Ski touring skins are fantastic pieces of kit that allow us to efficiently ski uphill over snow-covered terrain.
Ski touring skins were first used thousands of years ago. For an overview of ski touring in a wild and varied environment, read Ski touring in Scotland: a brilliant backcountry classroom. Read on to learn about the modern skins that are essential for backcountry skiers.
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Climbing skin design
Climbing skins are essential items on your ski touring kit list. It is therefore important to select the right design of skins for your skis and touring conditions.
How skins work
Because fur has a grain, it will grip the snow in one direction, but slide over it in the opposite direction. The original ski touring skins (or ‘climbing skins’) were made of simple strips of animal fur, tied to the ski. Modern skins are made of tough fabric and have a special glue layer on one side and fur on the other. They usually have some form of attachment clip as well. Most modern AT skins are trimmed to fit the shape of the ski.
Several factors affect how much traction you’ll get with your skins:
- Slope gradient
- Snow texture
- Wetness
- Fur type/quality
- Temperature
- Ski : skin surface area ratio
- Fixing / glue
When your skins reach the limit of their grip, you may have to use ski crampons.
Choosing ski touring skins
There are many different designs, sizes and materials to consider when choosing skins. For high-mountain touring and carving skis, ‘tip-and-tail-fix’ skins are recommended. This gives maximum security when sideskinning (ie: contouring) and some backup in case your skin glue begins to fail mid-tour. There are many brands to choose from – my favourite is Contour’s Hybrid skins (see my review of them at the Contour Skins Facebook page).
Types of touring skin
- Kicker skins are short, light skins designed for narrow cross country/nordic skis. They fit just under the foot.
- Straight skins are not shaped, but a lightweight option for XC/nordic/SkiMo skis.
- AT skins are wider and shaped, usually with tip-and-tail fixings.
- Split skins are made of two narrow strips per ski, specifically to provide enough traction for really wide powder skis.
- Splitboard skins are asymmetric skins designed for splitboards.
Climbing skin furs
The type of fur used on touring skins makes quite a difference to their performance.
| Fur material | Wear resistance | Grip | Glide | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goat hair (Mohair) | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Most expensive |
| Nylon | Excellent | Good | Good | Least expensive |
| Mohair+Nylon mix | Very good | Very good | Very good | Average |
Climbing skin clips and glue
There are many different types of tip/tail fixing, made of plastic, rubber or metal. Some fixings are attached at the factory and othes are fitted by the user. It’s worth carrying a few zip ties or some wire, because broken or lost clips can leave you stranded without a working skin! Different types of glue are used by manufacturers, too, each with their pros and cons. See below for details.
| Glue type | Stickiness | Wet weather performance | Cold weather performance | Cleaning and maintenance | Collect debris? | Handling | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-tack | High | Excellent | Excellent | Difficult | Yes, lots | Difficult | Black Diamond Ascension, G3 Alpiniste |
| Hybrid | Medium | Good | Very good | Medium | Very little | Easy | Contour Hybrid, Pomoca |
| Low-tack/ ‘Glueless’ | Low | Poor | Good | Easy | Almost zero | Very easy | Gecko, Black Crows/Pellis |
Fitting
The length and width of your backcountry skins is important for best performance.
Ski skin width
In most cases, a skin for a carving ski should cover most of the base surface area. Lengthwise, it needs to be a bit shorter than the ski, to allow the tail clip to be tightened. Width wise, the skin edges need to lie about 2mm back from the metal ski edges.
Skins too narrow: might have more glide and be easier to center on the ski, but won’t have enough grip.
Skins too wide: loads of grip, but difficult to center and make the ski harder to edge (eg: when sideskinning).
Even trim-to-fit skins are made in many different sizes. Follow the manufacturers size charts to select the right pair for your skis.
Trimming
Most touring skins for modern alpine skis and splitboards require careful trimming before first use.
Top tips for trimming ski skins
- Use the trimming tool from the manufacturer
- Clean the ski bases first
- Don’t rush
- Check the skin is centred on the ski
- Clean the cutting blade in between cuts
You DON’T need to trim ski touring skins if they are: pre-trimmed by the manufacturer or retailer, part of a hire set, or ‘straight’, ‘kicker’ or ‘split‘ skins.
Using backcountry skins
You need to attach and store your skins properly, otherwise skinning performance will soon suffer (see the Learn Backcountry Skiing post for more).
Attaching
Aim to attach your skins to dry, clean ski bases. Try and keep snow and ice off them as you get them ready and be cautious of losing them in high winds!
Folding
On the hill, I recommend folding skins in quarters:
- Release the tail clip.
- Peel the skin off by the tail clip, to halfway.
- Fold the tail end into the middle of the skin, glue to glue.
- Peel the rest of the skin off the ski tip.
- Fold the tip of the skin into the middle, glue to glue.
- Fold it all in half (and maybe half again)
Storing
- During a tour
- Cover them with cheat sheets, skin socks or a bag.
- Warm the glue by keeping them inside your jacket.
- Hang them to dry during breaks
- Between tours
- Gentle warming only (eg: no hot car vents, radiators, etc)
- Air dry them before storing
- Protect the glue from debris (eg: animal hair, dust)
- Clean the glue layer as needed.
- Wax backcountry skins occasionally.
- Check the clips now and then.
- Cheat sheets and storage bag are recommended.
Cleaning and regluing
Debris in the glue layer can allow water to creep in between the skin and ski. Eventually, this makes the skin fall off, which is incredibly frustrating.
Cleaning and replacing ski skin glue:
- Use tweezers to remove debris (careful not to damage the glue, though).
- Low-tack skins can simply be rinsed under running water
- Wipe with a solvent (check manufacturer)
- Iron and greaseproof paper method
- Use spray skin glue as a quick fix
- Replace the glue layer using a kit
Iron and greaseproof paper method
Although this trick doesn’t actually remove debris, it does revitalise/reactivate the glue layer (NOT RECOMMENDED FOR LOW-TACK/GLUELESS SKINS).
- Attach skin to the ski in reverse (glue facing out).
- Place greaseproof paper over the glue layer
- Gently iron the glue layer over the greaseproof paper (cool-medium heat iron)
- When cool, peel off the paper
Waxing
Let’s finish off with an often-overlooked hack. Although skin furs generally work very well, waterlogging can lead to problems. First, the water can ice up, effectively clogging the skin. Second, water can creep into the glue layer and make it fail. Apply a wax directly to the fur. Use either iron-on ski or skin wax, or use Nikwax Ski Skin proof. This will reduce wetting and icing, improve glide and help your touring be efficient and hassle-free!
Build backcountry skills and experience
FAQ
This could be due to several reasons. One of the most common causes is water or ice between the ski base and glue layer. This can be made worse by poor skinning technique or a loose tail clip. Another cause is the glue being too cold.
To improve the bond of your ski skins try the following: Tighten the tail clip | Avoid twisting your ski while skinning | Dry the ski bases | Keep the skins inside your jacket pocket | Scrape ice off the glue layer | Clean, reactivate or replace the glue layer | Use skins with a high-tack glue.
Keep the glue layer as clean and dry as possible. After use, dry and store them using the ‘cheat sheets’ or a skin sock.
Yes, you can buy various kits and sprays to replace the glue layer. You can also warm the glue to improve its stickiness.
In between tours, dry the skins thoroughly and store them in the bag. Attach the cheat sheets or skin socks to protect the glue layer.
They do a great job of protecting the glue and make separating skins a breeze. But in windy conditions, they can be awkward to manage.
Depending on the level of use and abuse, from one to several seasons.
To size new trim-to-fit skins, follow the manufacturers guidelines for length (but I would recommend double checking). For width, use the skis widest dimension (shovel) to get most grip.