Build Your Own Backcountry Ski Repair Kit

January 16, 2023 in Features, Gear Reviews

Backcountry Ski Repair Kit – Pack Light or Go Big?

Have you ever had a gear failure in the field? Fortunately, modern backcountry ski gear is pretty robust stuff. I can count the number of significant gear failures I’ve experienced or witnessed on one hand – and most of those were back in my dedicated telemark ski days.

Nonetheless, a basic backcountry ski repair kit should make your packing list. Gear failure might not happen often, but it does happen — be it due to abuse, accident or simple wear and tear. A basic backcountry ski repair kit should be lightweight and compact. It’s also a good place to store essential emergency items like fire starter and an emergency blanket.

An Ounce of Prevention

Before assembling an extensive backcountry ski repair kit with one of everything, consider that a little preventative maintenance goes a long way toward keeping your backcountry repair kit small.

An annual gear inspection and some routine maintenance can stop many common gear issues before they ever happen. It’s about looking for wear, checking that screws are snug, and generally being familiar with the status of your gear to avoid surprises.

Consider the following checklist as an annual or pre-trip routine, and for a more comprehensive read, check out our full pre-season checklist for maintaining your gear.

1. Inspect boots. Look for wear and tear that could lead to failure. Tighten all fasteners and consider adding Loctite to anything that shows repeated loosening.
2. Inspect bindings. Check that binding mount screws are snug and tighten external screws as applicable. At a minimum, inspect your bindings annually, or make it routine and check ’em even whenever you wax your skis.
3. Inspect climbing skins. Look for deteriorating tail straps, blown rivets, glue issues and worn-out tip loops (read climbing skin care tips and our tips on renewing climbing skin glue)
4. Check your backpack. Look for cracked buckles, smooth zipper function, frayed webbing and high-wear zones.

Common Repairs

What problems do you actually need to worry about being able to fix with a backcountry repair kit? The length of your ski day and the day’s objective directly relate to how robust a repair kit you need.

Multi-day trips in remote settings require more serious backup supplies than a simple day tour or roadside attraction laps. Many inconsequential gear problems could go wrong, and you’ll still be able to keep skiing or at least ski back to the hut or trailhead. Things like jacket, pants and pack zippers or a pack buckle could explode – even a boot buckle – and you’ll be able to continue skiing or at least head home.

Focus your repair kit contents on potential show stoppers – issues that stop you from moving, like problems with bindings, boot cuffs, boot walk mode mechanisms and climbing skins are the type of problems that will ruin a day of skiing.

The Basic (Everyday) Backcountry Ski Repair Kit

Generally speaking, I take a less is more approach to my backcountry repair kit, but this approach requires following the ounce of prevention advice above.

My basic everyday repair kit is lightweight and only requires a small 4×6-inch zip pouch. The pouch lives in my ski pack alongside my shovel and probe. If I’m headed on a hut or road trip, I’ll throw a few additional items in my duffel.

Choose your repair kit supplies wisely. Think double-duty and do-it-all materials like duct tape, voile straps, paracord, zip ties, etc. Combined with a few items specific to your ski gear, you can MacGyver your way out of many problems with these basic supplies. Here’s a list of the stuff I typically have in my repair kit:

A Durable Zip Pouch – Start with a small, durable zip pouch for storage. Durability is key if it’s going live in your pack without exploding. Consider something like these pouches from Topo Designs.
Multi-tool – Think pliers, a blade and the right drivers to match your binding screws. Read about our favorite multi-tools for skiers.
Duct Tape – Wrap 12-20 inches around a lighter. Use the good stuff. I like Gorilla Tape.
Binding screws – A few binding screws that match your set-up
Steel wool – Fills blown-out screw holes to make them usable again. It doesn’t take much.
Safety pins – Don’t let a blown zipper spoil your day. Three to four safety pins to the rescue!
Paracord – 2mm paracord or spectra cord can do many things, like replace a skin tip loop. My homemade Rutschblock cord serves double duty here.
Zip ties – Four to five small zip ties have a myriad of uses. Most hardware stores sell a wide variety of them.
Boot parts – I have a Dynafit heel fitting (cannibalized from an old boot) and a homemade cuff rivet in my kit, too
Skin wax – a small block of Glop Stopper skin wax for those days when your skins (or your partner’s) clump with snow
Lighter – Always good for emergencies, and it makes a great tape holder
Firestarter – A piece of bicycle inner tube makes for a great fire starter – just cut off a six or eight-inch section of an old tube.

For Multi-Day Trips, Consider Adding the following:

Tenacious Tape – Field repair a jacket or pant blowout like a pro with Tenacious Tape
Skin tip/tail clip – Pack an extra tip/tail clip. Black Diamond has lots of climbing skin parts
Hose clamps – Great for pole repair.
Bailing wire – Wire together blown boot cuff rivets or make a skin tip loop.
Pole basket – You’ll never know how much you need a pole basket until you don’t have one!
Emergency blanket – I’m talking about the lightest of Emergency blankets, in case you have a long night.