Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hey there folks.

Got a new job at the Québec Geological Survey (yaaay), so I'm buying new gear!

I was wondering if you guys would recommend the Asnes X-Skins for serious uphill business? I'm mainly a xcD skier and the X-skins are significantly cheaper than the full-ski skins (new job doesn't mean unlimited money). I usually climb packed snow skin tracks, and very occasionally short powder traverses. These would be fit on a pair of 175cm Ingstad by a 145 pounds male individual.

Ready to learn from your personal experience/advices!

Can't help with the skins but it sounds like you might have a tax write off.

Fo pure climbing grip- nylon.
For the Ingstad- 58mm nylon X-skin.
You will be able to almost climb a wall- but very little glide with a low-profile cambered ski like the Ingstad.

I think you are ordering from Varuste.
If you have not placed order, look and see if there are some full length skins (maybe Colltex) that are not too expensive. No tail clip. Cut to length.
That would be a better option.
The X skins would work, but be more marginal. Might not have as much grip as you want at all times.
Like these
https://varuste.net/en/p100219/colltex- ... -m-x-50-mm

Or, like @lilcliffy said above.

Lubega6 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:24 pm

...I usually climb packed snow skin tracks...

Hmm, probably don't want to be too differently equipped from those who set the track.

@Lubega6, Good advice from @stilltryin
Maybe $30 Canadian more for the full length Colltex skins vs X-Skins.

EDIT: I have experienced what @jalp says below.
Trying to be light, be cool, go simple on X-Skins and regretting it.

Lubega6 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:24 pm

Hey there folks.

Got a new job at the Québec Geological Survey (yaaay), so I'm buying new gear!

I was wondering if you guys would recommend the Asnes X-Skins for serious uphill business? I'm mainly a xcD skier and the X-skins are significantly cheaper than the full-ski skins (new job doesn't mean unlimited money). I usually climb packed snow skin tracks, and very occasionally short powder traverses. These would be fit on a pair of 175cm Ingstad by a 145 pounds male individual.

Ready to learn from your personal experience/advices!

I also on occasion climb steep AT set tracks on Ingstads. I have had very limited success doing this even with 58mm nylon X skins. It's not that the skin doesn't grip, they are super grippy in the proper context. The issue is that skin tracks aren't flat. There are always little dips and irregularities. This, combined with a long stiff ski makes it difficult to compress the ski and kicker skin fully into the snow for grip when you are over one of those low spots. You will likely wind up taking many steps with almost no skin contact with the snow and as expected, 0% grip and 100% slip. I would highly recommend a full skin for what you want to do.

I went out 'mountaineering' half a dozen times last season with a dear friend on his Völkl AT stuff and me on my Nansens with X-Skins, uncut 45mm mohair and once by accident with my Race skin trimmed before the heel. Which got me up there eventually.

Following someone ascending in a straight line on that gear is basically impossible. Very slow, especially in deep snow, and lots of standing switches. And we were generally restricted to the little mountains I could do rather than the proper peaks he does.

But it was amazing! We did 'proper' tops! Not the really serious ones, but still. We still got up there, well out of my comfort zone coming down again, where I was definitely envious of his plastic and planks.

Nylon skins would have been better, longer skins better still. So of course it can be done, but a lot depends on your ambition and skill.

I don't think this is exactly a randonée replacement, put it that way. Notwithstanding there are extremely skilled Norwegians who do a little bit of that on E99s and whatever (and what @jyw5 does is beyond comprehension). But for me with the skill I have it was really something. My friend was basically keeping me company and sneaking in little fun tops between his proper big ones.





The Kjølen satellite station... a rite of passage if you live in Tromsø (my ex-landlady does this on E99s once a year, most people do it with AT gear on a Friday afternoon, it still felt like a victory to me!)



Got up here with Race skins.





And down again.

Lots of Ascension Nylon skins on eBay, 60mmx210cm for $29.99 usd

I leave full length skins at home when I know the terrain and don't expect any steeps in difficult terrain (IE forested hillslopes). Otherwise I take them always. As mentioned above, the X-skins can provide enough grip when you can traverse and kick turn up, but in some cases you don't have the space to do this, and depending on the terrain, in steep areas you can end up with the tips and tails supported by snow, without sufficient support underfoot for traction.
Full length skins also get more useful when the snow is very deep and you need extra traction to plough through.

I'd say that when I carry them, they are not useful 9 times out of 10, but those few times I need them, they saved me a LOT of energy.