# Skins?



## roremc

So last weekend I went to my dads place in BC and he split my old Ride Timeless for me. Everything went well. 

I am in the US in a couple of weeks and plan on getting my skins when I am there. I usually just order online and have them delieverd to a nearby UPS store to save paying import/taxes in Canada. 

So my question is what do I look for in skins? Can I go wrong? Are ski and splitboard skins the same? Any brands to avoid? Tips?

Thanks for your help!


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## killclimbz

If you buy anything but Voile Skins, you'll have to modify the skin shape to work with a splitboard ski. That said, it's not hard, I've done it. My skins are ugly as fuck though. Someone with better artistic skills will probably not be as bad as mine. They work fine though. 

Voile uses Black Diamond ascension skins. Tried and true. Very reliable. You can't go wrong with their skins. As long as they work for your skis. They do not come with a tail kit, but you can add one easy enough. Spark is going to have a tail kit offered this season. It looks sweet. The G3 twin tip connector works great too and is easy to install.

For my latest split I found that the Voile skins were not wide enough for my wide board. So I gave climbingskinsdirect.com a try. They come with a tip and tail kit which works fine. Though it is not as nice as the G3 or Spark attachments, it is plenty effective. The skins climb fine and are more supple than the Voile BD Ascension skins. Making them easier to fold and such. The glue seems to be fine, though I only have one season on them. They are also a lot cheaper than other skins on the market. Big + there. I ordered the twin tip skins in the 140mm width for my split. If you order from them, make sure you send an follow up email letting them know this is for a splitboard. They'll send the tip and tail clip kit that works best for splits.


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## killclimbz

The tail kit is for securing the skin to the tail of your skis, like all the tele kooks and AT dorks use with their skins. I've been harping on Voile for years to provide a tail kit, even if they need to charge a bit more. 

With a tail kit, you generally don't have a problem with your skins coming off from getting snow on the glue. Especially helpful on those cold days where the glue doesn't work as well as it does in warmer temps.


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## snowvols

I put the G3 tail clips on mine this year and holy crap! What a difference. Getting a little snow on the glue and I didn't care at all. I never suffered from skins pulling off. Wolf I think you can do the G3 for like 40-50 bucks maybe? You gotta buy the tail clips and a tail kit. G3 was super easy to install each time I put on my skins. I am sure the sparks stuff will be great too though.


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## snowvols

For what I was talking about you have to buy both.

G3 Twin Tip Connector Kit from Backcountry.com

Amazon.com: G3 Skin Tail Connector Kit: Sports & Outdoors

From there you don't use the metal clip they give you and instead you use the twin tip connector. It's super easy to install

If you want pictures or anything let me know. I will have to take them once I get home.


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## killclimbz

The G3 kit works pretty darn well. 

As I mentioned Spark is going to have a complete tail kit out this fall. It's made for splits and looks to be pretty darn nice. You might shoot them an email. I'm sure they'll let you know when they expect them to be available. If you are not in a hurry, I'd just wait for their kit to come out.


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## roremc

killclimbz said:


> The G3 kit works pretty darn well.
> 
> As I mentioned Spark is going to have a complete tail kit out this fall. It's made for splits and looks to be pretty darn nice. You might shoot them an email. I'm sure they'll let you know when they expect them to be available. If you are not in a hurry, I'd just wait for their kit to come out.


When you say a complete kit do you mean the whole skin which would be ready to go right out of the box?


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## killclimbz

Ahhh, no, sorry my bad. It's going to have the Tail attachment for the skin and connecter to the ski. With the G3 kit, you have to buy the Connecter and Tail Attachment separate. Which is sort of a pita. Ended up costing me around $50 I believe. I have yet to install it as I got my new split around then and new skins.

The Climbingskins direct skins do come with a tail kit though. That was part of the reason I brought them up. 

I also think that Karakorum is looking into having skins on their site that has a tail kit. As of yet, I haven't seen anything announced though.


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## snowvols

The installation of the G3 kit was super easy. You do need a peen hammer though. If you are able to flatten out the brads it is super easy.


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## roremc

Thanks again for the info guys. 

So to sum up the best way to go about it for me would be to get the Voile made for splitboard skins and then get the Spark tail kit? 

Sounds like these tail kits are a relatively new thing? Would you recommend getting them right away?


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## killclimbz

Well I went 10 years without a tail kit, so it's not 100% necessary. I also skunked my skins a half dozen times. Had to put them in a jacket and warm them for 30 minutes to get them to work. Voile straps saved my butt a few times too. If you don't have any of those I recommend buying four in the 24" length. I've used them to secure skins, tighten a boot, make a broken ski pole usable, even to make a broken binding usable. They can really save your bacon when you are out in the backcountry.

If you are not worried about the costs, go with the Voile skins and get a Spark Tail Kit. It's nice having the nose attachment already pre curved and such. If you are looking to save a few dollars, go with climbing skins direct. You'll have a tail kit that comes with them and the skins work just fine. In a lot of ways they are easier to deal with than the Voile skins. They just don't look as nice once you finish modding them for splitboard skis is all. At least with me it worked out that way. I of course have zero artistic talent. I can't draw stick figures for fuck's sake...


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## roremc

Thanks again Kills. I think I will just bite the bullet and get both. Seems like the sort of thing that could be annoying once you are in the backcountry.


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## ShredLife

the tailkit is like a $20-40 bullet out of a $500-$1400 magazine you'll be shooting  (if someone buys a new split.)

also, you can do just fine without the little plastic strappy thing that attaches the tailclip to the skins... on a split they connect at a funny angle so dialing in that strap can be a bitch - i just used elastic/bungee style cordette with my G3 tailclips and they seem to stay on fine - although its a new setup and i haven't put a ton of miles on it yet.... but its fine


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## snowvols

That's the nice thing about the G3 tail clip though is that it can rotate more or less pending how you have the plastic strap connected. It will move around until it finds the groove on your board.


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## jeri534

not sure if this has been mentioned but G3 actually has splitboard skins for this season now...

Alpinist Splitboard Climbing Skins | G3 Genuine Guide Gear


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## roremc

THat looks great Jeri. Any idea on a cost?


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## snowvols

Dang Jeri good find on those. I might have to pick a pair of those up for the new split.


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## ShredLife

holy fucking Louis Vuitton... i know they're either gonna be under my feet on the snow or stashed in my backpack but goddamn those are uglier than dog shit.


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## snowvols

Little bit of product placement :laugh: Who cares what they look like in a fashion sense. They appear to be durable though and that's all I care about


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## killclimbz

G3 makes very supple skins. They are not as durable as the Ascension skins, but they are so much easier to deal with. As far as how they climb, I believe the Ascensions to be slightly better, but maybe not. Something I seem to remember reading in Backcountry mag when they did a skin comparison.


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## killclimbz

Also, I think I am going to pick up a set of those.


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## killclimbz

They are a bit softer, but I think the main thing is that they are not nearly as thick. So they stash easier and such. The skins I got from climbing skins direct are also much easier to deal with than the Ascension skins too.


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