5 Tips for Taking Care of Ski Boots

Now that ski season is in full swing, you’re taking advantage of every opportunity available to you to head to the mountains and carve up the slopes. This means your gear will be getting used on a fairly regular basis for the next few months, and will require lots of maintenance to ensure top performance. Ski boots in particular always suffer plenty of abuse, so here are 5 care tips that will help them last through this winter and beyond:

  1. dry guyRemove the liners after each use to wash them by hand and/or let them air dry. This will prevent bacteria from building up in the lining fabric and producing foul odors. When quicker turnaround is needed, use a boot dryer like the DryGuy DG1 Boot & Glove Dryer from CozyWinters to take care of the process in record time. If desired, follow up with a Febreeze-type fabric spray to enhance the fresh, clean scent.
  2. Similarly, wipe down the inside of your boot shells after each use to dry them out and inhibit mold growth.
  3. Use clean and dry socks at the beginning of each ski session. Reusing dirty socks is the quickest way to introduce funk to your boots and erase all the good you did by washing the liners and cleaning the shells.
  4. Avoid walking in your ski socks in public areas in the lodge, including the lobby, lounge, and cafeteria. The floors in those spaces are typically filthy, and can contaminate your socks—and then your boots—in short order.
  5. Be careful about potential wear and tear on the toes and heels of your boots. These are the areas that get locked down into your bindings, so any damage in the form of dings and dents could end up affecting the boot’s secure fit on your skis as well as their ease of release.

Spending just a few minutes tending to your ski boots after each outing will keep them looking (and smelling) good all season long, so follow the above tips and be extra mindful about how you treat your footwear.