How to Store Snowboard Gear for Summer
Ready to put your skis, snowboards, and boots away for the offseason? In this “How to Store Your Snowsports Gear for the Summer” series, members of the 2024-28 PSIA-AASI National Team share their pro tips.
In the first two articles, members of the PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team and PSIA Alpine Team shared their best practices; here, AASI Snowboard Team members Brian Donovan and Lyndsey Stevens provide their offseason storage insights. (Pro Tip: Bookmark or print this content for annual use and scroll to the bottom for specific offseason wax recommendations from PSIA-AASI Official Supplier Toko).
Remember that, for safety reasons, certain adjustments should only be made by people with experience. If, for example, you’ve never adjusted a binding, get some guidance before going it alone. This series is not meant to teach you exactly how to tune equipment but is to remind you not to store your gear by tossing it into a corner and then forgetting about it for several months. Happy summer!
Preparing Your Snowboards for Storage
When it comes to tuning his boards for the offseason, Brian Donovan has a 4-point approach:
1. Put a crisp 2-degree base and 2-degree side bevel on the edges. Start with a panzer file, and work up through diamond stones from 220, 325, 600, 1200, and then finish with 2000. Clean off any excess metal shavings before waxing.
2. Hot scrape to pull all spring dirt/grime out of the base. Use an all-temp wax and put a generous layer across the entire base and then immediately and before the base cools, scrape all the wax off and watch it pull the dirt out of the base.
3. Wax with a warmer temperature range wax with a generous layer and let the base completely cool.
4. Store off the ground in a way that doesn’t put any extreme weight into the middle of the board, which might mess with the camber.
Find out more about how to get your snowboard into the ultimate offseason shape with this tuning video courtesy of AASI Snowboard Team member Matt Larson.
Getting Your Snowboard Boots Ready for Storage
For snowboard boots, Brian says that he keeps one dryer sheet in each boot liner all year long, except when he’s wearing them. This ensures that his roommates on the road don’t hate him, and it also helps to circulate air through them on a boot dryer. He also puts one new dryer sheet in each boot before summer storage.
AASI Snowboard Team member Lyndsey Stevens adds that when she stores her boots, she likes to make sure they are completely dry; she often uses a Therm-ic boot dryer to help with this. To maintain their shape and structure, she makes sure the boots are neatly tied, or boa’ed. She also puts in some Sidas dryer cedar wood bags to help keep the boots dry throughout the offseason.
Packing Away Your Snowboard Bindings
Regarding bindings, Lyndsey says that they should be taken off snowboards to reduce pressure from the screws inside the mounts. This helps reduce protrusions that form on the base of the snowboard.
She adds that, as she does with boots, if the bindings have straps, she fastens the straps so that they will keep their shape and structure.
Storing Gloves and Using Go Bags
When it comes to accessories, Brian says his handwear gets special attention as he heads into the offseason. He warms up his gloves with a hair dryer, then uses Hestra leather balm to condition the leather for the summer, and then leaves them out to dry before he stores them.
When he stores his gloves and mittens, he hangs them on a coat tree hanging in the open air. This keeps them from getting moldy or mildewy and keeps them fresh.
Lyndsey keeps all her accessories together in her ”go bag,” a backpack she’s packed ahead of time for when a short notice opportunity arises or in preparation for a late or early season day on the hill. The bag has an Anon helmet; 1 pair of Anon WM1 goggles, with two different lens options; a pair of Hestra Freeride C Zone mitts; a Phunkshun Wear Dendrite Single Tube and Mistral Double Tube; a TNF beanie; and a snowboard tool.
She also keeps any extra soft goods in a storage container, once they have been cleaned and dried.
“The go bag is fantastic for allowing me to get on snow quickly, and knowing I have everything I will need without having to sort through extra stuff,” she said.
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Need some tools to help get your gear ready for the offseason? Ian Harvey, head tech of Toko, says Base Performance Red is Toko’s recommendation for summer storage wax. It’s a mid-range wax that’s the perfect hardness for storage waxing. He adds that if wax is too soft, it gets eaten up over the summer. If it’s too hard, the wax doesn’t seal the air and dust out very well. The Red is just viscous enough and just hard enough to be a perfect storage wax.
