So I’ve been messing around trying to come up with the best option for a ski rack. I got the Rhino-Rack crossbars and came up with a better mounting bracket solution so the LED light was in front of the bar, I could move it back to the B pillar, and still mount the ski rack above the bar. It’s not a perfect solution, but OK. Then I had a religious epiphany and realized I hate the wind noise from the cross-bars, and will probably never use the LED bar in my life - there are way better camp lighting solutions and if you’re doing serious off-road driving in the dark, you’re kind of an idiot. So I finally found something that looks like it will work - a spare tire mounted rack that connects with cables and a tension lever, the Fabbri “Gringo.” Thank goodness it doesn’t actually say that on the rack (although it does online), or that would be like having a ski rack that says “please kick my ass.” It’s pretty light, takes less than 2 minutes to attach, leaves enough clearance for the rear windshield wiper, and you can also buy it to fit 2 snowboards and 4 pairs of skis, or even 2 bikes. Personally, I wouldn’t use it for my mountain bike. I use a no-touch Thule hitch-mounted rack for that. I still use the stock 265/70/17 K02’s, so you need to get the 300mm extension cables for that - and there is no US distributor (actually, most countries will have this problem outside of Europe), you’ll need to order from an Italian reseller (they don’t sell direct) and have it shipped. Shipping will cost almost as much as the rack. Only criticism is the hinge is a little flimsy when you open it to insert/take out the skis, and the rubber retainer straps will eventually degrade, obviously- but overall it seems like a great solution for those of you who ski and don’t want to put your gear up top.
