Tag: skinning

Review: BD Ultralite Mo-mix Skins

Like any decent pair of climbing skins, Black Diamond’s Glidelite Ultralite climbing skins, the mohair mix variety, is a product guaranteed to get you to the goods and plaster your face with at least a smile, if not a giggle of delight for the face shots. As with most climbing skins, the grip and glide …

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Review: Fischer ProFoil climbing skins

Time for an update on Fischer’s new climbing skin technology, their ProFoil climbing skins. Unlike traditional skins that are modeled after the fur of seals, these are essentially a full length sheet of plastic scales like that found on waxless cross-country skis. Like climbing skins, they are attached or removed to the base of your …

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Review: G3’s Via ski poles

When it comes to ski poles any pole will do, especially if you’ve just broken or lost yours. However, if you’re earning your turns, it is worth it to get yourself a pair with dedicated backcountry features. The most obvious would seem to be a pole with length adjustability, but that is only one of …

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Climbing Skin buyers guide

  Now that the Sun is heading for the horizon, and with it the excitement of getting out in the snow, thoughts that tend toward getting ready for those coming days lead to gear. One of the three basic BC essentials are climbing skins. Experienced skinners know that good skins can make a difference in …

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Technique: Meanderthal Mind Games

  More than anything, making and taking a low angle skin track is a mind game. The natural tendency is to go steeper, afterall that is the shortest line and the shortest line should be the fastest, right? Indeed it can be, for a short pitch or a single ascent with a small group. However …

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Review: La Sportiva Climbing Skins

  Along with their expansion into the ski hardware business, La Sportiva rounds out their product offering with climbing skins using a 70/30 blend of mohair and nylon for Winter 2014. In theory you could get these same skins from Pomoca, their secret source, but with the La Sportiva version you also get the K2 …

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1st Look: Ski Baskets with a lift

  One of the new directions in ski pole development has been a recognition of how limited the function of most baskets are. Yes, they provide a resistance to pole planting in soft snow but when it comes to using that disk for anything that requires a bit of backbone for support they’re next to …

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