Skin Sizing

[dookeyXXX]

How important is it to have your skins trimmed to fit your skis exactly?

I have heard that you can actually forego having them trimmed tightly and just basically have a strip of skin down the middle of the ski and it'll be just as good as having it cover the entire base.

I guess my more direct question would be thus:

I have Lib-Tech NAS with a waist of 93/99mm.

Could I get by with 90mm waisted skins or should I go with the 100mm and trim to fit?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of having a wee bit of base exposed as opposed to having the bases covered entirely by the skin?

Danke,

Dooks McGook

[corn dog]

How important is it to have your skins trimmed to fit your skis exactly?

I have heard that you can actually forego having them trimmed tightly and just basically have a strip of skin down the middle of the ski and it'll be just as good as having it cover the entire base.

No.

Basically the steeper and firmer it gets, or the more uneven the surface, the more important it is to have full coverage, esp underfoot.
These days I aim for skins with width about halfway between tip width and waist width, then trim the middle range. Most your weight is underfoot, very little weight is applied on the tips of the skis while skinning; I've not found full length wall-to-wall necessary, rather as long as roughly the middle half of the ski is wall-to-wall then thats about as good as it'll get.

Advantages/disadvantages of having base exposed: advantage is, narrow skins are cheaper. Disadvantage is they'll slip much more readily. If you ever find yourself slipping while others are doing ok you will regret having skins that are too narrow. Ask Pechelman

[LightRanger]

You've been around here for 2.5 years and don't know how to use the search function...

What corn god said.

I tend to go slightly less than wall-to-wall.

[dookeyXXX]

thanks CD

and damn Scut, you do enjoy busting my balls, don't you?

just searched and found this, which was equally helpful in addition to the info provided by CD:

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showt...ht=skin+sizing

my query, however, developed from a discussion whilst skinning up Gaylor last weekend in which CDLV talked about some OG BC foolios he knew who used skinny skins (just enough to run a thin strip down the middle of their skis) and they seemed to work fine. Thus, whilst there have been other skin sizing threads, they have all been "what size skins should i get for these skis?"...i was more curious as to the pros and cons of having wall-to-wall as versus just a strip down the middle of your ski.

at any rate, gracias for the info and ball-busting.

carry on,

dooks

[LightRanger]

Heh, just teasing you man.

People use skinny skins and http://www.bdel.com/gear/glidelite_kicker.php skins for long flat tours/approaches so they get more glide. Skinnies would be fine up to a certain angle too if you're going straight up and your skis are perfectly flat, but you'd backslide on any traversing track that's at more than a very slight angle.

[hoarhey]

dookster...
Sale on 100 mm skins at bdel - ascension sts's
Then you can get your skin on again on memorial day.

I struggled on my 105 mm waisted skis on the skin up ellery bowl.
Skins had been cut for an 84 mm waisted ski.

That sucked!!!!

[Meanfruit]

dookster...
Sale on 100 mm skins at bdel - ascension sts's
Then you can get your skin on again on memorial day.

I struggled on my 105 mm waisted skis on the skin up ellery bowl.
Skins had been cut for an 84 mm waisted ski.

That sucked!!!!

Thank you,you just answered my question/same set up

[XtrPickels]

Skinnies would be fine up to a certain angle too if you're going straight up and your skis are perfectly flat, but you'd backslide on any traversing track that's at more than a very slight angle.

Just to highlight the issue with skins that aren't wall to wall underfoot.

[spindrift]

If you go "conventional" width, be sure use a G3 trim tool. Shown here:

http://www.genuineguidegear.com/telemark_skin_sa.html

Even if you do not get G3 skins (which come with one), get one of these - I assume they work fine on BDs. No time wasted screwing around with sticky, sloppy plus and minus 2mm shuffles. Put the skin on how you want it, 5 seconds of pulling down a side & you are done with a perfect trim...

To the original question - I'm a skinning JONG, but I've noticed on relatively steeper traverses that having skin out near the edge underfoot makes my life suck a bunch less. At least until I throw in the towel anyway and enter pathetic bootpack mode...

[dookeyXXX]

danke for all the feedback.

purchased skins this evening...now who of the SF/Yay Area collective has one of those trimming tools?

[Meathelmet]

danke for all the feedback.

purchased skins this evening...now who of the SF/Yay Area collective has one of those trimming tools?

Just use a regular carpet knife,that will cut it..[/pun]

[Arno]

The most important thing is that the skins are nearly wall-to-wall underfoot. They shouldn't cover the edge plus a mm or two on either side so you can still use your edges with the skins on.

Having them full width towards the tip and tail of your ski is a luxury IMO - it may help a bit but it doesn't make a big difference. My lightweight set-up has skis with 82mm underfoot and 80mm skins. This works pretty nicely

If you have some skins which are too narrow for your skis, you can just cut a slit in them lengthways from about 10inches from the tip to 10 inches from the tail. You can then pull the slit open (as it were) so you have a strip near the edges underfoot. I tried this out this year and it works surprisingly well

[Sinecure]

If you go "conventional" width, be sure use a G3 trim tool. Shown here:

http://www.genuineguidegear.com/telemark_skin_sa.html

Even if you do not get G3 skins (which come with one), get one of these - I assume they work fine on BDs. No time wasted screwing around with sticky, sloppy plus and minus 2mm shuffles. Put the skin on how you want it, 5 seconds of pulling down a side & you are done with a perfect trim...

That's a cool looking tool. Although for the number of times I trim skins, the old way works fine.

G3 tool:

[2turntables]

I like using straight skins. They fold back in half and cover the entire sticky surface without the need for the skin savers. I use them at 2mm or so short of waist width of ski.
I just fold them in half, stuff in my jacket while everyone else is putting skin savers on their skins in the wind. I've never had a problem going up the same steep stuff that the wall-to-wall skinned skiers ascend.

[Arty50]

Just to add, the G3 trimming tool is the shit.