Ski Gear at the End of the Season

Ski Gear at the End of the Season. 
How to store your gear properly and make it last longer.

Nearly april. Fields and trees are in blossom. What to do with all the ski gear we have accumulated during the winter months? Here are some guidelines and personal tips.

Skis

All skis should be left in a fairly dry and sheltered place. Basements are a classic, but make sure you don’t find mold on the walls. If you do have moldy walls, the skis are probably going to be moldy as well in a few months time.
Rather than leave them lying on the floor or hanging them against the wall (O.M.G. please tell me you’ve never done that) leave them straight, leaning vertically. If paired up together, use two straps to keep the two skis slightly separate. This will minimize the chances of humidity penetrating into the material.
Ideally get them serviced one last time before putting them away for few months. Beside the edges holding longer, the base will keep better, specially if you don’t scrap the last layer of wax. If you are thinking about getting  a new pair, check out the Subzero Ski Line!

Bindings

The best way to keep them healthy is to bring the din setting back to zero, so that the spring inside the binding stays at rest for a few months.
Little advice: put a visible piece of tape over the front and the back binding, so you HAVE TO take it away and REMEMBER to bring the din setting back to where you need it.

Ski Boots

Liners and shells are composed of very different materials, so a few tricks are very needed to keep them in perfect shape.

Over all, the room should be ventilated and moist/mold free (see skis). Shade and fresh temperatures will help the shell keep its shape and colors. All the screws in the shell should be checked, in order to give a quick twist to those that have gotten loose. The buckles should be done up to keep the original shape of the plastic. The first buckle set will be enough (too much and you’ll be the one responsible for the bending of the plastics….).

The liner can be left either inside or outside the shell. (I personally prefer to leave them inside the shell). Either way they should be dry and sheltered from sun and heat. To protect them from dust you can leave them inside a ski bag, with the zip a touch open to allow air to flow.
A useful way of keeping the liner dry is to leave a couple of fresh tea bags inside it. The bags will absorb humidity and avoid (or even remove) the odor accumulated over winter.

Poles

They will be fine. Leave them be.

Transcever

Like all electronic devices, it should be left without the batteries.
If you are scatty as much as this writer, tape them to the thing to find them again.. Or buy new ones, since the device should help you staying alive. Dry and safe place would be ideal for storage.

Googles, Helmet, Gloves

Keep the goggles in the protective pouch. After a good wash! The best way to do so is with running water and neutral soap. Delicate handling and delicate drying. They will be like brand new! Please note: this will work during the winter too. It will not take away scratches though.
Leaving them in the pouch rather than around the helmet will preserve the elastic band better.
Helmet: maybe wash the inside? Keep it away from humid places (mold risk) and sun (fading risks).
Gloves: the tea bag trick will help keep the inside dry and clean. If the outside is leather use an appropriate product to first wash it and then grease it. It will keep the skin softer and therefore elastic (more resistant to stress).

Outerwear garments

Clean them with appropriate products to keep the original waterproof and breathability. Following the producer’s suggestion.
Once completely dry it’s always better to hang them rather than fold them and abandon them for six months in a dark wardobe.

Baselayers

Time to wash them! Yey!

Now relax, put the flip flops on and give your feet some well deserved rest. You’ve got a couple of months to enjoy summer before the hitch for snow starts again.

The Subzero Coaching Team

About Subzero Coaching

We are based in Zermatt, Switzerland, and we specialized in professional development for ski instructors.

Our Coaching Team comes from different backgrounds and associations. Enabling us to provide excellent training to instructors belonging to different education systems.

In Zermatt we run long term courses, including the Autumn Gap Course, introducing skiers to the first step into the ski instructor world.
In the winter we run courses for professionals towards the Level 3 ISIA Stamp as well as the Level 4 Full Certification.
One to one coaching, Race training camps and much more are also available for professionals looking to develop further in their pathway.
Courses also run in the Summer and Autumn, in ski domes across Europe and Glaciers in the Alps.

Through the collaboration with ski schools in Europe and across the world we are able to provide job opportunities during our courses as well as towards a future career beyond the time with us.

To find out about ski instructor courses follow the link! We are already working towards next winter!