Will my skis get damaged on my roof driving across country?

Jthon74

Jthon74

Member
hey im driving from buffalo to tahoe next week and i will be carrying 4 pairs of skis two cambered and two rockered on my roof. they will be in the yakima fat cat 6 rack. my question is should i wrap the tips and tails up in seran wrap to avoid travel damage. salt and stuff. also is there any possibility that if they are in the ski rack for a long time will it mess with the rocker on my arg's and my hellbents. the ski rack tends to squeeze down on the rocker tip and tail and it makes it hard to close the rack making me think they will bend out the tip and tail. any suggestions?
 
mostly likely won't hurt them on the road but definitely could get hit by rocks kicked up. would at least keep them from getting dirty
 
Generous coating of wax will do the trick. Slather a little on the edges too to protect from rust if they get wet.
Either way... any damage they get on a ski rack pales in comparison to what you'll do to them actually skiing.
Have fun in tahoe. i'll be there.
 
thanks for the feedback seems legit to heavy wax them. prob wont make it super tight to keep the rockers in tact.
 
if you are driving to tahoe i would suggest trying to ski somewhere in the rockies also. driving 80 its super easy to hit the slc mountains on the way.
 
I'd be more worried about the bindings, I'd wrap (and duct tape) some plastic around the bindings if I were you, to protect it from sand/grit
 
I have had problems like this. When I drive with a car rack and my rocker skis, I separate the rocker ones, and put them so the bases face up on each ski. Mind you, I have One Lifes, so when they are together, they look retarted, wouldn't work all too well with those in a ski rack.

Do you understand what I'm getting at?
 
Just got back from a trip from PA to Ohio. I left my tips and tails uncovered and they are fine just got some of that nasty salt residue on them. My suggestion, separate the rockered skis, and just take those giant ass black garbage bags and put them over your skis and duct tape around the tip, in between the bindings and on the tail.
 
I would really try to wrap the entire ski if you cant fit them in your car. the biggest issue i see is rusting of the edges. if its raining at all your edges will probably start to develop rust spots. Also, todays ski bases are made from high quality materials... thats a pretty long drive to leave them exposed to the elements. and as a previous member said, i would be worried about the bindings. Bindings have moving parts which often have grease on them... "road grit" will stick to the grease and possible hinder the performance of the bindings and or ware them out quicker. IMO
 
i now i always see snowboarders with board bags on there ski racks could u not just put a bag on i trueley have no idea but i think that would work quite well
 
Thing about putting board bags on the roof is all the road debris that'd dirty it up. I'd hate to deal with it, but it'd work, just as long as it's not too bulky..
 
if your going long distances like that a really smart idea would be to get a yakima or thule box. you can toss all your skis, poles, boots, and a bunch of other gear in it. keeps everything dry, clean and damage free.
 
roof box is definitely the best option. next best option is a snowboard bag. i use one to carry two pairs of skis when i travel and all my crap fits in there too. there's no reason you cant fit 3 pairs of skis in there and it'll be very secure. if you're worried about the bag getting dirty just put a garbage bag over the front of it once its tied down.
its also a security thing. if people can't see what's in the bag they probably wont try to steal it. and you can use a bike lock to lock it to the roof racks if you want to.
 
Why don't you just wrap them up in a plastic bag? will atleast cover em from the weather :) And since a basic plastic bag wont cost you a shit, why not be on the safe side? :)
 
There is a product for this, its a stretch fabric that fits tight over your skis and zips on and off. I drove all summer with a few sets of skis on the top of my golf. I had to clean a tonne of bug guts and shit off when I got home. Just take em to the car wash when you pull into tahoe and spray em off! Problem solved.
 
like everyone said before, just wax, possible cover tips and tails, but most importantly watch out for wet edges which WILL lead to rust within no time. happened to mine overnight a=on or backyard setup.
 
If you definetely aren't skiing along the way you might want to wrap each ski individually so that the rocker doesn't get fucked and they are protected. You could bypass the whole process by putting them in your car. I know you probably can't fit them but if there is any way possible I think it could help.
 
This is a bit of self-promotion but very relevant to the topic. I also remember the beefy ski bags that airlines use to give out for flying with skis. I was surprised that there was nowhere to buy them anymore because they are perfect for roof and hitch-mount ski racks. I recently started to produce Ski Slips, which are waterproof 4mil poly bags for protecting skis from road grime, salt, and muck.
https://sloggn.com/collections/tool...eavy-duty-poly-ski-bag?variant=42857470886039

topic:Jthon74 said:
hey im driving from buffalo to tahoe next week and i will be carrying 4 pairs of skis two cambered and two rockered on my roof. they will be in the yakima fat cat 6 rack. my question is should i wrap the tips and tails up in seran wrap to avoid travel damage. salt and stuff. also is there any possibility that if they are in the ski rack for a long time will it mess with the rocker on my arg's and my hellbents. the ski rack tends to squeeze down on the rocker tip and tail and it makes it hard to close the rack making me think they will bend out the tip and tail. any suggestions?
Click to expand...
 
I did it this summer and the edges got a bit rusty. Tried cleaning it with oil and a cloth but its more than surface. Bindings also got dirt in the craziest small cracks. I was on the road for 3 months though. Maybe wrap em in saran wrap!
 
No unless you don't strap them down and they fall off.

I can still vividly see my beloved favorite pair of Rossi skis flying off the roof of my dads car because he didn't strap them in when we got on the highway. Binder was fucked and I had to get some total ass skis I hated instead.
 
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