Building a ski closet - Page 2

Those may not be heavy enough but there are heavier duty versions for sure. IMHO, these are fine. Not sure I would want to store the skis over the summer in them but I think as long as you are using them as much as you do, I don't see how that could harm a ski.

ADDED: Just was  speaking with Greg; he had a great point about rockered skis and the ability to really fit them on the racks. I like his idea of just building a slotted rack system and laying the skis, standing up in little cubby hole type spots; think mini lockers. Cool idea and simple.

2x4's about 8"-12" apart with a bottom holder that lets the skis rest on the wood and not slide out.  you could store ski's on their sides or bases out. side-by-side.

Quote:

Originally Posted by segbrown 

 

I was going to ask this, actually ... you can buy lots of little metal hangers for pegboards, of course, so I was going to go the the hardware store and get some samples. Something like this, if the space between the bars is wide enough for the skis, and the bindings would rest on the bars:

 

 

That way I could keep them off the floor without hanging from tips (I just never liked hanging them, you can tell that there is some kind of pressure being exerted, I just don't know if it's bad or not), and it would still be adjustable. Although I'm not sure what this would do to the toepiece, either, and I would not want to mess with my toepiece too much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rossi Smash 

 Let's hope next season your skinny skis can spend most of the winter in there!

Amen! I hope my Sl's migrate to the back of the closet, never to be seen again!

I will almost be happy to even criuse a soft groomer 

Are you offering to "procure" that sign for the family?

Quote:

Originally Posted by segbrown 

 

I was going to ask this, actually ... you can buy lots of little metal hangers for pegboards, of course, so I was going to go the the hardware store and get some samples. Something like this, if the space between the bars is wide enough for the skis, and the bindings would rest on the bars:

 

 

That way I could keep them off the floor without hanging from tips (I just never liked hanging them, you can tell that there is some kind of pressure being exerted, I just don't know if it's bad or not), and it would still be adjustable. Although I'm not sure what this would do to the toepiece, either, and I would not want to mess with my toepiece too much.

like this, (pic i got off line, not my skis).  But my skis are hung using a similar system,  I have the craftsman wall panel system on the back of my garage and the craftsman large hooks which are much beefier, but I simply rest the skis on the hooks using the bindings.  Always have, is this bad for the bindings or something? weird I can't get the pic to show.. 

√=

Good luck with your new ski closet!

We have had really good luck with MOHN plastic ski racks that just sit on the floor. There are 2 versions, one version with skinny slots for flat tailed front-side carving skis, and one version with wider double slots for twin-tip skis (can say with assurance the twin tip version holds skis as wide as my own widest skis which are Dynastar Sultan 94, but can't attest to any wider than that). They cost around $65 for each rack and last a really long time:

I would also recommend installing a low wattage heater/de-humidifier since it's a basement, to avoid any potential rusting of edges. You could use something like the 25 Watt Goldenrod in a closet:

A less expensive and easily configurable alternative to the Goldenrod is simply to install a ceramic lightbulb socket and screw-in an appropriate low wattage incandescent lightbulb. Incandescent lightbulbs can run continuously and give off most of their energy as warmth with less than 10 percent actually emitted as light. Plus, you'll never grab the wrong skis from a dark closet...

It is clear that a closet is just plain insufficient.  Time to up the project to a woMAN CAVE with tuning bench, sports memorabilia, beverage station, and an entertainment center. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by crgildart 

Time to up the project to a woMAN CAVE with tuning bench, sports memorabilia, beverage station, and an entertainment center. 

          This IS the plan...

Seg, we have stored our skis on a pegboard like this in the past. We used those big double hook to hold them in place but let the tails rest on the ground (carpeted). I'm not sure how they would work for hanging the bindings on them though.

Let me hijack this to ask a different ski closet question. Do outside ski closets in the mountains need to be insulated and heated? If the closet is not heated is it OK to store the skis below freezing in the outside closet week after week all winter?

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveturner 

Let me hijack this to ask a different ski closet question. Do outside ski closets in the mountains need to be insulated and heated? If the closet is not heated is it OK to store the skis below freezing in the outside closet week after week all winter?

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHRISfromRI 


I've wondered this before with our Thule box, however, I like to bring them in at night so the accumulated ice will melt out of the bindings so as not potentially inhibit a proper release the next day.

Storing skis in a non climate controlled environment isn't good.  Moisture on the edges and in the bindings shortens the life of the equipment.  Although, below freezing is actually better than above.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc-ski 

 

Started out that way, but unless you get the dowels *perfectly* aligned, (I didn't - off by just a tad), it seemed over time they could twist/warp the ski tips...

 

 

So pretty much bailed on that - just use it as a catch all corner. Can't toss that Ski Tote out - someday it will be incorporated into an art piece!  ;-)

 

Went with this instead...

 

 

Plastic shelf hangers from IKEA - about $.99 apiece. Near the garage door - easy to load/unload.

 

With that pipe dunno if you have room in your space to go horizontal, though.

 

I did see these at REI, if you still wanna hang vertically and don't want to have to build something...

I have the REI rack.  It is too narrow for my skis  -  K2 Recons

Quote:

Originally Posted by crgildart 

 

Storing skis in a non climate controlled environment isn't good.  Moisture on the edges and in the bindings shortens the life of the equipment.  Although, below freezing is actually better than above.

I'm confused. If it's better to store skis "below freezing" how can "no climate controlled environment" be not good?

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveturner 

I'm confused. If it's better to store skis "below freezing" how can "no climate controlled environment" be not good?

I don't think you're reading his comment correctly.  It's not 'below freezing is better than above freezing', it's 'assuming a lack of climate control, below freezing is better than above freezing'.

Off the top of my head, the biggest problem you're going to run into with storage is moisture.  Condensation and humidity will make things rust (edges, binding springs, etc.).  If it's below freezing, you don't want to get water in the bindings and then have it freeze up -- the expansion could damage them, or at least gum the mechanisms up until they're thawed out.

If it's consistently below freezing, there's very little moisture in the air and you won't get condensation.  So you just need to make sure the skis are dry before you store them and you should be okay.

Thermal cycling (going hot->cold->hot->cold->etc.) could also be an issue in the summer.

Okay so after reviewing all the posts here I have built the ultimate ski storage system in my garage,  a climate controlled room that keeps at below freezing with no humidity,, and inside is a system that floats the skis in mid air by using a jet turbine engine,  so there is no flex, weight warping or edge damage,,,   all solar powered of course.  :) 

Seg...looking good but I won't be happy till I see all the boards lined up in there!

Keep us up to speed 

btw, what is the depth of the now trimmed out space? In the picture it looks quite shallow.

How many pair are you hoping to get in there?

Quote:

Originally Posted by segbrown 

 

Me either! 

 

Space is 11 3/8" deep, trimmed out. Each side is 48" wide (the pipe is about 3 3/4").  We have 13 pairs of skis, with an average tip width of 129 mm. (Yes, I figured that all out.) So if I lean them, bindings facing out, that will work fine, and leave room for poles.

 

If I hang them by bindings, I am pretty sure I would have to stagger the bindings to fit. But I haven't calculated the width of the skis that way. ANd I don't think I will, either. I'll just take them all down there and mess with it. 

You know, you will almost wish you put glass doors on there so you can gaze upon the promise of next season each time you pass by 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philpug 

 

Did you account for adjusting for projected tip widths increase over the next decade? Also did you consider that rocker/early rise/ETP will be more prevalent in the coming years? 

Nah...they're going to start creeping back a bit soon. It's gone to wide already, at least around these parts (probably everywhere though).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rossi Smash 

 

You know, you will almost wish you put glass doors on there so you can gaze upon the promise of next season each time you pass by 

YES!!!!!!!!!!  THIS!!!!!!!!

Crown molding - nice touch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by crgildart 

Constantly tossing/dropping skis on to hard surfaces with all the weight bouncing them on their tail can cause them to delam or at least chip them up there.  I know most folks do it, but I on't believe it is good for the skis to constantly be dropped on their tails or sit on the tail when not in use.

  Really? Dood, I think you have an over active imagination.

If anyone was really doing what you describe, it would be because they don't care about damaging their skis, but I really doubt most folks constantly toss and  bounce their skis on the tails to the extent you describe.

Segbrown, your closet seems perfectly functional, but maybe lay down some scrap carpet on the floor to protect those tails so crgildart won't worry.