Which way? Loading Ski's onto Roof Ski Rack?

RichTJ99 · Dec 18, 2004

I was curious, which way I should load skis onto the rack. With the picture below the left side is the front of the car. Which way do the skis go? Tips facing front, up or down? Or facing down? Im a little lost on the best way to mount it.

Its my first time with a rack.

teachski · Dec 18, 2004

I've always been told to mount them with the tips to the rear so that wind does not catch under them and push them either up or down(more aerodynamic). I always keep the skis together. I only mount them on top without using a bag or at the minimum a binding cover when I am going a short distance. In the bag you don't have to worry which way they are facing or about road dirt getting into the bindings or at the edges.

tirolerpeter · Dec 18, 2004

Which way on Rack?

The rack in the picture looks to be the type that allows the skis to be mated base to base. I would definitely mount them tails forward to cut aerodynamic forces looking to lift them or push them down. Think of the tips as tail-feathers on an arrow. Of course, I don't know that it would matter with double ended skis. Of course, you should use a binding cover. Unfortunately, in years of using them I found that unless I duct taped them on the windward lip, a lot of crap still got into the skis. I now use my Thule box if there are more than two of us traveling. It protects the skis, keeps the dirt and water out of the car, and actually provides extra cargo space for "soft packed" gear which we toss on top of the skis in the box. There is a fuel mileage penalty of 3 - 4 mpg with the box, but when we share the cost of the trip it becomes insignificant.

teachski · Dec 18, 2004

Just found this tidbit of advice on another site:

Never put your skis on the roof rack with the tips facing forward. They should be facing the rear to protect your tips from flying rocks or beer cans.

riverc0il · Dec 18, 2004

good call teachski, i never would have thought of the rocks!!!

sledhaulingmedic · Dec 18, 2004

riverc0il said:
good call teachski, i never would have thought of the rocks!!!

True. I always worried about the beer cans.

ore advantages to my WTRT (White Trash Rapid Transit): (i.e: pick up truck) Keeps the skis out of the crap stream

sledhaulingmedic · Dec 19, 2004

Whatever you can do to keep the salt, sand, rocks, beer cans, etc. off the skis is worth it. For me, it's been pick-ups for the last 10+ years.

A box would be well worth it, although I'm sure they're not cheap and a bit of a pain to put on the roof. I would guess it would outlast a couple of cars though.

RichTJ99 · Dec 19, 2004

Hrmm, well I read that first post & went to go install everything. Right now they are facing forward. It snowed tonight here, so I guess I could get to the skis, but is it that bad to drive (meaning dangerous) 5 hours with ski tips facing the front of the car (same way as skiing down a hill)?

I would rather leave them as is, but if the skis are going to break or the rack fall apart on the road, I can turn them around.

Also, when staying at the resort, do people bring their skis inside or do they leave them mounted to the car (do people steal skis?). MIne are about 4 years old (when parabalic skis were new

Thanks,
Rich

yannbuse · Dec 20, 2004

I dont think you have to worry about skis breaking or the rack coming off whether the tips are at the front or not. Ive had volkl gotamas on the rack (fat skis, twin tipped) nothing is going to budge.
Sometimes i get worried about rocks on the road flipping up and hitting the skis so i like to slide the two skis together so that the wax side isnt showing and wont get any scratches
I believe i had the same rack, it should have a lock, but i dunno, good question, i never really trusted the locks; so i always brought them inside.
I decided after using racks to get a Thule rack, pricey though.

yann

teachski · Dec 20, 2004

I wouldn't drive 5 hours after a snow with the skis on the rack w/o covering on the bindings at the very least. I would also switch the skis so the tips are to the back. You do not need to switch the rack in any way, just turn the skis around. Also, I would not leave the skis on the car at your hotel. This is not only for theft reasons but weather reasons as well. If it snows or ices up at night it can be a beast to get the skis off of the rack. The locks on the rack may freeze up. Also, the bindings can become clogged with ice and snow and freeze up becoming harder to work.

I had skis do this to me at Burke 4 years ago when I left them on top of my car over night. Once I got the rack open and the skis off the rack, I had to take them in for a while before I could ski on them.

bvibert · Dec 20, 2004

I second the recommendation to get a ski bag. Even if you leave your skiis together dirt will still work its way inbetween and get into the wax surface. Then you have to worry about the bindings getting all crudded up. You don't need anything fancy, I went to Sports Authority and got the cheapest one they had (about $15 for a ski bag and boot bag combo).

You do need to watch for freezing locks and such if you leave them on the car over night. That happened to me two weekends ago at Stowe. I finally got em off, but it was a pain. Most places will have a place to store your skiis inside somewhere, they typically don't like you to bring them in your room.

dmc · Dec 20, 2004

Get a pod... Keeps everything nice and dry and they're aerodynamic..
Also after those warm days in the spring - you can put your stinky boots and wet gear in the pod too....

Once you get a pod - you'll never go back...

RossiSkier · Feb 2, 2005

I always put the tips towards the front of my Thule so I can look up to see if they've fallen off, even though they are strapped so tight my whole roof would have to tear off first.

Tin Woodsman · Feb 3, 2005

There is no question whatsoever - on an outdoor rack, the tips ALWAYS face the rear with the bases down. The less grit and crap that gets on your skis, the better. I always get a chuckle when I see the tips facing forward. You see all the garbage that accumulates on the grill of your vehicle - why would you want that stuff on your bases?

It matters and it makes a difference. End of story.

BrockVond · Feb 3, 2005

RichTJ99 said:
I was curious, which way I should load skis onto the rack. With the picture below the left side is the front of the car. Which way do the skis go? Tips facing front, up or down? Or facing down? Im a little lost on the best way to mount it.

Its my first time with a rack.

tips down when you can. I have the same type of rack and have had boards and skis on it every which way possible. No difference really, imo.

dl · Feb 3, 2005

ski racks

Here's one other way to do this - use the Ski Bullitt Aeroshield (see http://www.snowshack.com/buae.html ). Point the tips forward but they're well protected and they are aerodynamic as well. My bindings stay clean when I've used this. Think of this as a very durable binding cover.

BrockVond · Feb 3, 2005

Re: ski racks

dl said:
Here's one other way to do this - use the Ski Bullitt Aeroshield (see http://www.snowshack.com/buae.html ). Point the tips forward but they're well protected and they are aerodynamic as well. My bindings stay clean when I've used this. Think of this as a very durable binding cover.

No offense , but : "Saves gas by decreasing loaded ski rack drag by up to 50% " ?

and decreasing total drag by what? Let me guess:< .0000x%?

:lol:

Caveat emptor, baby.

ctenidae · Feb 3, 2005

Caveat emptor, baby.

Absolutely.The only way to significantly reduce the drag from a roof box/rack/bike/baby carriage is to remove it. Don't buy something based solely on aerodynamic claims.
For average use, there's nothing wrong with a rack. Put the tips facing the back, if for no other reason than the only strong opinions ever expresssed agree with that. Get some binding covers if you want, but don't stress out about it.
No matter what, though, never, under any circumstances, leave your skis in the rack overnight. You might not bring them inside, but you can be sure someone else will.

ssusca · Feb 3, 2005

I have the same rack. Skis should be mounted on that rack with the bases together and the tips toward the back of the vehicle. It's just more aerodynamically efficient. It drives me nuts when I see skis mounted on the roof of a car with the tips forward. Now with that being said, I find that I have to mount my skis that way on my Pathfinder. The Thule rack I have is attached to my factory roof rack, and if I mount the skis with the tips facing backward, they interfere with the operation of the rear hatch. Even if I slide the rack all the way forward. I've even tried placing the skis so that the front bar of the rack is between the toe and heel parts of the binding. That worked pretty well when bindings came in two pieces. But now that bindings come in one piece with a plate in the middle, the skis are too thick to close the rack! For the longest time, I still refused to put the tips forward and I just dealt with the issue by not using the rear hatch. What a pain in the ass! I finally gave in and became one of those people that drive me nuts!

However on my wife's car, the skis are always mounted with the tips toward the rear.

dl · Feb 4, 2005

ski bullit

for reference, i didn't buy the ski bullit to save gas. i bought it to save my skis. for $29 it's a bullit proof (sorry for the pun) ski cover. lasts much longer than a fabric binding cover, deflects the crap away from the bindings, etc.

Which way? Loading Ski's onto Roof Ski Rack?

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