It's summer ski prep time

Thu, Apr  3, 2008 - By Mike Muha

It's pretty much the end of the season in southeast Michigan. The snow is gone, except for a few small piles left from plowing parking lots, and the ground is warming. Although we'll get at least one more snow storm, it will melt quickly, and the warm ground will make for poor skiing.

It's definitely time to put away the racing skis - unless you're heading off the the Oregon Springfest training camp in Bend Oregon next week or to the Crested Butte, Colorado camp in early June (no details yet).

It's summer prep time

1. The first thing I'm doing is putting my klisters into a plastic bag and tossing them into the freezer. Kilster has a habit of leaking all over the place, especially if they're warm. In the freezer, they stay nice and cozy and firm - no leaking.
    
   
2. Next, I'm summer waxing my skis. I bought a big block of cheap "universal wax". For each set of skis, I'll do a quick clean job by melting on some wax then immediately scraping, then I'll quickly iron in a layer of wax to protect the bases over the summer.
    
   
3. I'm also thinking about sending out a least one pair of skis to be stone ground. Better now when I don't need them than just before a race next winter...
    
   
4. Spring sales are going at the local ski shops, so I'm also making a list - and checking it twice - of waxes and equipment that I need and might be able to pick up cheap.
    
   
5. Finally, it's off with the baskets and on with the rollerski ferrules. I'm also loading my rollerskis into my car so if the whim hits, I'm ready to roll.

But I'll be keeping a pair of rock skis around for that final snow storm in April...