, and then lubricate with special grease. Write down what the fastening indicators mean on a piece of paper and pack it together with skis and poles so that you can quickly remember everything in the autumn.
- Then the equipment must be wiped gently with a damp cloth and wiped dry with another. Remove ointment or spray on the sliding surface.
- Sharpen edges. And how intensely you skated doesn’t matter, the edges are dull very soon. After sharpening, the edges should be smeared with ointment, which will protect them from rust.
- Before the “leave”, it is very important to take care of protecting the entire surface of the skis. So that the porous plastic from which they are made is not subjected to the damaging effects of dust and oxygen, it is important to “seal” it for the entire storage time. To do this, it is coated with paraffin. By the way, professionals do it with a special iron.
- Care required and shoes. Internal should be removed, well-washed and dried with paper or newspapers that need to be put inside. If you do not want to wash, use an infrared dryer, which not only dries, but also kills bacteria and odor, impregnated material. External shoes should be cleaned of dirt and dust, insert inside them completely dry, fill with paper and fasten the buckles.
We pack skis for storage
Proper packaging has no less value than the correct preparation of skis. Moreover, different skis require different packing conditions.
So, wooden skis will be better if they are held together with a cord or holders in two places: at the bend and at the end of the bindings, where the heels are usually located. The skis are then placed in spacers to protect them from straightening socks, changing stiffness or twisting. Cross-country and recreational skis need a 5-6 cm strut. Keep in mind that too large a strut can harm the wood from which the skis are made.
Plastic skiing strut to anything, so they just bind on both sides and all. You can put them toes up or put horizontally next to the sticks on three points of support.
Remember to store equipment properly packed in a cool and dark room. It is desirable if it is a storage room, attic or any other place with a constant temperature. On a balcony or loggia, under the influence of the sun and high temperatures, protective lubricant can oxidize and damage skis. Boots store in a special case.
That's all the rules how to store skis until the next season. And let the end of the winter for you is always a bit sad event, the main thing is that the beginning of the next season does not become an event even sadder because of the damaged equipment. Following the above rules ensures that you will enjoy skiing on your excellent skis for many years.
