Hvordan ta vare på fellene dine

Into the shed and quickly close the door! Of course, that would be the easiest way to store gear like skis and co. between tours. Some people might even just leave it in the car. But: Is that so good for the equipment? You guessed the answer – of course not. In themselves, skis, boots and accessories are easy to care for. But they should get a little maintenance and attention – that increases their life span immensely and ensures that you are always safe on the mountain. Here are a few tips.

Ski care and storage

The biggest enemy of your skis: moisture. To prevent the edges from corroding, you should dry them with a cloth after each use. Rusty edges reduce the edge grip and thus your skiing performance. Regularly check the condition of the base and edges. Tip: Get your own ski care set. This will save you a lot of money in the long run. Since industrial machines remove a lot of substance from the edges, it is also the gentler method for your skis.

Ski care and storage

The bad news first: no matter how carefully you handle them, your boots will have a limited lifespan of about ten years. This is because the plasticizers contained in the plastic will volatilize over time. This makes your shoe hard. By the way, this effect is intensified by UV radiation, so you should store your shoes in light-proof packaging. Before that, of course, you should also dry the shoe thoroughly (if possible, take out the inner shoe) and loosely close the buckles. This way it will keep its shape.

Coat care

First of all: What kind of fur do you have? The classic is adhesive skins with a hot melt adhesive applied to the underside. A newer methodology is adhesion, which creates a bond at the molecular level. However, since this principle is (still) vulnerable, especially to temperature fluctuations, there is also a third variant that combines adhesion technology with classic glue. These combination skins are called hybrid skins.

No matter which adhesive technology you have: Impregnate your fur regularly with a special spray or wax against moisture. This will prevent annoying bulging or impaired adhesion. If the edges are frayed, you can carefully remove the fringes with nail scissors and then seal the edge with a lighter that you run along the edge.

a) Hybrid skins: care and storage

Hybrid skins do not give in terms of adhesive power. To reactivate the adhesive power, it is enough to clean them regularly and remove any dirt, dust or wax residues. For cleaning, a special spray recommended by the manufacturer should be used – for example, Contour Hybrid Cleaning Spray. You can see how it’s done here:

Then let the coat dry well. For storage, put the fur with protected adhesive surface in a bag.

b) Adhesive skins: care, storage and renewal of the adhesive surface

After the tour, the skins should be dried at room temperature if possible (not on the stove and not on the heater!). Then store them in a bag with the adhesive surface protected. As protection for the gluing surface, a separating net or a covering foil is recommended. This also protects against drying out. Adhesive skins unfortunately give way in terms of adhesive strength after a certain time. If adhesion weakens, it is necessary to renew the adhesive surface. Many fur manufacturers offer adhesives and adhesive transfer films. These can be applied to the adhesive surface according to the instructions for use. Here is an informative video from Contour on renewing the adhesive surface: