With the new season nearly upon us it is important to make sure that all your ski gear is ready and in order. You can’t claim first chair if you’re rushing around the morning of, trying to find skis and boots, only to then realize you’ve got a coat of summer wax and a couple road rashed boots soles. Not the best start to a new season.
Ski shops get up and running in the fall months for just this reason, we want our customers ready for that first day long before it comes. We know that it can be difficult to find time to get your ski gear together, but once its here you can relax. We have a shop full of highly skilled technicians who know exactly what to do!
Three steps to ensure your ski gear is ready
1. Boot Inspection
The first thing we want to check are your boots. After all, we are The Boot Pro’s! Mostly we will be looking your boot soles. Over time the bottom of boots wear down from walking on pavement or gravel. Skiing with boots that have worn down soles is risky since they may not fit into the binding as designed. If your boot soles are replaceable, this problem can easily be fixed. We have multiple soles in stock during early season. So we simply fit your boots with a fresh pair. Prolonging this isn’t the best idea. If wear and tear goes beyond the replaceable soles, your boots will need extra work and may no longer function properly, which means you need to buy new boots.
2. Binding Testing
Secondly, we advise that you get your bindings checked in the early season. Wear and tear over the past season and summer storage can cause the binding release tension setting to change. The DIN setting in the window on your binding toe may still read the same 6.5 setting as last year, but there’s a good chance that the mechanics within the binding have changed.
*Fun fact: The term DIN actually stands for Deutsches Institut fur Normung. The German Institute for Standardization which has been adopted world wide.
We use a Wintersteiger electronic binding tester to insure professional and accurate binding testing and adjustment. Additionally, our technicians are certified each season and understand the inner workings of all brands of ski bindings. With some basic info (height, weight, age, skier type) and both of YOUR ski boots we will put your bindings through the test to ensure that they release accurately when you are on the hill.
3. Ski Tuning
Lastly, we want to make sure your skis are ready for the new season! If you had them summer prepped then all we need to do is remove the summer wax and put some fresh “juice” into the bases. If your skis were not tuned and waxed for summer ski storage at the end of last season, they likely need some work. We suggest a full tune in order to get them back to their best self. Our Winteresteiger Mercury ski tuning machine guarantees the highest quality tune available, and our knowledgeable staff will make sure that your skis have the proper base and side angles as well as structure and wax.
So as you can see early season ski prep is easy as 1-2-3, don’t put it off for “when you have more time”, the time is now. Snow will be flying soon and Okemo will be open before you know it. Drop your ski gear off with us and have it ready for pick up the next day (or next day you are in town)! Round up your skis and boots and drop them off now.