Preseason Equipment Check

With reports of snow dumping and turns already being made from our friends in Austria, its time to get your equipment ready for the season. We've all been there the morning of the first storm, scrambling to get our equipment in check, inevitbly attempting to tour with equipment that holds us back and pay the price in missing out on fun and sometimes damaging our equipment or our selves. Don't do this. Follow these simple steps, so that way when the snow does fly, you are ready to go and can trust your equipment is going to do its job.  This is also great preventative maintenance that can greatly increase the longevity of your skis and skins, so we recommend getting in the habit of doing this.

Cleaning:

The first step is to clean the dirt, grime, and whatever else you came across on the skin track last season from both your skis and skins. I’d recommend using Contour Hybrid Glue Cleaning wipes or spray on the glue side of your skins. This will remove any contaminants and renew the glue effectiveness, ultimately extending the lifetime of your skins. Using a small bit of detergent mixed with warm water, you can quite literally wash the skin side with a sponge. Both treatments will help maintain the effectiveness of the glue and “hair” material of the skin. Check to make sure if your tail clips and tip bungees are in working order, and if not order some here. 

For the skis, I find it best to first take a damp rag and wipe the surfaces of the ski: top sheet, base, and edges (careful to not cut yourself here).

Repair:

Inspect your edges for any rusting or burs. For minor edge work and repair, you will need a diamond stone, a gummy stone, some rubbing alcohol, and a towel. I’d recommend doing this once a year as preventative maintenance regardless of any significant damage. Start with the bottom edge (parallel to the ski base). For any chips or rust take the diamond stone, wet it with water, and rub it tip to tail flush to the ski base, across this edge to smooth out the deformities and remove any rust. Follow this with the gummy stone to polish. For the outside edge, pinch the diamond stone to the edge with your thumb resting on the ski base, to allow you to maintain consistent pressure and track precisely across the edge as you repeat the same process. Again, follow any diamond stone work with the gummy stone. Finally, wipe the edges clean with rubbing alcohol and the towel to remove any metal shavings.

Base Repair/Waxing:

The P-tex bases of your skis will have absorbed and accumulated dirt and other contaminants over the previous season. It is important to pull them out before getting a fresh layer of wax in before your first tour.

Any base cleaner will work here: simply rub/scrub a paper towel soaked with a few drops of the cleaner across the ski. A little goes a long ways, and your ski should look shiny with the cleaner applied, but not wet. Next, let the ski dry for about 15 min until it looks “dry” and white in color. Using first a metal brush, and then a nylon/horsehair brush, brush thoroughly from tip to tail until the base retakes its natural look.

If you have any major dings or core shots in your bases, now is the time to attend to those. It is useful to keep a stick of P-tex around for just this reason. They are super cheap, last a lifetime, and can be picked up at most local ski shops. Since the bases and dings should already be clean, you’ll start by simply sanding down any deformities and inside any scratches and holes. The goal is to first make a flat ski base by removing any deformed P-tex, and then create a bonding surface within the ding for the new P-tex to bond too. Applying the P-tex is very simple. Use a lighter and melt it onto the prepped ding, until it is filled and slightly exceeds the height of the rest of your base. While the P-tex is still a bit viscous, scrape off the excess with a metal scraper until the base becomes flush. Once completely cooled you can brush the ski once again.

You are now ready to apply ski wax such as Hagan Universal Base Wax.

Avi check:

While you've got all of your stuff out, now would be a great time to replace the batteries in your beacon and to confirm your avalanche equipment is all accounted for and working. 

These are some very simple, low cost, and quick steps to take to maintain your equipment, and make sure they are in working order before the first snow storm. Sharpening and major edge work, is best to do at your local ski shop unless you have the proper equipment. Checkout our shop partners to find your local ski shop that can give your skis a proper tune and supply you with the best Hagan gear. Most maintenance to both your skis and skins can be done easily at home with a few tools, and will have you ready to go for the season.