End-of-season maintenance / storage tips for ski boots?

Question

After several trips with poor fitting hire ski boots, and having had no end of trouble finding suitable fitting hire boots at the current resort, I went and bought a fitting pair. The boots have been good, avoiding foot pain and apparently making the skiing easier. The only downside of buying them here is that I can't understand a word of the information leaflet that came with them...!

Rather than trying to type the whole thing into Google Translate, I thought it might be easier to ask here - what maintenance (if any) should I do on the boots at the end of the trip? And with that done, is there anything special about how I should store them until next year?

Answer 1

If they are in two pieces (hard shell and soft liner) then treat them separately, washing and drying the liner before putting it away in an airing cupboard or similar warm dry place.

You want to clean the shell with clean water and a little soap, to get rid of grit, salt and other deposits, taking extra care to remove all dirt from clips and moving parts.Rinse and dry thoroughly.

I store mine in my garage, on a shelf, in a boot bag to prevent insects or spiders making their home in them. The garage isn't heated, but this isn't generally an issue.

Update as per Nisan's comment:

Also go over the parts to make sure they are all there, functioning as designed, and properly tightened where they should be... It will save you the trouble of finding this out on the first trip next season

And (and this may sound silly) always store them in the same place each time - it may sound OCD, but I have specific places for winter sports kit, summer sports kit, etc - so I don't need to worry about hunting round for them each season.

Answer 2

I am a functional ski bum (if there is such a thing), logging between 70-150 days on the hill per season. I do little to nothing in terms of post-skiing care for my ski boots, and they are not any worse for the wear. As long as you are sure to let them dry after a day of skiing, the lifespan should not be compromised. If you are preparing to store the boots, you need not do anything so complicated. Definitely wipe off any dirt or grit with a moist towel. I would leave the liners in the boots (to maintain their form), and similarly, I recommend buckling the boots (to the degree that you would for a day of skiing) such that the hard shell maintains its shape.