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.

 

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