Ski and Snowboard Racks: How to Choose the Best One For Your Car
This is still the right way round: a ski rack is a much simpler decision than a bike rack, and most of the difficulty is about the car rather than the skis.
Start with what the roof already has, because it dictates everything. Factory rails, flush rails, naked roof and a fixed-point roof each take a different foot, and Thule and Yakima both publish a fit guide keyed to your exact model and year. Buy the crossbars that fit the car first and the ski carrier second.
Then the carrier itself. Count pairs honestly: a four-ski carrier holds four skis, not four people's kit, and a snowboard takes the space of two pairs. Look for a clamp that opens far enough for fat skis with the bindings on, which many older designs do not, and one you can open wearing gloves.
A roof box is the alternative worth considering and the post underplayed it. It carries skis, boots and bags together, keeps everything dry and out of sight, and doubles as luggage space the rest of the year. It costs more, and it costs fuel.
Two things to do before the first trip: measure the loaded height and write it somewhere you will see it, because car park barriers are how roof boxes die; and check the tailgate still opens with the rack fitted.
What has changed: electric cars have made the fuel penalty much more visible. A loaded roof rack can cost a significant slice of range at motorway speed, which is a real argument for taking the rack off between trips rather than leaving it on all winter.
Part of the guide to ski and snowboard.