Menu:
- How to use skins
- The glue factor
- Mohair or Nylon?
- Choosing a skin width
- Tail and tip fixes
- Reducing skin ball-up
- Skin maintenance
How to use climbing skins:
Climbing skins are design to be used on skis to climb uphill. They prevent the skis from slipping back, making traveling much more convenient. Just remove them when you are ready to go down hill.Skins can either be made of a synthetic material or of Mohair. The skins hair is oriented to glide one way and grip on the other.
The Glue
An important component of the skins, the glue could sometimes make the difference between a great trip and a nightmare. The brands we selected have the best glue characteristics according to our experience:- durable;
- sticky to very sticky;
- not affected by moisture and cold;
Nylon:
- Very durable
- Very resistant to ripping
- Easy to cut to fit shape skis (don't fray)
- Bulkier
- Lots of grip
- Less glide
- Excellent for small budget and "yoyo" skiing
Mohair:
- Less bulky
- Less grip
- More glide
- Excellent for gentle slopes and long tours
- Excellent on larger surface skis that already create a lot of resistance.
The Width:
- Generally, the narrowest you should go is to match the skin width to the ski's waist.
- The edges of the ski should not be covered by the skin.
- You can trim the skins for maximum ski base coverage (instruction and a knife made for that use are included in the package). Mountain Magic Equipment will cut the skins for you as part of the purchase price.
Reducing skin ball up
- There is a product on the market especially for that purpose: Glop Stopper Skin Wax.
- Apply the wax to hair of your skin to prevents skins from balling up in warm temperature.
- You may have to reapply more Glop Stopper Skin Wax for extra long climbs or tours.
Maintenance:
- Let your skins dry after each trip still glued together. Don't expose the glue as it will crystallize faster.
- Clean your skins after each season (or more depending on who frequently you use them.)
- Glue renew: Small Touchup can be done with a tube of "Skin Glue". A total "reglue" of your skins is expensive but if your skins are in good condition reglueing could be the best answer. Reglueing should NOT be attempted at home. Contact your local Mountain Shop.
