Off season storage

[Jilly]

Need some help from the wisdom of Pugski:

In the past I had a garage with rafters that was used for ski storage. Now I have a condo with no garage and limited storage. So my skis are going to summer at the cottage. I have 2 storage rooms that I can use. (Both were supposed to be bathrooms)

I love Phil's toe type holders, but not sure about backing behind the walls. So I'm looking at other ways. With 4 pairs of skis now, under the bed isn't going to happen. So I thinking 2 different ways.

1. Dowels on a wood backer. The skis would have to hang by the tips.
2. Adjustable shelves. Pilasters attached to the wall and the shelving brackets covered in foam. This will take up more room, but I do have the space. Longest are my 95C at 170
3. Find a good wood worker and try Phil's toe holders on a piece of backer wood.

Any thoughts on these 3 or any other options I should entertain?

 

[Bad Bob]

I use a modified system of your dowels and hanging. Set the dowels lower so tails rest on the ground and put a rubber band around 2 of the dowels to keep one pair in place. Boots get a better spot, in a closet.
Also store them in a dark corner of the garage so I don't hear them crying. Sleep tight skis and poles, see you in the Fall.

 

[Coach13]

i store mine in heated garage with simple lightweight $2 Home Depot L-Brackets screwed to the wall studs. 2 brackets per set of skis about 3.5 to 4 feet apart. Skis lay parallel from bracket to bracket. I have the brackets stacked up the entire wall about 1.5 ft apart so from within a couple feet of the floor to ceiling I can store about 6 pairs. Took about 30 minutes total to set it up. I set this up at least 10 years ago it works great and as long as you have a spare wall a little longer than your skis it’s doable and is a great space saver. If I didn’t have a large garage, I’d do a similar set up in my home office the only difference is I would use stained wood brackets to match my office wood trim work.

 

[Sibhusky]

You're all so neat. I lean them against the wall in the utility room. Separated, so the brakes aren't pulling against the camber. The room is only used when it's ski season and I'm tuning or we're changing the water filter. Otherwise they'd be doing the same thing in the "camping closet". In both places, the tails are protected from the concrete floor by something, rug or cardboard. End of story. No storage wax, etc. The room is quite warm and dry. There's a moisture alarm in case of water tank failure or septic back up. No rack. I bought the parts years ago and never got around to it, which is just fine as we've relocated stuff over the years. If I were storing things in a "public room", I might worry.

 

[Jilly]

I use a modified system of your dowels and hanging. Set the dowels lower so tails rest on the ground and put a rubber band around 2 of the dowels to keep one pair in place.

Like this idea, except lengths are not the same 155, 159, 161, 170. They actually use rubber bands at the local ski shop for that.

 

[firebanex]

I use the retail versions of phils toe holder thingies, Hangemright and Button ski holders. I like the Hangemright holders the best, but they don't appear to exist anymore. Everything is in my "gear" room as we don't have a garage, so I repurposed a 3rd bedroom into a room dedicated to all of our gear for adventuring.

Prior to that I used to hang them with loops of paracord around the toe piece from the ends of wire racks in my garage at a previous apartment. My dad uses a modified version of the old hang them by the tips rack and now uses loops of paracord around the bindings to help relieve the compression of the tips from that rack.

 

[Jilly]

Paracord would alleviate the problem of the different length in the tip holder type. And as you say take the pressure off the tips.

 

[lvlcrank]

You just need a larger bed

 

[Jilly]

I need a higher bed.....Not enough room underneath 2/3 beds....

I have a wood working friend that really like Phil's system. We're going to do the prototype at my place and he'll make another for his...That's going to cost me some Scotch!! So from doing fancy wood boats to ski racks....But then today he was making a critter proof garbage enclosure for his place.

 

[geepers]

Does anyone have to do anything special to protect edges from corrosion?

We used to rent skis until a few seasons back when we started skiing many more days. We now have 3 pairs of skis.

• A pair of Blizzard Bushwackers I've owned for 4 seasons and never really bothered doing more than hang the ski bag in the garage. Edges looked the same months later when it's time to get 'em out.
• A pair of Nordica Belles (wife's skis) - 1st off season they suffered significant edge corrosion. Most of it came out on tune however there's still discoloration and a tendency to corrode if left unattended for more than a few days.
• A pair of Rossi Exp 84s - closer to the Blizzards but not immune from discoloration.

I tried waxing however the seal can easily crack and let the air in. I now apply masking tape along the edges - seems to work ok.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Jilly]

Where are you storing the skis? I've never had a rust problem. And like Sibusky I don't do anything to my skis.

 

[eok]

Does anyone have to do anything special to protect edges from corrosion?

We used to rent skis until a few seasons back when we started skiing many more days. We now have 3 pairs of skis.

• A pair of Blizzard Bushwackers I've owned for 4 seasons and never really bothered doing more than hang the ski bag in the garage. Edges looked the same months later when it's time to get 'em out.
• A pair of Nordica Belles (wife's skis) - 1st off season they suffered significant edge corrosion. Most of it came out on tune however there's still discoloration and a tendency to corrode if left unattended for more than a few days.
• A pair of Rossi Exp 84s - closer to the Blizzards but not immune from discoloration.

I tried waxing however the seal can easily crack and let the air in. I now apply masking tape along the edges - seems to work ok.

Any other suggestions?

Over the years, I've tried different things.

When I knew I'd be away from skiing for a season or two (eg: they'd have to be in storage long term), I'd clean the skis well, set the bindings to the lowest possible setting, wax the bases (not scrape them) and then wrap each ski in shrink wrap. They'd be stored upright (separated, not paired together via the brakes - to preserve camber) in a cool low humidity space.

The last few years I just do a clean & wax and store 'em in a utility closet in the house. We live in an area that's relatively low humidity year round.

Used to live near the ocean. Super high humidity year round. I initially found some ski edges would show some degree of rust when I pulled them out of storage in the fall. So, to counter this: at the end of the season, the final step before storing the skis was to simply rub some soft spring wax along the top & side edges. Then I'd rub the edges lightly with a soft cloth, which would leave a consistent thin wax film on the edges. Worked great.

Woodworker's paste wax - if applied sparingly and lightly with a soft(ish) cloth - works too. Just don't glop it on because the volatiles in the past wax (which eventually evaporate after application) could affect ski sidewalls. I've used paste wax on ski edges before storing them because I'm a woodworker and sometimes the paste wax can is just a few steps closer than the the ski wax storage box. Anyway, either method worked for me.

I think the quality of the steel in a ski's edges is a factor too. In years past (like 80s-90s), I had a couple models of skis that would seemingly start showing rust just looking at them the day after skiing 'em.

 

[geepers]

Where are you storing the skis? I've never had a rust problem. And like Sibusky I don't do anything to my skis.

In ski bags in the garage hanging from an internal wall. Not damp other than Sydney is a temperate, coastal city. Gets humid at times although we don't live near the sea.

The are all stored in the same place in the same way. The Nordica Belles are most affected. I wondered about steel quality. (@eok).

 

[Sibhusky]

The garage is the very last place I'd store skis. Cars are always coming in wet from rain, etc. That's why my skis are inside where I am. I even feel guilty about the fact I don't wipe them down before putting them in the ski locker each day during the season (I have friends that make a big production out of it.) I just knock the snow off, separate them and angle them base side up so the moisture drains away from the edges. The locker room is pretty over heated, so they have done okay, but I should probably be more obsessive. But I don't leave them in Thule boxes or garages or outdoor sheds. Yes, there's skis in the garage -- the ones for that fence or bench I'll never build.

 

[eok]

In ski bags in the garage hanging from an internal wall. Not damp other than Sydney is a temperate, coastal city. Gets humid at times although we don't live near the sea.

The are all stored in the same place in the same way. The Nordica Belles are most affected. I wondered about steel quality. (@eok).

So, I usually put the skis-of-the-day in a ski bag & load that in the car for the trip to the hill. But when I return home at the end of the day, the skis come out of the ski bag, get wiped down and then put in a closet. Leaving them in the ski bag wet/damp would surely promote rust. Best to keep the skis in a place in the living area of the house, because the air is (usually) conditioned and (usually) less humid. But for Syndey, yes, it's best to wipe the skis down to dry them off & leave them out of the ski bag. Prop/hang them up vertically (helps them dry completely), with the tails on something safe - like a mat. It's way harder for skis to rust if they are dry.

TIP: Look at the inside of your ski bag(s). If there's areas of brownish rust residue anyplace inside that's a problem because some of that rust residue can transfer to ski edges and - especially if there is any moisture in the bag & you're leaving skis in the bag - you'll get rust spots on the edges again.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Cover skis with a thick layer of rotting Spring mud with a large dose that salt they use firm up snow to lube the bindings. Toss skis into garage and worry about them in the Fall.

 

[François Pugh]

My skis live in my living room and dining room in my apartment, leaning against the wall, tips up, bindings towards the wall, well waxed and not scraped.

 

[Jilly]

I've never stored my skis in the bag. That just traps moisture. Give them air. Our garage never saw a car in it. DH's workshop. As much as I'm glad I don't have the house anymore, I miss the garage....

Spent most of yesterday packing away the ski stuff. I'm also purging some of it. Next weekend I'll get to the rest of the clothes. I don't need 5 ski suits. No I don't, so don't say it and 2 don't fit!!

After breakfast I'm going to find a tape measure and get some info together for my friend. @PhillyGuy , you can buy the hangers premade?

 

[Bill Talbot]

The most important issues are moisture, heat and light. Better stated as needing a cool, dry and no direct sunlight location.
After that it's just semantics.

 

[Coach13]

The garage is the very last place I'd store skis. Cars are always coming in wet from rain, etc. That's why my skis are inside where I am. I even feel guilty about the fact I don't wipe them down before putting them in the ski locker each day during the season (I have friends that make a big production out of it.) I just knock the snow off, separate them and angle them base side up so the moisture drains away from the edges. The locker room is pretty over heated, so they have done okay, but I should probably be more obsessive. But I don't leave them in Thule boxes or garages or outdoor sheds. Yes, there's skis in the garage -- the ones for that fence or bench I'll never build.

I’d tend to agree. In my case my attached garage is temp controlled and houses my workshop and gym area. I house our vehicles in the detached garage close by. I also stay away from storing the skis in ski bags. The only corrosion issue I’ve ever had is when I would ski them, throw them in a ski bag and repeat. Now I use the ski bags to transport only. When I return from the hill I wipe them off and hang them as I described earlier. It’s worked great for me for a while.