Yakima and cutting edge ski racks
As
any ski/ride enthusiast knows: when the snow starts falling, it’s
time to head to the mountains! Just the thought of flowing over light-as-air
powder, feeling the rush of traveling at break-neck speed down a freshly-groomed
run, or getting airborne in the park makes our mouths water. The gear
is ready and tuned up, but how do you transport it to the snow?
Of course, there is always the awkward method of shoving it in your
tiny car, with barely any room for you to drive, let alone fellow riders.
Racks are invaluable for storing riding equipment during long trips,
and face it: sometimes you have to travel a good distance to get the
best tracks! Yakima, a respected company that’s synonymous with
the handy car accessories, offers a wide variety of roof racks, strap
racks and hitch racks for any and every preference.
Roof racks are the most common
forms of Yakima racks because they can transform any car into an adventure-ready
vehicle! They are easy to install on cars with “naked roofs.”
Towers are the necessary first-step to installing a roof rack: these
attach to your roof (four that go on each corner) and provide a study
foundation for the rack on top. The official Yakima Web site has a specialized
calculator that provides the correct tower size for your car model.
Next, the crossbars go between the towers – this gives load support
between the front and rear sets of towers. Yakima’s special round
design lets you rotate the mounts out of the way when they’re
not in use. Finally, the mounts attach to the front and rear crossbars,
allowing rooftop transportation of nearly any piece of outdoor equipment.
Besides skis and snowboards, the company makes mounts for storage containers,
bikes and kayaks.
Strap racks are popular because they are simple and more affordable
than roof racks. They are designed with no-scratch hooks and straps
to fit the back of any sedan, hatchback, SUV or wagon. Plus, they are
easy to remove when they’re not in use – which makes them
easy to store or tuck way during the off season. Also, this allows people
with multiple cars to transfer racks between them easily.
One of the major drawbacks for strap racks is that they restrict access
to the back of your vehicle, which is why hitch racks are so handy (after
a long day on the hill, you’re going to want to get to a cooler
full of beverages!). Hatch racks, on the other hand, allow you access
to your vehicle while being easy to remove when needed. These racks
slide easily into any hatch receiver. Yakima, being such innovators,
makes models that fold, swing or tilt away so you won’t ever be
restricted from the back of your vehicle. Although hatch racks are meant
for carrying bicycles, there are ski and snowboard adapters. Most hatch
receivers have a size of either 2” or 1 1/4”; Yakima’s
racks also come in both sizes, so it’s important to determine
the size of your receiver before purchasing one of these racks.