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Alright, let’s cover another of the many confusing aspects of backcountry gear. That’s right, climbing skins! First of all, we gotta sort out what exactly they are. Then, we’re gonna go ahead and try and find the best splitboard skins for you.
If you’re in a rush here, just get a pair of G3 Universal splitboard skins. Nothing special really, but these tend to be good beginner skins because the G3 clips work on the widest array of splitboard shapes and they’re popular, so you can usually find a deal.
These are a full nylon skin, so they’re going to have decent grip and great durability. They are bulky, and their glide capabilities are not what you would get out of a mohair blend. But they are pretty much bullet proof. You might wanna pick up a fancier set in the future, but these should last for many years.
Still, read on if you want a richer understanding of climbing skins. I gotta say, and you might think less of me, but I was so confused by this topic when I first started digging into backcountry. I had been riding for over 20 years, a lot of the backcountry lingo was unfamiliar, but particularly the concept of ‘skins’. But it’s a pretty simple concept and one worth building a working knowledge of.
So if you’re confused by this topic, we’re about to jump you right past that confusion and straight into the magical realm of the knowledgeable. If you’re looking for an even more basic introduction to splitboarding on the whole, check out this post. Otherwise, we’re gonna cover where to find these mystical ‘skins’, which ones to get, and what to do with them when you find them. It’s gonna be great.
What are Splitboard Skins?
First things first. The fundamental difference between riding in a resort and riding backcountry is the uphill. In a resort, you wait in line, you get on a lift and you dangle from a wire of some type until you are deposited atop a mountain peak. On a backcountry route, there is no line to wait in or wire from which to dangle. You ski to the mountain peak by your own accord.
But skis are designed for sliding down hills. How does one ski uphill? That’s where climbing skins come in. You strap a swatch of material (skins) to the bottom of your skis and you get a lot more traction on the uphill. In fact, these ‘skins’ are designed so that they can still slide relatively smoothly uphill, but as soon as you try to slide backwards, they get a little grippy so that you can pull yourself up the hill. These strips of material are attached to your skis via tip and tail fasteners and a tacky glue that keeps them from shifting under your skis.
Traditionally, these ‘skins’ were actually made out of seal skin. Seal skin is pretty unique. It repels water like crazy and the directionality of the fur would provide that directional grip you need on an uphill trail. Today, climbing skins are usually made of synthetic materials, mohair, or some combination thereof.
Material is probably the most important consideration in distinguishing the best splitboard skins from a performance standpoint. Mohair is a little faster, and nylon tends to be slower but more durable. Nylon skins are often bulkier as well.
You’re probably going to be looking at synthetic nylon climbing skins. If you start to get competitive about your uphill climbing, to the point that you want to go faster, that’s when you’re going to start looking into mohair. Mohair is wool derived from the Angora goat, which is a Turkish breed. Don’t get this confused with Angora wool, which is actually derived from the Angora rabbit. Different story.
The best splitboard skins will be full mohair. But this may be overkill. Mohair tends to get a little more expensive. Not way more expensive, but climbing skins are expensive to begin with, so you may be reluctant to go even harder.
Mohair tends to be less durable as well. The upside, theoretically, is that they run a little faster. I get it, for some folks the magic of backcountry is a 2-hour blitz to the top of a mountain. I appreciate that, but my approach is more about a leisurely ascent, enjoying the beauty that nature has to offer. And then shredding fields of unyielding powder to the bottom.
You can also find synthetic/mohair blends. This is intended to give you some combination of smooth gliding and durability. It’s not at all uncommon to find blended climbing skins at a reasonable price.
What size skins should i get?
To start, make sure you have splitboard skins. It can be remarkably easy to get mixed up. Models are sometimes offered in both types and online listings often don’t clearly tell them apart. Splitboard skins will almost always explicitly mention ‘splitboard’ in the title and description. If that’s not enough, product photos should clearly demonstrate use on a splitboard. The big tell is that a splitboard half is not going to be symmetrical.
Once you’re sure you’ve got splitboard skins, you may need to select your length and width. Some skins can be adjusted at the tail. Other skins must be sourced in a length that extends beyond your board length so they can then be trimmed to fit. In this case you are often asked to affix the tail clip yourself. It’s a simple task and we’ll walk you through it.
In the case of the G3’s, let’s check out the Amazon listing. It clearly says ‘splitboard’ on the listing and there are two options for length. Make sure you know what your splitboard length is, then get the corresponding skin length.
By the way, that price is outlandish. These skins should be on the cheaper side of the spectrum. You should double check the Amazon price, but if you see over 200$ for the G3 universal splitboard skins, just hunt around on some of the other outfitter sites for a better deal.
Once you’ve got the length down, you need to make sure you’ve got the right width. You need a skin that’s wide enough to cover your entire deck. In most cases, splitboard skins are offered only in a 140mm size or larger, which should provide more than enough overhang for the average splitboard width. You’ll end up trimming for a clean fit that leaves just enough exposed edge to steer.
The only time you should really be concerned about this is if you have massive feet. I would think you’d be aware of this. But if you have big feet, you may have a wide deck, which means you should be particularly careful about making sure your deck is not too wide for your skins.
The Best Splitboard Skin Brands?
Considering that these things are very much just strips of fabric, there are plenty of brands trying to get in on the climbing skin game. But you’ll find that, more often than not, climbing skins can be traced back to 3 key manufacturers. Brands will often offer skins from these manufacturers under their own name.
Now, this doesn’t cover everything. Spark R&D and Karakoram both offer their own line of skins, although they’re manufactured by other companies. Black diamond makes their own skins. It can be a little tough sometimes to really figure out what is a proprietary skin and what is a white label product.
G3
Alright, G3 stands for Genuine Guide Gear. They make a bunch of backcountry gear. This Vancouver-based company started with an avalanche probe in 1995 and they’ve been building out their line ever since.
Their skins are popular and they come in 3 varieties: grip, glide and universal. If you’re new to the game, go with universal. That should be the swiss army knife. but I’ll mention again, make sure you get the ‘splitboard’ specific skins because these things can look almost exactly the same for split or for ski.
Voilé
Voilé has been pumping out backcountry gear for generations. On top of that, they have the most legitimate claim on ground zero for splitboarding, having released the first splitboarding rig in the early 90’s.
In the skins department, they offer the Hyper Glide. This is your typical 70/30 Mohair/Nylon blend
Pomoca
These are a little nicer. Maybe it’s just the color, but there’s a certain luxurity that they’ve really nailed. But They also have over-the-top connectors, which can be annoying. In contrast, G3’s have a hook system that just clips on to the front, so you don’t have to feed it over your nose clips.
Long story short, I personally prefer the G3 connectors. But the skins themselves are so light and supple that they’re probably my top choice overall for best splitboard skins.
Climbing Skin Glue
If you’re just getting started, you probably don’t need to pay much attention to skin glue. This is a weird adhesive that coats the part of your skin that meets the base of your board.
I say weird because it’s just kinda magical. This glue doesn’t really cake or stick to the wax on your board, it just very neatly secures your skins to the bottom of your deck. Different brands will use slightly different glue formulations, but it’s really gonna take you some serious expeditionery before the variations stand out enough to be a concern.
Climbing Skin Care
For the most part, maintaining your climbing skins is going to come down to proper use and storage.
First off, take care in your transitions. That is, when you apply your skins to your split, do it carefully and accurately. If you get sloppy about positioning your skins, they’ll overhang your edges. In addition to making it harder to control your sliding, this will wear out your skins.
When you’re done using your skins, make sure to dry them thoroughly and pack them neatly. They can certainly handle a quick pack if you’re just going to head right back up the hill, but if you’re storing your skins for weeks or months, put some care into storage.
A lot of skins will come with a mesh strip for storage. The idea is that you take one skin and start att eh middle of the strip and run the skin along the strip and around the back. Then you repeat with the other skin. So you end up with both skins sealed around the mesh.
It’s a lot easier to get your skins off of that mesh than it is to pull them apart when they’re glued together. You can also now roll them up and put them into a storage bag which may have also come with your skins.
How to Trim Splitboard Skins
The best splitboard skins will come pre-trimmed and fit to your board. But that’s a rare occurrence, and you wouldn’t likely be here if that was you.
So, your skins will probably come with a little blade that you’re supposed to use for trimming. Honestly, these work pretty well, and I recommend getting ahold of one. A carpet knife or razor can be used in a pinch, but if you’re new to this, do it the right way to start.
First, seal your skins to the base of your splitboard. Depending on what type of skin you’re working with, you may have to first size and attach your tail clips. You want to run a nice straight edge right along the flat side of your splits. This should set you up so that you only need to trim one side of your skin. If you have to trim both sides, you’re doing it wrong.
With your skins firmly and neatly stretched and positioned, as though you were ready to hit the mountain, you can now trim away that excess skin from the curved side. Fit the blade against the skin and cut swiftly and smoothly, but carefully.
It’s not a super smooth process. These blades aren’t usually the sharpest of tools. You want to drag through fast if you can but you may well have to stop and remove some hairs from the blade along the way. I like to go back afterwards and trim out the ugly stuff with scissors or a sharper blade.
Conclusion
So if you’re just getting started, I do recommend the G3’s. But if you’re going at it a little more aggressively, planning multiple challenging ascents every season, you’re definitely going to want something nicer. Specifically, you’re probably going to want something lighter and less bulky. In that case, I’d personally go for the Pomoca’s, but that’s just me.
Good luck finding the best splitboard skins for your specific situation. Let me know if this was helpful at all, and what you decided on. Feel free to reach out to [email protected] if you run into any questions or comments. Happy riding!