Category: Climbing Skins

Climbing skins for easy ascents on mountains of snow.

Review: Clip-Skins (look Ma’, no glue!)

It is now year two for Clip Skins, the climbing skin that you can attach to your ski without glue. No glue to go bad over time, or get contaminated if you drop them in the dirt, or the need for Herculean strength to pull them apart after storing glue-to-glue, or the hassle of trying …

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Review: Colltex Climbing Skins – 65/35 mixed

First Impressions – April 2011 What struck me first was the deep blue hue. For 2011, that’s the color of Colltex’ 65/35 Mohair/Nylon mixed plush. More than that though it was nice to see a simple, solid-colored plush that wasn’t too bold, yet was distinctive. The next thing I was relieved to notice was that …

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Review: Black Diamond’s Glidelite Skins

After four years of comparing various climbing skins side by side it was time to settle on my fave pair. The choice was easy. Black Diamond’s Glidelite nylon climbing skins had excellent grip, decent glide, weren’t immune to icing but were less prone to it than G3’s Expedition skins, Colltex’ nylon skins, and especially Low-Fat …

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Tips ‘n’ Tails for Climbing Skins

Tip and tail kits on the other hand, are consistent in their performance over time and varying snow conditions regardless of the plush or glue. They make attaching and removing climbing skins easier.

Testing Climbing Skins

There are lots of pieces of specialized gear that are nice to have and can enhance your time adventure skiing. Climbing skins enhance the experience so dramatically that they are practically essential for backcountry skiing.

Clip-skins Review (beta version)

When Kaj Gyr first told me of his idea for glueless climbing skins I was intrigued but skeptical. Glued skins have always had the potential for trouble, but with proper care and a bit of luck I’ve been satisfied with most pairs of skins I’ve used. Occasionally I’ll get a pair with a bogus batch …

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