The Ultimate Pre-Season Checklist You Never Knew You Needed

August 2018

 

  1. Gear prep. Blow the dust off the boxes holding your expensive gear and make sure you’ve got everything you need. Are you missing a glove? Did you forget about that giant rip in your jacket from miscalculating jumping over a gnarly section of rocks during spring skiing? Did you loan your pants to a friend and forget to get them back? Odds are, that you will forget or want to upgrade at least one of these things:
    • Board/Skis
    • Bindings
    • Ski Poles
    • Boots
    • Socks
    • Jacket
    • Layers
    • Pants/Bibs
    • Gloves
    • HELMET – Protect your noggins!
    • Goggles
    • Beanie
  2. Your body is a temple. Snow sports are hard on the body—how many people do you know who have blown out a knee or the less common, breaking of a rib after tacoing hard on a rail. So it’s time you treat your body the same as your $600 board or skis. You wouldn’t go up without a little wax on your board, so why aren’t you stretching?
  3. Check your tires. Trips to the mountain can be hard on your vehicle, make sure your treads get good traction or think about snow tires. The last thing you want is to be spinning out on a curvy road.
  4. Racks on racks on racks. Whether you are team “racks” or “rocket boxes”, make sure those bad boys are securely attached and that you still know where the keys are.
  5. Ski porn. There are so many film premieres out in the fall, including great new releases by Matchstick Productions and Teton Gravity Research. There’s nothing that gets you more stoked than watching someone huck it off a massive cliff and ski nipple-deep powder.
  6. Music. Some people like to jam out on the hill or at least get pumped up in the car on the way there. A lot of music has come out since last ski season, make sure you have your playlists dialed before you get up there.
  7. Season pass. Pre-season prices are the best deals, so make sure you get your season pass before prices go up! Plus, start thinking about your season pass photos, pigtails? Fake tattoos? Crazy makeup?
  8. Can’t forget the family. Got kids? Get them into it early because if they like it, that means more shredding for you!
  9. Rally the troops. Your mission? Get everybody stoked! Winter is fast approaching and you have to make sure the homies have completed this checklist too. No homie left behind.
  10. Buy your Snowvana ticket. With all of our 2018 sponsors, you could take care of your whole list at Snowvana!

Here’s how you would get through this checklist at Snowvana: 

    1. Gear: Head to the U.S. Outdoor Snowrageous Sale and get up to 50% off gear from over 50 brands.
    2. Body: Check out the North Lake Snowrider Wellness Center and get an on-the-spot fitness assessment.
    3. Tires: You could win a new set of Nokian tires or a set of tire winter socks from Point S Tires.
    4. Racks: Yakima will be there to get your car setup dialed for the winter.
    5. Films: With 12 films that equals over 10 hours of epic ski/snowboard shots, you’ll leave Snowvana stoked and praying for snow.
    6. Music: We’ve got live music playing each night so this might a be great time to find a new artist for your shred playlist.
    7. Season Pass: Pick up or buy your season pass at Snowvana this year, we will have the four of Oregon’s biggest resorts.
    8. Family:  The Point S Kid Zone will have tons of kids gear at discounted prices and check out the new US Outdoor kid’s leasing program!
    9. Troops: Bring your crew and party with Portland snow sports community!