Salt Lake City Winter Sports Fans – Here’s How To Store Your Gear Properly!

With the winter sports season in Salt Lake City, Utah, ending soon, one important question arises – where, and how to store all that equipment?

The area is a dream come true for winter sports enthusiasts, with a dozen ski resorts located within a short drive from the city. And, of course, you can do a lot more than skiing – snowboarding, snow tubing, sledding and snowmobiling are just some of the other fun winter activities that can be practiced around Salt Lake City.

Naturally, all those sports involve some sort of equipment  – find out to care for and store your winter gear in Salt Lake City so that you can enjoy them in pristine condition the following season.

First, prepare your gear for storage

The first step when preparing your winter sports gear for long-term storage is to clean everything thoroughly and to fix any minor damage. Then, you should apply protective coating on the items that require it. Check out what operations you cannot skip, based on categories of equipment:

Skis and Snowboards

• Clean your skis and snowboards with some warm soapy water and allow them to dry off completely.
• Inspect your skis and snowboards, paying particular attention to bindings, bases, and edges. If you notice cracks, scratches or damage to the edges, it’s recommended that you have them professionally fixed.
• If not, brush the bases of your skis or snowboards with a brass brush and some base cleaner spray.
• Apply a generous layer of universal wax on the skis, snowboards and bindings to protect them until the next season.

Ski boots

• Remove the liners and the footbeds from your boots, spray them with a disinfectant substance and allow them to dry off and air out for a day or two.
• Wipe the shells of the boots, inside and out, with a damp cloth, and let them dry completely.
• Insert the liners and the footbeds back in the shells and buckle up the boots to prevent warping or bending.

Winter jackets and pants

• Wash your ski jackets and pants using a short, low temperature wash cycle, using a small amount of detergent and avoiding fabric softener. It’s a good idea to do a second rinse, to make sure that all the detergent was removed from the fabric.
• Hang your winter clothing to air dry, or put them in the dryer using a synthetic, low temperature setting.
• Iron them through a towel to reactivate the waterproof treatment.

Snowmobile

• Wash your snowmobile thoroughly, using a pressure washer to remove all the dirt and grease.
• Leave your tank at least half-full, to avoid gaskets and O-rings drying out and becoming brittle. It’s also a good idea to add an enzyme treatment into the fuel tank. This also helps protect rubber lines and gaskets.
• Remove the battery from the snowmobile and make sure you store it in a cool, dry place.

Find the right place to store your equipment

Your winter sports gear must be stored in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. With summers in Salt Lake City being pretty hot, your garage, or other auxiliary spaces in your house, is not the ideal place for storing expensive equipment (unless you have AC in there).

The best solution for the long-term storage of winter sports gear is a climate-controlled self storage unit. A 5’x10’, climate-controlled self storage unit in Salt Lake City rents for a little under $80 per month – and you can fit plenty of sports equipment in it. In case you own a snowmobile, the 10’x10’ unit size is more suitable – and you can rent one in Salt Lake City for around $122 per month. Just follow some basic rules when putting them into storage, and you’ll be able to use them for years to come:

• Get storage racks for your skis and snowboards and avoid storing them leaned against the walls or directly on the floor.
• Strap your skis together before storing.
• Put your ski boots or winter boots in breathable garment bags or in cardboard boxes before storing them.
• Winter jackets and pants should be hung in your storage unit or closet at home and in a garment bag to protect it from dust. Avoid putting this type of clothing in vacuum bags as much as possible, as it can take days for winter jackets and pants to return to their normal level of puffiness once you take them out.
• As a general rule, avoid storing anything directly on the floor of the storage unit, and don’t stack items that could bend or warp.
• In the case of snowmobile storage, it’s important that you keep the tracks off the ground. Using sled dollies or another type of stand is recommended.

Caring for and storing your winter sports gear properly is important – not only are those items expensive, but damage to the gear caused by unsuitable storage can lead to unwanted accidents.