With the ski season on hold for many of us, it’s the right time to focus on taking care of your winter gear. Long periods of time away from the mountains can be tough on your gear if it’s not cared for and stored in the right way, and could leave you in for a nasty surprise when you next hit the slopes. Here’s Snow+Rock’s expert guide to caring for your gear:

Ski Jacket

With everyone throwing on ski jackets for their daily walks, your outerwear can end up looking seriously worse for wear. You need to clean and reproof it before storage to remove any dirt which could be clogging the pores of your jacket’s waterproof outer – and avoid getting seriously soaked on your next pilgrimage to the mountains. Wash and dry your jacket thoroughly according to its care label, and then use either a wash-in or spray-on reproofer to restore its waterproof performance.

Once that’s done, store your jacket hanging up instead of folded; a jacket’s insulating performance relies on its filling, and compressing it can cause the down to clump together and lose its effectiveness. This is the same for synthetic insulated jackets, although synthetic filling isn’t as sensitive to compression so can be stored folded in a pinch.

Shop Snow+Rock ski jackets here

Ski Boots

If you’ve visited our boot fitting labs, you’ll know nothing rivals the comfort and responsiveness of a custom-fitted pair of ski boots. The time to protect your investment really comes when putting them away, so here’s how to store your ski boots the right way until the next time we hit the slopes.

The first step is to remove your liners and let them dry fully away from a heat source – although we’re sure you did this after every day on the slopes anyway. Check all the screws and buckles are tight, and inspect the soles for signs of wear which may need to be fixed before your next trip to maintain optimal contact between your boots and bindings. Finally, put your liners back in, buckle up your boots to retain their shape, and store them in a cool, dry place – away from anything that might eat them!

Skis and snowboards

Your skis/board need regular TLC to stay performing at their very best. While you’re baking yet another loaf of banana bread over lockdown, we recommend checking on your trusty skis/board, give them another dose of storage wax to remove imperfections and sharpen the edges to prepare your pride and joy for its long period of storage. If you didn’t remove your board bindings after last season, now is your chance. Use a ski tie or elastic bands to hold your skis together and store them in the back of a wardrobe or under the bed – room temperature is key to fend off rust and damp.

Finally, when it’s time to get back out there next season, bring it back to Snow+Rock for a scrape and polish and get ready to ride good as new.

Visit the Snow+Rock website for more advice and helpful tips for your winter kit.

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