storing skis

Question
QUESTION: Is it OK to store skis face to face hanging by their tips between two wooden pegs ?  We store them in a dry basement at 55 to 65 deg F @ 30 to 40 % humidity.  Do I need to Summer wax them in these conditions or just give them a regular wax job?

ANSWER: Hi Jim and thanks for the question

when you say face to face - do you mean bases?? yes it is
hanging them is fine.

Im not o-fay with ferienhight [spell check] but i dare say they are cooler temps - are they summer temps or just winter?

I would still do the summer wax - really the only difference is that it covers the edges as well. So you wont do any damage by doing it and the small amount of wax it will take to do it [about 15drops per ski] it is a small cost for a huge potential saving [once your edges rust and bases dry out - skis deteriorate quickly in the snow].

You can wax the skis yourself - i have written about this previously, if you need some info, just ask.

lisa
NOTE: im currently competing in a masters meet, so i will be away from the computer for a few days so the reply will take a bit longer. thanks

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes bases.... The Temp stays around 13 deg c in Winter to 22 deg c in Summer.  Please send the info on summer waxing.....  Hope you do/did well at the masters!

Answer
Hello again, yes i did do well at the masters - 8 medals in total for me [mt bike, roadrace, swimming]!!

Waxing - you will need an old iron, a bench for your skis to go on and probably some newspaper underneath. Summer wax you can use cheaper waxes - from your local ski shop or try ebay.
Heres what you need to do:

Bases:
Clean the bases & edges with a citrus based cleaner then wipe off as much as possible. If you want - you can tune your edes before puting them into storage - save doing it next season. You will need a special tool for this, and ask for a demo when you buy it.

WAX:
With your ski upside down on your newspaper covered bench - put the iron on a low-medium setting. With the pointy end pointing to the ski, touch the wax to the hot base and it will begin to melt and drip onto the ski. You will need about one drop every 5cm. Once you have gone tip to tail down one side, come back up the other and then put a little down the middle as well. Now comes the tricky part...
use the iron on the bases to melt the wax and spread it evenly over the base. The wax should be fairly thick - you can always add more if needed, you cant put too much on. Iron the wax out over the edges to cover them as well to avoid rust. Keep the iron moving at all times. The wax/base should be warm to touch - too hot and you will warp the base [this cannot be fixed and renders the ski useless] - too cool and you wont open the base 'pores' to allow the wax in causing the ski to dry out. Dont worry about scraping the wax back until next season. The wax helps to inhibit rust on the edges and stops the bases from drying out. Thats why we do it.

PRE SEASON:
Using a scraper [or similar] take off the upper layer of wax until the wax is thin and smooth. Or you can just ski it off - although depending on the conditions you may need to unwax the edges - it can take a run or two to wear it off.
Also you need to re-set the bindings & ensure they are still moving in all three directions. Put your boot into the bindings and then push on the toe to see if you can get it to pop out. If you cant - then best you have them checked by a pro. A binding not working can result in a briken leg or knee [thats why i bang on about it]. Also, you will need to scrape back some of the wax. Depending on the snow conditions you may only need to scrape them back lightly.

The basement sounds fine for storage.

good luck with all that

lisa