How To Store Your Skis Over Summer

1. Make sure to wipe down any water from your skis after you come off the slopes or dome with an old cloth or towel. This will stop rust from building up along your edges.

2. Store your skis in a temperate, dry place such as at the back of a wardrobe or under the bed rather than in the loft or garage. This helps to prevent rust on your edges and damp getting into the wood core (damaging performance).

3. Apply a medium to thick layer of wax over your skis (a storage wax), ensuring you cover the base edges. This will protect the base and help to stop rust build-up.

4. Purchase a ski tie or get a couple of elastic bands and place them over your skis. This simply makes moving them around easier and stops the bases rubbing together and scratching.

5. Ensure you close the clasps on your ski boots when not in use, as this will help to maintain the shape of the shell and keep those boots comfy and responsive.

This prevents rust from forming on the edges and protects the base.

You will need:

• Ski Wax Iron

• All-temp wax

Time: 20 minutes

Put your iron on low heat (ensuring the wax does not smoke when it touches the iron heat plate). Press the wax against the iron base about three inches away from the ski base and place drops of wax every two or three inches apart over a third of the base. 

Push the iron along the surface of the base (it is essential to always keep the iron moving along the base to prevent burning the ski) making sure to spread the wax over the base edges. Repeat this for the next two-thirds of the base and then let it rest for five minutes.

These stop water rotting the wood core of your ski, which will slow you down and affect all-round performance

You need:

• Epoxy Resin

• Metal Scraper

Time: 20 minutes (plus three hours drying time for express glue, 24 for normal)

A common problem resulting in loss of ski performance is water seeping into the wood core through little cracks and chips on the sidewall and top sheet. The water rots the wood causing it to lose its stiffness (speed) and flex (pop).

To prevent this let your skis dry out in your house for a few days to get rid of any water left in them and visit your local DIY shop to purchase some Epoxy-resin (Araldite or any brand will do). Mix up the two pastes on a piece of scrap card and apply this to any crack or chips on your ski. Don't worry about being liberal with the glue, however, try to avoid getting it on your edges. 

Let the glue set and now your skis are fully waterproof again. If you do get any glue on the edges and it has dried, get a sharp knife or metal scraper and gently scrape the glue from the edges. For any large chips or if the base is coming away from the bottom of the edge (de-lamination) bring your skis into an Ellis Brigham shop and our friendly Ski Technicians can fix it up using professional equipment and techniques for longer-lasting repairs.