4 things you shouldn’t do with your ski gear
Whether you’re a confident or seasoned skier or someone who has only recently taken up this activity, there are certain mistakes – both big and small – that you might easily make with your ski equipment.
Such oversights can have major consequences for the performance, functionality, and longevity of your ski gear, and even your safety.
So, below, our experts here at Ski Exchange in the UK have outlined four things we would urge you not to do with those essential ski items.
· Store your skis somewhere too wet… or too dry
Basically, the responsible formula to follow with the storage of skis is the “Goldilocks” approach. By that, we mean storing them somewhere with reasonable “middle-ground” conditions, rather than a location that is overly wet, dry, hot, or cold.
All too often, for example, skiers leave their skis in a damp basement or an inadequately sealed garage. Such moisture and exposure to the elements can be a recipe for increasingly brittle plastic, rusty edges, and the warping of the softer materials in skis and bindings.
But on the other hand, keeping your skis somewhere very hot and dry can also be bad news. These conditions, too, can lead to brittleness and cracking of the plastic, while imperilling the integrity of other materials in your skis.
· Keep using your ski helmet after a hard knock
We’re sure we won’t need to spend very long reminding you why, of all the ski gear you own, you will not want to take any chances with the condition of your helmet.
One of the most critical things to bear in mind about ski helmets, is that they aren’t designed to withstand several tough hits.
So, if you’ve recently crashed during your time on the slopes and your helmet took a big whack, we would strongly urge you to consider replacing your ski helmet for future trips.
This might even be a nice excuse for you to significantly upgrade your present helmet. Why not take your pick from the extensive range available from Ski Exchange in the UK?
· Leave your ski boots unbuckled for extended periods
Given how much time and energy you are likely to have spent getting your ski boots to fit perfectly, you won’t want the way you store them to ruin all your hard work.
So, we can’t emphasise this one enough: always store your ski boots slightly buckled, to help maintain their shape.
If you instead leave your ski boots unbuckled for significant periods of time, the curved plastic in the boots will try to straighten itself out. This will lead to a change in the boots’ overall shape, which might mean they no longer fit you in the same way.
· Use harsh or acidic compounds to clean your bindings
You should always clean your ski bindings once it becomes obvious that they have accumulated a lot of dirt. Otherwise, the bindings could be damaged, much as the surface of the skis themselves can be harmed in the absence of regular cleaning.
You should be careful, though, to avoid the use of acidic or harsh substances for the cleaning of your bindings – and a dedicated cleaner for plastics should be considered a “no-no”, too. Instead, we would advise you to clean your bindings with a cloth, lukewarm water, and mild soap.
As we stated above, looking after your ski gear isn’t merely important for ensuring it continues to look and function well; it is also about protecting yourself.
If you require any of the aforementioned ski equipment or clothing, don’t forget that you’ll never be far away from excellent-quality and well-priced items when you choose Ski Exchange in the UK! You are also welcome to contact us for tailored buying advice.