Carrying Skis —
What's the best way

Skis are heavy and long. And not very easy to carry any distance.

Here are a few ideas to make carrying skis a little easier:

• With your arms
• On your shoulder
• With your ski poles (check it out)

At first, it's easiest to just carry them under your arm. Or for kids, with both arms out in front of their body, like a log for the fireplace!

The middle section of the ski — where the binding is — is the heaviest part. Put this under your arm when you first pick them up.


On Your Shoulder

Many skiers find it easier to carry skis on their shoulder.

To do this, put the skis together (base to base) and carry them so that your shoulder is between the front and back part of the binding. Or the whole binding is right behind your shoulder. This means the weight is on your back. Your arm just holds the skis in place.

But remember, the skis are sticking straight out in front and behind you. And you don't want to be like the the proverbial guy carrying a ladder swinging around knocking someone out. And that's before you start skiing.

So, while holding the skis on your shoulder, you can hold the front tip of the ski down with your arm. This brings the back of the ski above your head so it can't hit anyone.

And, if the whole binding is right behind your shoulder, it's easy to put them down. Just slide the skis down your back to the ground.

This is a good way to carry them any distance. Especially if you're carrying your skis from the car to the lifts.


Ski Poles

Believe it or not, you can carry your skis using the ski poles as a handle.

You don't see this that often. It takes a minute to set up but works well if you don't like carrying skis on your shoulder.

With the skis together, put the loop of one pole over the end of the skis. Put the loop of the other pole over the other end of the skis. Then, stick the end of each pole through the loop of the other pole.

This makes your two poles into a carrying handle.


What's Next

Click here to see how to put skis on and take them off. And make sure you get your ski poles right before you go to use them.

• (Getting Skis On and Off)
• (Using Ski Poles)

Return from Carrying Skis to: Skiing Basics or Home Page