Now, I realize that many of the readers of this site already have the gear thing dialed. This little piece may bore you a bit. But I also realize that there're others who are just catching the skimo racing bug and may need some inside tips. Even if they don't want to race, many of the adaptations from racing can be applied to fast touring. Just look at what's happening at Dynafit with the new TLT 5 boots. I mean, why would you use anything else?! Anyway, I'm working on a larger piece on speeding things up while touring but thought I would throw a quick one out on skin mods.
When I got into racing several years ago it seemed like I stumbled around in the dark a bit. There wasn't a lot of open sharing of ideas around here although if you asked pointed questions you could get some answers. The best source of information was found at larger events where you could just cruise around before and after racing and see who had what. It was pretty cool seeing some of the innovations people came up with. Equipment has come a long way since and many innovations are now in production and others are discouraged by tighter regulation by the federations.
Climbing skins are one fundamental piece of equipment for the sport. Most racers are on expensive mohair and there're several brands out there, most of which are European (Coltex, Trab, Pomoca, Dynafit) but we've seen Black Diamond throw their hat into the ring lately. Dynafit has always had a proprietary tip fixation system for their skins that works well on their skis but is sometimes worthless on other ski brands. Trab has their own fixation, as well, but it's a fiddle and doesn't work well under race conditions. What we're left with is coming up with a custom attachment system that allows racers to rip their skins from the tip at the top of climbs while keeping the system light and durable. And it goes without saying that there's almost no one using any sort of tail fixation. Of course, you will curse that tendency the first time your skins fail in frigid conditions.
I experimented with several options until settling for my current setup. I use Trabs for racing which requires a fairly wide washer at the tip for fixation. Dynafit has a much smaller slot in the front so the bungee cord has to be smaller in diameter than what I use on the Trabs if not using original Dynafit skins. I've also put notches in the tips of Atomics, Goodes, and Black Diamond skis, using a Dremel tool to carve out the slot. I've had no problems but it did get some getting used to carving up $1000 skis.
The below pictures show the step by step process for creating the system.
The first thing to do is to cut the front of the skin to be able to create the fixation system. After much trial and error, I have made a template from paper that gets the job done. To draw the template, simply free hand a nice taper on one side and then fold the paper in half length-wise and cut it. This creates a symmetrical pattern that looks tidy. If you're a hack, just cut away. I'm way too OCD for that, though. Either way, it works the same.
Once cut, I fold over the little tab and secure it with a hemostat. Old school dope smokers and fly tiers have these on hand. Working in surgery, I have access to this stuff and it makes the job easier. I also use suture and a surgery needle driver for the sewing. A cycling tubular tire repair kit has a nice heavy duty needle and thread that suffices for the job, too. Whatever you have that works is fine. Ultimately, finishing the sewing with a blob a Seam Grip secures the mod perfectly.
Once the sewing is done, slip a washer of some sort over the bungee and secure with a knot. Some racers have found plastic washers at hardware stores that work. I have made them out of plastic lids to protein powder canisters. My favorite are the guy line tighteners for tents.
Here's the other version side by side with the more Dynafit friendly version.
Once the skins are fixed to the tip, you can cut them to size. Now, most racers are using at least one pair of straight skins, three quarter length or so. Most of these don't need to be trimmed. I like having a bail out pair of wall to wall skins for more challenging conditions. Those need to be trimmed. G3 has an amazing skin trimming tool which sets the standard for this kind of product. The other brands just sell you a relabeled letter opener. This device actually cuts the 3mm offset from the edge first time through. So slick!
Lastly, I find that keeping up with skin maintenance is key to avoiding skin disasters during races. There've been several discussions on various back country skiing websites about stripping glue from skins and all the mess that entails. The reglue transfer strips are usually recommended after a thorough cleaning. Well, for me, this all seems a bit overboard. I've found that if I do a little seasonal maintenance I never have to do the full Monty.
I simply cut strips of either newspaper or brown paper bags and apply them in 6-10 inch strips to the skins and hit them with a hot iron. After two such passes the remaining glue is reconditioned and relatively clean. I then apply a very thin coat of Gold Label to complete the process. I really haven't had any issues with this technique.
Over the years I've had only one pair of skins with tail attachments and I recently removed them, as well. With proper attention to glue maintenance, I've rarely had an issue with skins peeling. It also makes for a trimmer and lighter set-up. Because my tails are more at risk, I'll freshen up the last 6 inches of skin perhaps twice a season. This only takes about 10 minutes.
