Marker Climbing Skins

[kkerley33]

already STF and didn't find to much. Anyone got a beta on the marker skins. What are they made of? Comparable too. Having twin tips, I am drawn to their Tip Tail attachment, but if the skin material is crap, then its a no go.

KAK

[marshalolson]

just get a set to test. have not used them yet, but they look really nice IMHO. pretty stoked. they are real mohair, so skinning performance will be top notch, glue looks good, and the attatchment is $$$.

i will prolly do a group buy on them if there is interest.

[wilcox510]

Its hard to tell from pictures, but it looks like these just have the old school rubber tip stretcher, then some sort of tail hook that probably would stay on twin tips pretty well, is that correct? Problem with that is that many of us have gotten used to taking our skins off while the skis are still on, and that seems much easier to do with the "release" for the skins at the tail. I guess you could swap the tip and tail pieces...

[Skidog]

Id have some interest in a group buy

[El Chupacabra]

I posted about these yesterday.

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showt...ighlight=kohla

Made by Kohla. Google Kohla skins, and you'll find info on them. I would bet the Marker ones are a combo mohair/synthetic; from everything I hear, mohair works great if you're in cold temps (say, 20 F and lower), but starts to ice up in warmer (say, 32 F and higher). Since I live near Tahoe, I think I'd better stick with the synthetic stuff for the warmer temps here.

[Hugh Conway]

Its hard to tell from pictures, but it looks like these just have the old school rubber tip stretcher, then some sort of tail hook that probably would stay on twin tips pretty well, is that correct? Problem with that is that many of us have gotten used to taking our skins off while the skis are still on, and that seems much easier to do with the "release" for the skins at the tail. I guess you could swap the tip and tail pieces...

It's easier with the rubber tip stretcher.

Rubber tip stretchers suck with lowrise tips.

[Onward]

I`ve done a few short climbs with the marker/kohla skins on my (deceased) kuros and other than that the setup was heavy as hell they seemed to work well. The rubber stretcher and the tip attachments are real easy to use. They are a mohair/synthetic mix, but I don`t know the percentage.

[wilcox510]

Anyone else have any experience with these?

[kalisto]

Having twin tips, I am drawn to their Tip Tail attachment

I know this is not much help, but I picked up some BD skins with the STS attachment, and they've been flawless. Coming from G3 skins, they're significantly better.

Just for another option that works great with twins...

[C.O. Jones]

Got a pair of the marker skins, definitely a mohair/synthetic blend from kohla.

They're super supple, much easier to apply than BD or G3. Also fold down tighter, and are easier to stick in an interior pocket.

I've only used them once, but they performed well. I felt like the BD Ascension might have SLIGHTLY better grip, but it's pretty negligible. They're definitely a high quality, functional product.

[toast2266]

I've got some that I've been using on Kuros. I've only got a couple days on them, and since I'm using them on Kuros, its been soft snow only. I used them in a pretty wide range of temperatures though - coldest was single digits (Fahrenheit), and warmest was high 30's. The only other skins I've used extensively are BD Glidelites, so I'll compare the two:

Grip on the snow - the Markers seem fine, but I've only really used them in soft snow where grip isn't really an issue. The "pile," or whatever you want to call the height of the hair, is a little taller on the BD's, and the BD hair is a little stiffer. My instinct tells me that in tricky conditions, the BD's might hold a little better

Packability - the Markers win hands down. They fold up waaay smaller than BD glidelites or ascensions.

Weight - I don't know the actual numbers, but my 130mm Markers seem a bit lighter than my 110mm glidelites.

Glue - The BD glue is way better. The Marker glue is super sticky at first (takes a lot of effort to pull the skins apart), but gets very un-sticky as soon as any snow or wetness gets on it. The stickiness also seems to vary a lot depending on the temperature (it gets a lot less sticky as it gets colder). The BD glue seems much more consistent, and isn't as affected by snow / moisture getting on it.

Durability - Haven't had to skin over anything nasty on the Markers yet, but they're a lot thinner, so I'd guess they probably wouldn't hold up as well to tears as the BD's. Other than that, I can't really comment on this.

Attachment - I generally like the Marker system - It holds onto oddly shaped tips / tails very well. Things I don't like about the Markers: its not quite as quick and easy to attach / remove as the BD's. Its kind of weird having the stretchy part of the system at the tip - I think it contributes to snow getting packed under the front end of the skin (which then means the glue doesn't stick anymore), but that also might have to do with the low rise of the Kuro's tip. It also means that if you're the type that likes to take skins off while your skis are still on, it might be tricky (not an issue for me because I'm uncoordinated, and I'm on Barons so I have to eject anyways). The Marker system also means you have to size the skin (lengthwise) fairly precisely, which sucks when: 1) the skin stretches a little as it gets wet and no longer fits tightly, and 2) when you want to use the skin on different skis that are a different length.

Bottom Line - I got a great deal on the Markers (thanks ptex!), and because of that, I'm happy with them. They're fine for a quick bc lap here and there, or for small sidecountry endeavors. However, if I needed a skin that I was going to depend on for longer backcountry tours, I would get the BD's, no question about it. The packability and weight of the markers is overshadowed by the mediocre glue.

[nick > jesus]

any more info on these?

is the group buy happening marshal?