The snow may still not be falling, but if you're in any way like us at Blauer Board Shop you're probably looking at the long-range forecasts and keeping an eye out for the first frost. However, before you begin planning your first visit to the mountain there's a vital task to carry out: assessing your present setup.
You should never wait until the last minute to take your equipment out of storage. It's a beginner's error to discover that your jacket has lost its water resistance or that the ratchets on your bindings are stripped on the morning of the first day of season. So make sure to take the time today to carefully check your outerwear, boots, and bindings for any signs of wear and tear. The following is the complete pre-season gear checklist to make certain that your equipment is properly sorted and ready for the first chair.
For outerwear: A check of The Waterproofing and The Hardware
Your jacket and trousers suffer wear and tear from collisions with tree branches, the various features of the park, and ordinary friction. The materials then gradually break down naturally.
- Check the waterproofing by spraying a small amount of water on the shoulders of your jacket and on the seat of your pants. If the water forms beads and then rolls off, then your Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coating is still working properly. But if the fabric turns darker and takes in the water, you should wash your outerwear using a special tech wash and reapply a DWR treatment.
- Inspect Seams and Tears: Carefully look over high-stress areas like the knees, seat, and cuffs. Small slashes from sharp snowboard edges can be patched up now before they turn into massive rips.
- Check Zippers and Vents: Run every zipper up and down to ensure they aren't catching or missing teeth. Don't forget to check the pit zips and inner thigh vents.
Boots: The Basis of Your Riding Experience
The boots have a direct effect on your ability to control and respond on the board; if they are failing then your performance will suffer a great deal.
- Evaluate the Shell and Lacing: If you have traditional laces, check them for fraying and replace them if necessary. For BOA systems, turn the dials to ensure they click cleanly and inspect the steel or textile cables for any kinks, rust, or fraying.
- Inspect the Liners: Boot liners pack out over time, leading to a loose fit and heel lift, which severely limits your board control. If your boots felt a half-size too big by the end of last season, the foam in the liner has likely compressed past the point of return.
- Examine the outsoles: Check the tread on the soles of your boots since worn-out soles affect the way well the boot fits with your binding footbeds.
The Binding: The Critical Connection
The bindings are very mechanical, which means that there are many possible points at which they could fail. A binding failure that occurs during a race can easily be prevented by carrying out a thorough inspection before the season starts.
- Check the Ratchets and Ladders: Insert the plastic straps from the ladders into the ratchets and turn them down. Do they hold firmly or do they slip? If they slip then the teeth on the ladders or the springs inside the buckles must be worn out. Fortunately, these are easy parts to replace.
- Check for Plastic Degradation: Examine the highbacks and baseplates for any hairline cracks. Plastics can become brittle over time and after repeated exposure to extreme cold.
- Tighten All Hardware: Grab a multi-tool and check every single screw on your bindings. This includes the screws holding the straps to the baseplate and the forward lean adjusters on the highbacks.
The Board: Its Edges and Base
While you are looking at your wearables and bindings, take a quick physical check of your deck.
- Check the base for any deep gouges that may require filling with P-Tex.
- To eliminate any flash rust that formed over the summer, run a gummy stone along the edges.
- Remove the wax that you've used for storing your item over the summer, or take it to the shop to have it retuned so that the base is kept hydrated and ready for opening weekend.
Are You Missing Anything?
Filling in this checklist at the moment gives you a big advantage; should you come across a highback with a cracked binding, boots that are packed out, or outerwear which has seen better days, you will have plenty of time to research new equipment, look for replacement parts, or upgrade your whole setup.
Should your inspection reveal any equipment that has reached the end of its useful life, please visit Blauer Board Shop. We have already placed this season's latest hardgoods and outerwear on our shelves and our staff are ready to assist you in finding exactly what you need in order to get the most out of your mountain performance this winter.