Everything You Need to Know About Using Skins in the Backcountry

Hey, it’s Jonathan from Mountain Skills Academy and Adventures, with a bit of an extended tech talk about skins.

This is aimed at people who are about to take their AST 1 or an Intro to Backcountry course and haven’t purchased or used skins before. Getting familiar with them now will make everything a lot easier on your first day.

If you haven’t bought your skins yet, there are options from a wide variety of manufacturers, and they’re all really good. What matters is that you get a skin that fits the length of your ski. They come in a range of sizes, so make sure your ski length fits comfortably within that range.

You’ll also find different fabrics. Some offer extra grip, while others offer extra glide. If you’re just starting out, a universal skin is the way to go. It’ll work well in all conditions and serve you well for your first few years of touring.

Now, you’ve just bought your skins. Before we get into how to put them on and manage them on the mountain, you need to make sure they’re ready to go. That starts with cutting them.

The first thing you’ll do is put the skin on your ski. It’s going to be wider than the ski because it hasn’t been cut yet. Adjust the length using the tail strap and make sure there’s a little tension when you close it. It should take just a little force to snap it over.

That tension helps keep the skin in place and stops it from sliding around when you put weight on it or move sideways. You don’t want to crank it down so hard that you damage it. You just want a little tension as it rolls over.

I’m not going to go through the cutting process because manufacturers have videos on their websites showing you how to do it, and they generally include the tool you need. You can do it by hand, but it’s trickier and much easier with the manufacturer’s tool.

The idea is to cut the skin so there’s a little ski edge exposed on each side. That way, you can still use your edges to grip the snow while keeping as much skin as possible in contact with the snow.

Once your skins fit properly in length and are cut to the right width, they’re ready for your day on the mountain.

When you first take your skins out of the packaging, they’ll probably include something like this. It might be a sheet of plastic or a corrugated piece. This is called a skin saver.

These are great for long-term storage. They’re designed to keep the glue from sitting against itself when your skins are in the cupboard for a few weeks or over the summer. That helps prevent the glue from degrading and forming one big blob, keeping the skins ready for the next season.

You don’t need these when you show up on the mountain, though. Take them off and leave them at home, then put them back on if you’re storing your skins for a couple of weeks. On the mountain, they’re one more thing to fiddle with and something that could blow away.

In addition to skin savers, your skins probably came with a bag. It’s a really good idea to use it when you’re on the mountain.

The bag keeps the sticky surface away from everything else in your backpack, so it doesn’t stick to your jacket or a base layer. It also stops the glue from picking up random bits of debris, whether that’s loose threads or granola crumbs from last week’s lunch. It keeps the glue clean and ready to use.

To put a skin on, take it out of the bag. There are two things to remember: keep the glue free of debris, including snow, and maintain control of the skin.

You might be doing this somewhere windy. If you lose control of the skin, it can blow out of your hand and down the slope, leaving you somewhat stranded. Keeping hold of it and keeping the glue clean are key.

I like to start with the tip. I plant the ski in the snow, then hook the tip attachment over the ski’s tip. That might be two little claws or a bar like this. I secure about 30 cm of skin and smooth it with my hand to get it stuck down. Now the skin is under control and attached to the ski.

To line everything up while keeping control of both the skin and the ski, I like to flip the ski over, plant the nose in the snow and pull on the tail of the skin.

With the ski’s tip planted in the snow and its tail against my waist, I can control the skin and guide it onto the base. I adjust it so there’s a little ski edge exposed on each side, just as there was when we trimmed it.

If it doesn’t line up quite right, I can lift it with one hand and work it into a better position. This gives me control of both at the same time, with less handling and less chance of the skin blowing out of my hand.

Then I roll the tail clip over, give the skin a quick smooth with my hand, and I’m ready to go.

Okay, you’ve finished your climb and it’s time to take the skin off. Again, the priorities are keeping snow and debris off the glue and maintaining control of both the skin and the ski so neither slips out of your hand.

I like to start with the ski’s tail up and the nose planted in the snow. I release the tail clip, hold the tail strap in my hand, then flip the ski over and peel up the lower half of the skin.

I don’t want to pull the whole skin off at once because then I’ve got a giant, two-metre ribbon in my hands. It could be blowing around in the wind, and it’s going to be much harder to fold and store.

I pull half of the skin up, pinch it with my other hand and fold it into quarters, sticking the glue to the glue. The glue holds it together enough to keep the skin tidy, but it will pull apart again.

If any glue is left exposed, that’s another opportunity for snow or debris to get onto it, which will make the skin perform poorly.

Once that section is folded, I can peel up the remaining half and continue folding it into a compact package. It can go back in the bag or, if I’m just doing a short descent, inside my jacket or waistband.

The glue is covered and protected, the skin is compact, and I’ve kept control of it throughout the process.

Now it’s the end of the day and you’re at home with your wet gear. How do you take care of your skins?

It’s important to let both the fabric and the glue dry so the skins perform well. If you look after them, they can last for years and look after you on the mountain. If you abuse them, they can let you down at the worst possible time.

At the end of the day, take your skins out of the bag and fully extend them to expose the glue and fabric. Put them somewhere cool and dry with a little airflow so they can dry overnight. I like a gear cupboard like this.

Don’t put them over direct heat, near a fire or next to a space heater. Too much heat can melt the glue and ruin the skins.

Once they’re dry, they can go back in your bag for the next day.

In my experience, skins are the number one thing people forget. They put them somewhere out of the way to dry, pack their bag for the next day and forget to check that spot before leaving. Make sure you remember to grab them in the morning.

If you’re not using them the next day and they’re going into the cupboard for a couple of weeks or over the summer, this is where the skin savers come back in. Once the skins are dry, put the savers on, fold everything up and store them.

Look after your skins, and your skins will look after you.