How to Pack Ski and Snowboard Gear for Air Travel

After handling, renting, and repairing as much gear as we do at ASO Mammoth, we know that your ski and snowboard gear is an investment.

Like any investment, you want to protect your gear to get the best returns possible and we want to help. The team at ASO Mammoth has pooled our common knowledge to help you avoid arriving at the mountain ready to ride only to find your gear has been damaged along the way. Check out our guide to packing ski and snowboard gear below!

Keep Your Bag Flat

If you could keep an eye on your bag the entire time, then there wouldn’t be any need for this guide. The fact is though, at some point your bag is going to be moved and stored in ways you can’t control or predict. The best way to protect your gear is to store it efficiently so there is no chance for turbulence or things being stacked on top to damage it.

For example, as long as your bag has sufficient padding you can store your skis along the sidewalls so there is nothing on top of them and plenty of room left in the middle. You’ll want to be careful when storing loose items around your bindings, but the main idea is to keep everything as flat as possible so there is no chance your bag will need to be shoved to fit into tight spaces.

Don’t be afraid to play a few rounds of Tetris to figure out the right layout for your gear. If you’re planning on taking the bindings off of your skis or snowboard for travel, then think about wrapping them or securing them in the bag to make sure the edges don’t pose a danger to any of your other gear.

Think about How Your Gear Will Be Stored While Packing

Exactly how you pack your gear depends on what you’re packing, but the best thing we can recommend is to think about how your gear is going to be stored while you’re packing. For example, if you think about things being stacked on top of your gear while packing you’ll put flat surfaces on flat surfaces and pad or secure edges that could cause damage to other gear.

Keep Your Important Gear Close to You

You’ll also want to travel with your most important gear on hand or in your carry-on bag.

Everyone has a story about the time an airline lost their luggage, but if you lose your luggage while on a ski trip then at best you’re going to be using rental equipment you don’t have a feel for and at worse you’ll be missing time on the mountain. While you can’t bring your snowboard or skis on the plane, you can still take away some of the risk.

For example, ski and snowboard boots mold to the riders foot making them very difficult to replace on short notice. They are small enough to bring on a plane though, which means you can at least be sure you’ll have comfortable boots even if you’re riding rental equipment. You should also consider keeping valuable and fragile equipment with you on the plane. No matter how well you pack your bag, there is always the chance that your goggles get cracked and you can only protect so many items by storing them inside your helmet. Take your time and plan accordingly! If you’re travelling to Mammoth Mountain and something goes wrong, stop by ASO Mammoth for the best ski and snowboard rentals on the mountain!

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