Sharks, demons, and other ski-hungry beasts lurk beneath the clement whiteness that we all ski on top of. Believe it. If you’ve yet to hear the tell-tale crunch of a ski-vs.-rock core shot, consider yourself blessed. Rocks, stumps, and other hard sub-snow nasties want to eat your skis bases, and if you aren’t wary, they’ll eat your ski right out from under you. Fortunately, we have some triage tips for when the ski-eaters pounce. Read More …
Gear Articles tagged ‘do-it-yourself’
Best Way to Wax Your Skis
By: JGW | February 3rd, 2010Fresh wax smells better than incense any day—just one of many reasons why you should regularly wax your skis.
A well-waxed ski runs more smoothly on any and every snow surface than non-waxed ski. While some novices may feel that a lack of waxing will help them from ‘going too fast,’ this is actually faulty logic. Read More …
How To Deburr Ski Edges
By: JGW | February 2nd, 2010Catching an edge on manky snow sucks. Deburring your ski edges smooths everything out when you’re making turns. Here are some easy steps to deburr your ski edges. Read More …
How to Detune Ski Tips and Tails
By: JGW | February 2nd, 2010Factory-fresh edges are magic underfoot, but let those tips and tail go untouched for long and you’re aiming to hook your way into edge-catch city and tip-dive town. Sharp, tuned edges are there to help you slow and control your descent on the mountain (and so you don’t die on East Coast ice). Thing is, while most of your ski is wrapped with a metal edge, you don’t actually use your entire tip-to-tail edge for control. In fact, the tips and tails of tuned and new skis often hook and catch on the snow, making for bad days on the mountain. Read More …
On A Magic Carpet Ride: Cutting & Caring for Your Skins
By: Andy Anderson | January 28th, 2010
Paired with some AT or telemark bindings and a hulking set of quadriceps, climbing skins are like your own person ski lift that requires no diesel fuel, packs up to the size of a Nalgene, and costs just a bit more than a day pass at your local mega resort. Some skin manufacturers make pre-cut designs, but most require at least some custom trimming to your skis before you can paste them on and set off into the backcountry. Here are a few tips for cutting your new skins to fit and keeping them fully functional throughout the season. Read More …
Make Your Own Splitboard – DIY – What You Need
By: Justin Mool | January 27th, 2010
Crave fresh tracks? Stop lugging your snowboard on your back, leave those snowshoes in the garage, and upgrade to a splitboard. Backcountry split snowboards give you a highly specialized weapon for finding untracked pow. Even professional riders like Backcountry.com athlete Jeremy Jones have seen the light of a splitboard. Backcountry splitboarding connects you with the snow and your surroundings like none other. But if you’re not willing to drop a bunch of cash on a factory-made splitboard like the Burton S-Series or the Voile SD Mojo Splitboard, you can make your own splitboard—provided you have the tools, patience, and cajones.
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How to Make Your Own Splitboard
By: Justin Mool | January 27th, 2010
This page presents general instructions on how to make your own splitboard using the Voile Split Decision Kit. Not sure where to begin? Check out What you need to make your own splitboard. These steps can help you decide if splitting a snowboard is something you want / can do. They correspond to our DIY splitboard detailed instructions. Read More …