Get your skis ready for summer

As ski season winds down and you move onto other activities - mountain biking, stand up paddle boarding - whatever you enjoy in the summer - there's one last step you should take before forgetting about your skis.

A storage wax job for your skis is a critical step many people skip that will keep your ski bases in much better shape for next season. It's quick and easy, and it'll save you time and money next season, not to mention keep up the performance of your skis.

If you don't give your skis a storage wax, the bases will oxidize, making them run really, really slow and less able to absorb wax the next time around. Often you'll have to grind the bases of your skis when they oxidize, adding expense and reducing the life of your skis.

But if you follow these steps, your skis will be in great shape for hitting the slopes next season.

1: Hot scrape: Take a soft wax like Swix Base Prep BP99 or Dominator Renew and do a hot scrape - apply the wax then immediately scrape and brush the wax while still warm. This will clean out your bases, removing all the dirt you picked up spring skiing.

2: Storage wax: Wax with a red wax like Swix CH8 or Holmenkol Beta - something durable that will last the summer. Don't scrape or brush, leave it on thick.

That's it! It's amazing how much will soak in over the summer, preventing oxidization and improving your skiing next season.

And if you don't feel like doing it yourself or don't own a ski waxing iron, we can do the service for $15, also inspecting the edges and checking out the rest of the ski.

Want to do more of your own ski tuning? Check out our Ski Tuning Instructional DVD with our own World Cup ski tuner and Start Haus owner, Jim Schaffner.