It's that time of year... when you have to start to think about putting your skis away for the summer. We know, pretty tragic! But we think that to be grateful for how much joy our skis bring us, putting storage wax on your skis for the off-season is a great way to make the most of your ski's lives. 

1. Clean Your Base! 
Classic 
Apply base cleaner with a fiberlene cloth and thoroughly clean to get all the glidewax off the tip and tail. For fish-scale skis, clean them with the same method as the tip and tail to clean all the dirt that may have built up over the season. For waxless skis, scrape off the Klister using wax remover and a cloth to take the stickiness off. You will not be applying glidewax on the kickzone for your classic skis. 
Skate 
Apply base cleaner with the fiberlene cloth over the entire ski, removing any dirt, particles and old wax that may have built up over the year. 

2. Apply the Wax 
The ideal way to apply storage wax, is to use the hot iron to use a warm hot wax all over the ski. Melt your wax over the ski (only the tip and tail for classic skis) at the correct temperature. Then, take your iron over the glidewax and wait until it hardens. You are almost there! 
3. Store in a Safe Place 
There is no need to scrape the glidewax, as this will serve as the protection for your skis while in storage. Either vertically or horizontally, make sure the skis are nice and cozy until you can take them out again. 

If you are interested in doing this process this season, we have all the gear necessary to get your skis nice and protected at Access Callaghan! As a bonus, if you are a seasons pass holder, you can receive 25% off Swix Wax in our store. 

Are you a backcountry buff and love to shred through some awesome pow? Or do you like the crisp, cold, hard snow that makes you glide effortlessly on our Nordic trails? 
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We have created a guide to snow, the ins and outs of each general crystal type and what conditions are needed to form them. As the Callaghan Valley gets some of the the highest snowfall averages in the lower mainland- we think snow is pretty special. The field of snow science is vast, and includes 80 different classifications of snow crystals! We have broadened it to 5 general types but we have linked some more comprehensive guides below. To know more about the wilderness in the Callaghan Valley,  and take a look at our Mountain Monday social media series! 

​These amazing crystals are he types of crystals that occur when hoarfrost is created. Hoar, simply put, is frozen dew. To create surface hoar, the formation of the crystals (as with any type of snow crystals), is dependent on temperature and humidity. Surface hoar occurs with clear, cold (below -5C) and calm weather conditions. The snow reaches very cold temperatures, but radiates a heated layer of air directly above it which is typically about 10C warmer than the surface. The warm buffer of air holds a high amount of water vapour, and the vapour freezes upon contact with the surface of the snow. If the hoar gets buried with fresh snow, it essentially becomes a layer of a very thick blanket sitting on a layer of ice. If something makes that blanket move- down it goes! Although not very nive for our alpine skiers, these crystals create that fast, firm snow that is so nice to get your Nordic skis on. This cold crust on the snow creates a nice glide, while not being so cold that your skin doesn't freeze under the spandex;) 

Capped Columns are a little less common than columns and plates, that have the appearance of an empty spool of thread. These crystals are formed when a crystal travels through multiple temperatures as it falls to the ground. First a column has to form (so around -5C), and then travels through colder temperatures (about -15C) to form plates or dendrites on the end of the column. 

With an apt name, these crystals are so small that they become the sparkling glitter on top of a snowpack on a bluebird day. Diamond dust forms, not from falling from a cloud, but by water vapour that is near to the ground that freezes. The individual water vapour droplets are so small, they form hexagonal plates and form a carpet of tiny prisms on the snowpack, which results in the glitter show on a sunny day.