End of Season Ski Care?

[Doug Briggs]

An abrupt end to the season meant my skis are "as is" in my locker in the basement of the SP Village Day Lodge which is quite warm and dry.

I don't back off the binding DIN setting.

Isn't that camber preserving block of wood between the skis left over from the 60's when most skis had little or no fibreglass or metal? IMO. a block of wood is right up there in usefulness with a boot press.

Yup. Note my image of skis with a block is a pair of 1940's 10th Mt. Division skis.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Block of wood between the skis to keep the camber......

An abrupt end to the season meant my skis are "as is" in my locker in the basement of the SP Village Day Lodge which is quite warm and dry.

I don't back off the binding DIN setting.

Isn't that camber preserving block of wood between the skis left over from the 60's when most skis had little or no fibreglass or metal? IMO. a block of wood is right up there in usefulness with a boot press.

I guess you missed the Dano.........

 

[Dakine]

An abrupt end to the season meant my skis are "as is" in my locker in the basement of the SP Village Day Lodge which is quite warm and dry.

I don't back off the binding DIN setting.

Isn't that camber preserving block of wood between the skis left over from the 60's when most skis had little or no fibreglass or metal? IMO. a block of wood is right up there in usefulness with a boot press.

Whaaat?
You don't use a boot press either?

The reason to turn down bindings is to lower the chance of the springs stress corrosion cracking.
Your bindings will inevitably get salt on the springs (it's everywhere around a ski area) and salt plus stress is not good.
SCC is the main cause of structural failure.

 

[Tom Co.]

I don't do anything and haven't done anything for years. The skis do fine. If there is any rust on the edges, I take care of that with a green thing and some elbow grease before their fall tuneup.

 

[Noodler]

Discussing end of season ski care in mid-March is just so "wrong", but such is the situation we've all been dealt.

 

[Jacques]

My shop guy told me not to overwax for summer. He said it was inevitable that moisture would creep in and then get trapped on edges. He says that then he has to spend time removing rust from people's edges before he can do a pre-season tune.

Seems like decent advice for edges...but not for bases, which I want to keep from drying out. Thoughts?

In a humid place wax on edges can hold water underneath because the bond won't hold.
Clean wax from edges.
With wax on base maybe something like W-D 40 on a rag and wipe edges.
It's so dry where I am, I never have that problem.
Maybe a liquid wax or paste wax on edges, then wiped down?

 

[Max Capacity]

I back off the DIN's, rubber yellow wax on the edges. Then drip on Dominator Hyperzoom wax and iron it in like I do when I wax my skis. I leave it there all summer. Then whenever I need those skis the following season no matter what the snow temp is, the bases are ready to go. Don't have to mess with scraping the yellow summer wax and then waxing with some colder wax because the first ski day for that pair of skis is not till mid January. At 65y/o I've figured out how to make my life easier.

I'm also one of those that don't spend a lot of time brushing out after scrapping. I don't see any difference. Been doing my own tunes for 20 years now.

 

[Brad J]

I tune, wax and store skis I my study for the summer, my bride doesn’t like them there but I tell her that the bedroom would be better and with that suggestion they stay nice and dry in the climate controlled study right where I want them.

 

[Snuckerpooks]

In Japan here we have high humidity. Summer is ridiculous. So if edges aren't properly cared for before they are put away the edges need to have a lot taken off to get back to good condition.

My routine for summer prep has been use a middle of the line wax, not hard, not soft, wax as usual. Scrape ONLY the edges clean. Apply a rust inhibitor generously. One of the Japanese wax makers makes one in the shape of a pen that you can just run along the edges. Do it once more in the middle of summer to give the bases some juice. Come fall or early winter, get a good grind, throw some wax on it until the snow flies. Never had a problem even in such a humid climate.

 

[Jack Lake]

I'll wax the bases, yes to protect, but it also means I just have to scrape and brush in the fall, and I'm GTG. Olive oil on the edges for flavor and edge margin of the bases. block for camber.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'll wax the bases, yes to protect, but it also means I just have to scrape and brush in the fall, and I'm GTG. Olive oil on the edges for flavor and edge margin of the bases. block for camber.

Sarcasm, right?

 

[Jack Lake]

Heavy on the sarcasm. However, food for thought: It's biodegradable (unlike refined motor oils and solvents) and could theoretically act as a rust retardant. I would worry about it getting sticky...

 

[Jack Lake]

Although, some of the older skiers I know DO use vegetable oil.

 

[Andy Mink]

Although, some of the older skiers I know DO use vegetable oil.

Wouldn't the oil have a higher chance of seeping into the core of the ski, especially if it's warm?

 

[Doug Briggs]

Wouldn't the oil have a higher chance of seeping into the core of the ski, especially if it's warm?

Oil is not good for your bases. Trying to put it on the edges would almost invariably get some on the bases.

 

[Marker]

Tuning and waxing my skis at the end of the season lets me reflect on the last trip and extend the emotional benefits of skiing a little further into the spring. I clean up the edges of any rust or damage, tune to my standard 1/3, and wax twice with Dominator Renew base prep. I don't scrap in between, just use the fiberlene method to clean off any old wax and contaminates. The Renew left on the skis is removed next fall and I can apply the glide wax for the first day. This makes getting ready for the next season easy. This year I had to do some epoxy repairs before those skis away for the summer. I don't rush through this end-of-season ritual, just do a little here and there as the mood strikes me. This year they are already all done, I have a little too much time on my hands!

I get my olive oils at Costco, so plenty for tuning and protecting the edges. A little Balsamic improves the flavor...

 

[NE1]

Olive oil? Real men use WD40 as edge protectant - it's made to repel water.
(It's a joke, son.)

 

[Tom K.]

Tune 'em, spray wax them and hope for an early start next season!

 

[Jacques]

Zardoz Not Wax is good for one thing. Put it on your edges if you live in a rust prone environment.
I am luck to have super dry air where I live. We do get river fog in the early hours, but it's no thing if skis are indoors.