Equipment: Choosing Climbing
Skins
Date first posted on eCommunity - 25
November 2007
In preparation for the winter season, and spurred
on by the recent
heavy snowfall in Norway, we are presently building up our stock of
climbing skins. (We rent them out to clients on some of our off-
track holidays.)
This posting outlines the sort of things we have had to consider in
deciding what to buy. Maybe it will help those of you who are
thinking of buying your own skins.
We have changed our thinking about climbing skins over the last
couple of seasons. At first we didn't want to use them at all on our
holidays. This was because we felt (and still feel) that the growth
in use of skins during the 1990s led relatively inexperienced skiers
on to terrain that was too difficult for them. The skins allowed
them to climb up hills that were longer and steeper than they could
confidently ski back down. Recently, however, our own groups have
often experienced tricky, glazed conditions in which skins can be
more appropriate than waxes, even on fairly gentle ground. In
response to this we've decided to build up a stock of general
purpose skins that will be suitable for valley touring as well as
for bagging the occasional Munro.
CHOICE OF MATERIAL
Skins used to be made from seal-skin - hence the name - and the
principle was that the hairs in the seal's fur would stay flat to
the snow if moved in one direction, and would therefore glide, but
would rise up, and would therefore grip, if moved in the other.
Nowadays the choice is between synthetic materials, which are very
durable, and mohair, which has good gliding properties. And you can
get a mohair/synthetic mix that balances the advantages of both.
For our own stock we have given precedence to durability and have
chosen 100% synthetic.
WIDTH
Skins come in several widths. The standard advice that you'll get
from most shops is to choose skins almost as wide as your skis, and
this certainly holds good when you intend to go straight up the side
of a mountain that has a sustained slope. So if your chosen terrain
is the high Alps, you'll opt for wide skins.
However on more unevenly graded hillsides and rolling terrain -
classic Norwegian conditions - narrower skins are useful. They give
sufficient grip but still allow you some glide on the flat or down-
sloping sections. So they are not as hard work as wide skins. For
our own purposes, narrower skins are best, and we have gone for a
width of 35mm.
TYPE OF FITTING
Some skins attach to the ski at both tip and tail. Normally these
have a rubberised fitting at either the tip or tail end, to help
keep the skin tightly in place. The principle is a good one. But the
problem is that these rubberised sections can break - as we know
from bitter experience. And once they have broken it can be almost
impossible to make running repairs to them.
So we have gone for the simpler models, which fix only to the ski
tip, by means of a simple metal clip that you loop over the ski tip.
(For grip we will rely on Coll tex glue, a special tacky adhesive
that does not set. Coll Tex is the brand leader but there other brands.
A tube will cost just under ₤10.)
SOME UK SUPPLIERS AND WHAT THEY STOCK
We know of three suppliers in the UK. They all offer a mail order
service.
MOUNTAIN SPIRIT, a shop in Aviemore, stocks skins made by G3. Most
of their models seem to be intended for skiers using Alpine ski-
mountaineering or Telemark skis, not Nordic kit. For example the width
of their G3 Expedition Skins ranges from 90mm to 120mm. Equipped with
both tip and tail fittings, these cost from ₤88
to ₤102 per pair. They are described as "a trim to fit skin that covers
the whole base of the ski".
However the shop does also stock G3 Tail-less Skins at a width of 50mm,
which is a more suitable size for Nordic skis. They cost
₤68.50 per pair.
Mountain Spirit's website is at www.mountainspirit.co.uk
BRAEMAR MOUNTAIN SPORTS, whose shops are in Braemar and Aviemore,
stock skins made by Montana.
The Montana Nylon Standard is a parallel synthetic skin which attaches
only at the tip. Two widths are available: 35mm (₤44.95)
and 50mm (₤49.95).
The Montana Nylon Combi is a parallel synthetic skin which attaches at
both tip and tail. Four widths are available: 50mm (₤59.95);
59mm (₤59.95); 63mm (₤64.95)
and 67mm (₤64.95).
The Montana Mohair Combi is described as "a parallel mohair skin",
implying that it is 100% mohair. It attaches at both tip and tail. Four
widths are available: 50mm (₤64.95); 59mm (₤64.95);
63mm (₤69.95) and 67mm (₤69.95).
Braemar also have the new Montana Shorty skins, which the website
describes as follows:
"Montana Shorty skins fit on the mid-section of your skis, pretty
much where you'd have put grip wax in the old days. They aren't meant
for really steep slopes but will surprise you with the traction they
give. If you only have one pair of skins then buy full length, but if
you value speed on rolling terrain then we suggest you give these a go.
They continue to amaze us with increased distance/speed for less effort.
Our advice is to go narrow to maximise glide. All sizes retail at
₤44.95."
(Anyone who has read Nansen's account of the first crossing of
Greenland, which we reviewed a few weeks ago, will recall that the
explorer had short skins built into the bases of some of his skis.
This was in 1888.)
Braemar Mountain Sports' website is at www.braemarmountainsports.com.
EUROSKI
Euroski is based in Seaford, on the Sussex coast, and stocks skins
made by Coll tex.
The Coll tex Synthetic Skin has a tip fastening and comes in a width
of 35 mm. The website claims it has a "longevitiy" of about 150km.
The price is ₤30.
The Coll tex Mix Skin has a tip fastening and comes in a width of 35 mm.
The mix is 70% Mohair and 30% Synthetic. The price is
₤38.00
The Coll tex Synthetic Skin With Combi Fix has tip and tail fastenings
and comes in a width of 45 mm. The price is ₤53.00
Euroski's website is at www.crosscountryskis.co.uk.
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