So it was a revolutionary moment when Paul Ramer sent me a pair of his Assault Snowshoes – an oval shaped platter of stamped aluminum with cookie cutter edges. As usual I thought it was a kooky idea, but as with his Ramer Classic alpine touring bindings, their beauty was only visible after experiencing their performance.
Archive for the ‘Climbing Skins’ Category
Review: Spark R&D resurrects Verts™
by
Posted in Accessories, Climbing Skins, Dostie, Craig 
Tags: Ramer, Snowboard, splitboard, Verts 
No Comments »First Look: Gecko Climbing Skins
by
To the touch they appear mildly sticky, maybe half as sticky as “normal” glue, but when stuck to the base of your skis, especially when weighted, they hold as well as any other skin glue. The Gecko folks say it is a pressure sensitive adhesive so when you’re skinning, they hold tight and keep snow from creeping under.
Review: G3 Alpinist Climbing Skins
by
You have to be pretty particular, or simply have skis that are too thick at the tip to not like G3′s Alpinist Climbing Skins out of the box. The tip and tail kit are impressive, as is their welded attachment to the skin itself. And then there is the reduced thread count, laid-back weave of [...]
Posted in Climbing Skins, Dostie, Craig, G3 Tags: cammed tail hook, welded tail, welded tip 4 Comments »Review: BCA Magic Carpet Climbing Skins
by
After several years of simply hanging in there and offering the lowest priced climbing skin in the American market, BCA’s climbing skins were upgraded last season. They wouldn’t disclose who their new source was, but I can assure you that out of the box the new Magic Carpets are indeed an upgrade. How good of [...]
Review: Clip-Skins (look Ma’, no glue!)
by
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 [...]
Posted in Climbing Skins, Clip Skins, Dostie, Craig Tags: glide, glueless, neanderthal, skinning 10 Comments »Review: Colltex Climbing Skins – 65/35 mixed
by
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 [...]
Review: Black Diamond’s Glidelite Skins
by
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 [...]
Tips ‘n’ Tails for Climbing Skins
by
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.
Posted in Black Diamond, Climbing Skins, Colltex, Dostie, Craig, G3, Skinning Tags: bungee, skin tails, skin tips 10 Comments »Testing Climbing Skins
by
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)
by
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 [...]
