How to Load Skis on a Car Rack

Before you hit the slopes, you need to be able to get there in a safe manner with all gear still intact. Besides the requisite list of ski gear, food, money and all the other accessories, the skis themselves need to be transported somehow and due to their long, awkward nature, that may be easier said than done. Fortunately, ski-specific roof racks are available and offer a safe and secure way to get your skis to the mountain. Learn about how to properly attach the skis to the racks and avoid any unnecessary mishaps on the road.

Things You'll Need

  • Ski racks
  • Skis
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open the ski racks so you can attach the skis. Most ski racks have an attachment to the crossbars with a lower and upper bar that open and close. When they are in the closed position, they are clamped down tight on the skis. Once the top bar is opened, they should stay up due to a spring-loaded mechanism that keeps the bar up.

    • 2

      Slide in the first pair of skis. Have both skis touching base to base with the ski brakes holding them together. It does not matter which direction they are facing, only that the bindings are in between the front and back crossbar. Slide them all the way to the far end of the ski rack as to allow room for more skis. Most ski racks claim to be able to hold four skis, but this often depends on the width of the skis.

    • 3

      Continue sliding the skis in until the rack is full. Keep the skis level so they don't overlap onto each other. An overlap would cause too much thickness for the racks to be able to close fully and lock.

    • 4

      Close the racks when they are fully loaded. Most racks have a ratchet system to keep the top bar locked into place. Make sure you hear an audible click when closing the bar so the rack is secure. Without this security step, the skis may fall off during transport.

    • 5

      Lock the racks with a key for an added measure of safety. This will insure that the racks do not come unhinged as well as providing an anti-theft device for potential thieves when making stops on the way to the mountain.