Spring is arguably the best time for backcountry and ski mountaineering. With the snowpack deep and plentiful, and freeze-thaw cycles working to stabilize slopes you might avoid in winter, it's ideal time to maximize long ski tours in the mountains.
Spring also brings with it warmer snow-surface temps that require certain ski tuning preparation. To get the most out of your spring tours––and avoid the dreaded snow or skin glopping––here are our spring ski tuning tips.
Spring ski mountaineering and backcountry equipment tips
Spring-specific machine tuning
In winter 2022, we added ski tuning machines to our Denver, Carbondale and Willits shops. These machines are adjusted to give the perfect spring ski tune and will give you a solid base to head into the spring season. Stop into one of our locations for a spring-specific tune and we will check over your gear for you and make sure you are dialed.
Spring skiing warm waxes and base grinds
In winter, the cold snow acts like barnacles with little crystals grabbing on to your bases to slow you down. The hardest bases are required to repel these ice crystals. However, when the snow gets warmer and is right on the verge of melting a fine layer of water can form under your skis. Now your skis act like suction cups on the snow and can almost stop you in your tracks.
Rather than hard waxes preferred during winter, the softest wax is required to break this surface tension with the snow and make your ski bases hydrophobic. Spring snow also gets very dirty as dust particles begin to blow and accumulate on the surface as snow melts. Adding a graphite wax will help keep your bases fast even the snow turns red.
A springtime base grind can enhance your ski performance by creating a shape that repels water and decreases friction. This is done via small grooves or channels in the base, which create air pockets between the ski and the snow, thereby diminishing suction and resistance.
Wax skins to prevent globbing
In the spring, skin wax like Black Diamond Glop Stopper is essential for avoiding glopping on skins, an unfortunately common experience. To proactively protect yourself from the inconvenience of clomping around with pounds of wet snow attached to your skins, take a piece of Glob Stopper or other warm-temp wax and swab it from tip to tail on your ski-attached skins prior to departing for the day.
For extra credit if you have a waxing iron, crayon this into the plush side of the skin and take two quick passes across the top to melt it in.
Always carry a tiny piece with you on spring tours, just like your spring sunscreen you may have to reapply. Not only will you be able to fend off your own skin-glopping in the field, but you'll probably save your ski partners some trouble too.
