Backcountry ski repair kit tips
The bulk of this article comes from the experts at Pro Guiding Service in North Bend WA. Follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and check their website, proguiding.com. Photo and content shared here with permission.
Some other suggestions on this page come this article from Matt Schonwald, an AMGA certified Ski Guide, Avalanche Instructor and member of Northwest Avalanche Center’s Forecasting Team. Connect with Matt at BC Adventure Guides.
Backcountry ski repairs can fall into into two major categories.
Category 1: a bummer, but you can keep moving.
A broken ski pole
Lost ski pole basket
A tear in your clothing
A broken walk mechanism in your touring boot
A bent ski
A delaminating ski
A lost skin tail clip
A lost or torn skin tip attachment
A broken heel piece in a pin binding (this a category 1 if you’re a good skier)
Category 2: a major bummer and potential safety issue.
A broken toe piece in a tech binding
A toe piece torn off a ski
A ripped out binding
A lost skin
photo: https://www.facebook.com/ProGuidingService
Here's a repair kit that can handle just about all of these situations, and a few more.
A few notes . . .
This is more of a kit that a ski guide might carry on a longer tour or multi day outing. A few things, like the toe piece and cordelette, can probably be left at home if you’re on a shorter or less committing trip.
Just like sharing the contents of a first aid kit, no one‘s going to agree 100% with everything. This is more of a starting point to get you thinking about what gear you might want to carry.
Do you think this gear is too “heavy”? I don’t know the exact weight of everything posted here, but it can’t be much over 1 pound. If that amount of weight is keeping you from your objective, consider spending more time training and less time obsessing about shaving grams from your gear. =^)
(Reminder, AlpineSavvy has zero affiliate marketing. The links are provided only for your convenience.)
A few zip ties. Consider steel zip ties, they are stronger and can hold up better in cold weather. You can also get heavy duty zip ties that can hold about 200 pounds/100 kg.
Some 2 mm cord
A meter or so of wire; 16g is a good size; stainless steel is best so it won't rust in your pack.
Fabric repair tape; Tear-Aid (type A) tape is good.
Small roll duct / Gorilla tape; Consider cloth hockey tape. It sticks well to things that are wet and cold.
Epoxy; this may make the difference when you tear the toe piece off your ski. You can get single use epoxy packets that are more convenient to carry.
Assortment of hose clamps; two small ones for pole repair, and two large ones to clamp your boot to your ski in case your binding breaks. Large hose clamps not shown in photo.
Some sort of pole splint; 15 cm length of old ski pole tube with a slit cut lengthwise. I've heard of people using a section of aluminum can for a pole splint, never tried it.
Assortment of standard binding screws; if you have a quiver of different skis/bindings, be sure you bring screws that cover everything.
Helio coil inserts for torn out bindings screws; steel wool and epoxy can serve the same function.
A multi tool with pliers and wire cutter; the Leatherman Skeletool, 5 ounces, is a good choice.
Binding Buddy; heavy, but works well. Test it and be sure that it's long enough to reach every screw on your binding, sometimes the neck can be a bit short. The Topeak Ratchet is another option for a driver that has more leverage.
Assortment of driver bits to use with your Binding Buddy or Skeletool. #3 Phillips, #2 Phillips and T20 (Torx / star bit) can be a good start, but check all your gear and be sure you have bits for everything. It's not standardized. Some gear requires Allen screws, typically #4 or #5.
Allen wrench; if your boot has any Allen bolts
4 bolts and wing nuts and a 6mm cordelette for potential construction of rescue sled; sorry, no link for this.
Glop Stopper wax; Black Diamond, glide wax for your skins, carry a small piece, not the whole big block
Glide wax
Metal ski scraper
Tent pole splint; for fixing a broken ski pole, you can also cut a section from an aluminum can
Skin tip
Skin tail clip. Can't really improvise this.
Extra ski pole basket
Voile ski straps. Bring a pair, 24 inches is a good length. Good for loads of things in addition to the obvious holding your skis together. These are in addition to the ones you have to hold your skis together. Here's a whole article on Voile straps.
Finally, a sturdy bag to put it all in. You can go bare bones with a stuff sack, or something that zips open and has a few dividers like a bag for a first aid kit.
For longer or more remote trips, consider:
Two cordelettes of about 6mm/ 6 meters long. For general anchor building and rigging a rescue sled if needed.
A few carabiners