Ski and binding care?

Question

I have a new pair of atomic skies plus fitted bindings ... without care instructions! Is there anything I should be doing to keep them in good condition between use and once the season has finnished?

Answer 1

BETWEEN EACH SESSION:  Shake off any accumulated snow/ice.  You can either let the skis dry on their own, or you can wipe them down and reduce waterspots.  Check the skis and bindings for any damage.  If any damage were to have occurred, it would most likely be to the base and/or edges.  Some damages can be repaired by yourself if you know how, but more severe ones probably require a visit to a ski tuner.

It is recommended that you wax your skis between each session for optimal performance.  However, some waxes are cheap and short-lasting to the point where you will lose most of it even without finishing a ski day.  It's also dependent on the snow condition.  The way to tell is when you bring your skis inside to let it dry out.  If the bases are dry and white-ish (as opposed to smooth and clear), you lost all your wax and are "burning" your base.  It's not a particularly good thing if that happens.  Some people bring field-applicable wax (spray or hand-rubbed) to deal with this, but I prefer to just use longer-lasting waxes.  There is actually a whole field that deals with how to tune ski bases, from different wax types to structuring the base.  You can explore that if you want to get technical.  However, most people just buy some wax and a waxing iron and learn to take care of this part of ski maintenance themselves, as it gets to be a hassle (and expensive) if you have to get a shop to do this for you between every session.

It is recommended that you pay attention to your edges after every session as well.  The better you are as a skier, the more you will depend on your edges.  Edges need to be sharp without being dangerously sharp (i.e. knife-sharp), but there is also a lot to that, including angles-of-bevel and detuning.  Unless you're really technically-oriented and want to invest in learning and tuning equipment/supplies, this is often best left to the shop.  Just pay attention to the state of your edges.

MOTHBALLING SKIS AT THE END OF THE SEASON:  You are recommended to dry your skis thoroughly and take them to a shop and tell them to wax it for storage.  They will leave a lot of wax on, which is good for keeping the the bases from drying out over the long off-season.  What they might also do is cover the edges in wax.  Despite that, your ski edges still might rust, which is unfortunately normal.  Personally, I take care to coat my edges with a durable oil (gun oil, in my case) before I wax the base.  You also want to store your skis in a clean, dry environment like a closet.  If you have to store it in a garage, you might want to wrap it up in plastic or invest in a ski bag.  When a new season begins, you should take your skis back to the shop and have them do a complete tune-up and re-waxing (the old wax will have oxidized in a year).

There is debate to what you should do for your bindings.  In case it's not obvious, your bindings involve springs that are compressed.  Some people insist on de-compressing the springs for the off-season (by backing off all the DIN adjustments), while others leave it where it is.  I think unless you're competent in working on your own bindings (most people are not), you're probably better off leaving your bindings as-is.  However, you might consider storing your heelpiece in the down position (that is, as if you had stepped into it with a boot, but without the boot).  That position de-compresses the spring more than the ready-to-accept-a-boot position.  At the beginning of the new season, you should also get the bindings re-adjusted and TESTED for release pressure while you're getting the whole tune-up for the skis.

Answer 2

I typically wipe down all the loose snow wedged up in the binding. I also wipe down my skis. Basically the is really nothing you truly have to do between usage. At the end, make sure you ski's are put in a dry place. and prior to use next year you can take you skis to get sharpened and your bindings readjusted. That is where the true care takes place. Right before you ski the next season. You might not even have to get your ski's sharpened or your bindings adjusted. It depends on the type (How Aggressive) your sking is & how many times you go skiing. If you go once a week then I'd have them checked out prior to skiing next year