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One of
the unsung heroes in the
ski equipment world is
the climbing skin. Skins
allow us entry into the
backcountry and all that
goes with it. When
skiing we love the
powder or the speed and
the feel of a great
turn, but skins give us
the views, the quiet,
and the opportunity to
absorb the feel of being
“away”.
There are higher tech
ways to travel to
pristine snow, but a
plane, helicopter or
snowmobile won’t give
you half of what your
skins will.
Climbing skins used to
be made from real animal
fur, hence the name.
Nowadays, however, they
are made from nylon
plush fibers that are
aligned like the hair on
a dog’s back. This
alignment glides easily
along the snow on the
uphill push, and grips
the snow when the skins
are weighted, so that
you don’t slip back down
the hill. This is how
you can climb hills with
climbing skins. The
skins are backed with
special glue that allows
them to be repeatedly
put on and stripped off
of the skis without
leaving any residue on
the bottoms of the skis.
Always store your skins
glue surface to glue
surface in a bag to
protect the glue from
dirt, peanut butter, or
dog hair, and keep them
in a cool place. We
carry two weights of
climbing skins. The
heavier Ascension skin
probably climbs a little
steeper slope and is
more durable for those
that use their skis and
skins in icy or rocky
conditions. The
Glidelite skins are
lighter and more supple,
making for a better long
distance package. Their
grip is almost as good
and their glide is
somewhat better than the
Ascension skins. Because
they are thinner they
are not as durable as
the Ascension skins, but
when used appropriately,
will give you years of
use.
Trimming your skins to
the dimension of your
skis is about a half
hour process and gives
the exact shape of your
skis to the skins.
Climbing skins are sold
in different widths, so
buy a skin from anywhere
around the width of your
ski tip to 10
millimeters less than
your ski tip width to
get the best coverage of
your ski. If you like to
skin up a steep track
then go with full width;
just remember you will
need to cut away enough
skin to expose your
edges for those gnarly
side-hill traverses!
There are a few hardware
options for keeping your
skins tight to your
skis. This is especially
necessary after several
runs in wet snow. We
suggest the STS tail
kit, which is adjustable
enough to adapt to a
second (and perhaps
longer) pair of skis.
You should keep in mind
that the reason you have
a second pair of skis is
to ski different
conditions than with
your #1 pair, so they
are probably dimensioned
differently. You’ll need
to trim your skis with
this in mind. It will
create a compromise in
performance but it is
usually not a problem
unless one pair of skis
is a lot wider. Since
you will trim them to
fit the narrower ski,
your fat skis may not
climb as well and have
more of their base
showing.
Anyway, back to
hardware. There are
other attachment options
but we think the STS is
versatile enough for all
uses. Some people prefer
to have no attachment
hardware for weight or
friction (drag)
purposes. In this case,
the hardware can be
simply cut off.
Because we are located
at the finish line of
the Grand Traverse (a
high altitude, forty
mile winter traverse
from Crested Butte to
Aspen), we do carry
narrow skins as well.
They accommodate the
smaller skis that the
racers use for this
event. For narrow skis
or super fats, ask for
the appropriate tip
loops to attach to your
ski. We even sell a skin
in the narrow sizes that
is 70% mohair (goat
hair) and 30% nylon for
the ultimate in glide.
A few important
accessories for your
climbing skins:
Glop Stopper: When the
snow is wet and going
back and forth across
the freezing line, snow
can stick to your skins
in a big way. Glop
Stopper is a wax that
can be applied to your
skins to prevent this
freeze-up. Always have
it in your repair kit.
Cheat Sheets: A
synthetic mesh panel
placed between the glued
surfaces of your skins
to preserve their
stickiness. They come
with all of the Black
Diamond skins.
Gold Label Adhesive:
After a lot of use or
abuse and they don’t
want to stick to your
skis anymore, your skins
will need some new
adhesive.
Bob’s special attitude
adjustment: In the
backcountry, you’ll be
skinning a lot more than
actual skiing, so relax
and enjoy what it
offers!
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