Vertical: A better way to put skis on a bike

Ok, it's getting a little late in the bike-to-ski season, but a recent promotional email that graced my inbox contained a link to yet another blog post demonstrating the along-the-tope-tube style method of strapping skis to your bike. I was going to post in the comments that vertical is the way to go, with a link to some better instructions... but couldn't find a good example. So I took some pictures after getting back from a few laps on the local hill, and here is my example. Unlike many methods of attaching skis to a bike the instructions are pretty short, because it's pretty easy.

• Have a rear rack on your bike.
• Start with your skis strapped together.
• Arrange your bindings so it's ok for their weight to catch on a heel piece. If you tele and your heel piece is a brick of plastic it's probably good to go as-is. If it has moving parts maybe you want a tiny piece of foam or want to rotate your heel tower etc. 
• Lean our skis against your bike rack vertically, such that their weight is mostly held by the heel piece. This frees up a hand for strapping; strap them around the rack near the bottom. 
• Strap them around your rack again at the top.
• You are done with your skis.
• ​If you are worried about the weight being held by the heel piece while riding you can shimmy them up a bit once the straps gives you some friction, but it's probably fine. I've also transported my partner's AT skis this way and they didn't break.
• Just strap your poles to your skis. You can also strap other stuff (like your boots) to your skis to keep them from falling off the rack.
• After a couple trips you might see some rub marks on your top sheet from the rack. Consider putting a strip of tape or something over that spot if it bothers you.

​Pictures:

Inside view with other gear removed. Sure seems like there's a lot of mud on those skis...

With poles and boots attached to the skis. I really like the elastic netting used for keeping the boots in place against the rack/skis. Handy for lots of things.

Video:

Advantages vs. along-the-top-tube methods:

• ​Easier and faster. Handy if you are doing something with a lot of transitions like the North Shore Triple Crown.
• Your frame doesn't attack your edges/bases, and your edges don't attack your frame.
• Doesn't get in the way of your cables etc.
• Doesn't get in the way of your knees. Even if you get your skis "just right" along-the-top-tube you'll find that if you stand to pedal your knees switch positions and it's not so "just right" anymore.
• Overall length of the assembly is shorter if you need to maneuver the bike in tight quarters with skis mounted.
• Oh and, in case you were worried about it, your skis aren't going to be much (if at all) taller than you are, so they're not going to be snagging on power lines or giving you an aerodynamic penalty.

So, there you have it. Happy bike-to-skiing.