A little over 3 weeks ago, Sport Bumper launched a fundraising campaign on a website called Kickstarter. We set a funding goal of $5,000 and reached it last Wednesday! We are currently up to $5,625 and still have 25 days to go! So, if you have any friends, family or co-workers that might find the Sport Bumper product handy, please feel friend to send them this link...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1413065778/sport-bumper-protecting-your-ride-and-your-gear?ref=live

Thanks for the support!

This is what happens when we go skiing. We take the skis out of the rocket box and…

a) if I’m in charge, I lean them against the car. I don’t like to put them on the ground where there is rocky, dirty snow. I also worry about someone parking next to us and running them over.
OR... 

b) if my husband’s in charge, he put them on the ground. He doesn’t worry about the edges or the skis getting run over. He worries about scratching the car.

We don’t have arguments about this. We just do things differently. Or rather, we used to. Now we have a Ski Bumper.

Here’s how it works: The Ski Bumper is a 26″ long piece of thick polyurethane with ridges every inch on one side and a magnetic strip on the other side. To use it, stick it the side or rear of your car and lean your skis (or snowboards) against it. They’ll stay in place and your car will remain scratch free. When you’re done, strip the Ski Bumper off and put it back in your car.

It’s that easy, although the packaging does include two caveats: 1) don’t drive with it on your car and 2) clean the area where you want to put it. If your car is super dirty, it won’t stick as well and it may leave little scratches.

I included the Ski Bumper in my annual gift guide back in December. I also gave two as gifts, and they were well appreciated. For $15 each, it’s a handy tool for all ski “commuters.”

Check Out BraveSkiMom.com

My new favorite accessory for the season is the Ski Bumper. It’s a simple concept: place a solid peace of rubber on the side of your car (with magnets) to safely lean your skis, boards, and poles against so you don’t damage your car and your gear doesn’t slip and fall onto the ground.

We’ve used it on a couple trips up now and my routine is pretty simple: throw the Ski Bumper in the trunk and leave it there. When arriving at the parking lot I’ll grab the bumper, throw it on the side of the car, and then start unloading our skis and board off the roof and pull my poles out of the trunk. Now I have all our gear ready and can change into my boots, jacket, etc. Once everybody is ready to go, I grab my gear and then pull the bumper off and throw it on the roof of the car.

When we walk back to the car I have no quick ability to unlock the car to start storing gear. So, I reach onto the roof, throw the bumper on the side of the car, learn my gear against it and then can get everything else (keys, gloves off, etc.) so we can start loading back up. Last thing back in the trunk is the bumper and off we go.

It’s a simple routine (perhaps more complicated when written) but the Ski Bumper is a great addition to it because now I can lean our gear without dinging up the side panels of the car. Plus, half the time they slide off the side and fall on the ground.

Some alternatives to leaning your gear on your car: throw gear on the ground? Risk people stepping on it and not seeing it, taking up space around your vehicle in the lot. Keep it on the rack until ready to go? We have a tall SUV so I have to jump up into the car to reach the far end of the rack and would rather get everything down off the rack, then start putting on boots (and not ding up our car interior).

The bumper is quite simple: a solid rubber strip with ridges to help hold items in place (its not just a smooth surface). The backing is a thin magnet so the bumper is flexible and should contour to most vehicle bodies.

For $15 the Ski Bumper is a simple, solid accessory to add to anyone’s routine. We’d highly recommend it to anyone.   

Check out COsnow.com

Check out this funny video put together by the creative people at TheShuuk.com.

All Shuuk products have to pass one test – do they make us say, “why didn’t I think of that?!” and slap our foreheads three times.

I like simple solutions to problems, and we recently came across a simple little product that addresses the age-old problem of leaning your skis against the car, only to watch them topple over like dominos. The Ski Bumper is a magnetic rubber strip that offers added purchase for your skis when resting against the side of your car. It’s nothing fancy (that’s a compliment), and it works. The flexible rubber strip is backed with a magnet that runs its full length. I’ve been storing mine in the ski box, pulling it out and sticking it to the car before I pull the skis out. Simple, effective and a bargain at $15 – a small price to avoid the inevitable scratches and dings.              Check out Off-Piste Magazine.com