Skinning Technique?

[icelanticskier]

about the no clip tail thing. my avy forecaster buddy in utah skins over 250 days a year and has never used tail clips or any kind of attachment and when we tour we usually have the skins on and off at least 10 times per day, day after day. all they do is drag in the snow, add weight, and flop around when you would rather them not.

oror

[wooley12]

I think I have to agree with rog..if your glue is in good shape. On my very first tour, with borrowed gear, the skin had no tail clip and let loose. But my partner knew that the setup was sketchy and did a workable fix with a rubber strap. Well maintained skins probably work w/o the tail clip if you know what your doing- I don't.

[icelanticskier]

Originally Posted by wooley12

I think I have to agree with rog..if your glue is in good shape. On my very first tour, with borrowed gear, the skin had no tail clip and let loose. But my partner knew that the setup was sketchy and did a workable fix with a rubber strap. Well maintained skins probably work w/o the tail clip if you know what your doing- I don't.

it's not the glue that's the problem with or without a clip. it's user error and carelessness that is the problem. if you use em correctly and mindfully, a clipless skin is as good as any clipped one. a tail clip helps to hold it on while you stick it, but if yer glue is in poor shape, you get snow on the adhesive, or are trying to apply a cold skin, then a clip ain't gonna keep the skin on any better.

ororger

[wooley12]

Sooo. Just as I suspected. It's easy to "just do it" after you've done it a couple hundred times. Now I get it. As quoted by Niels Bohr, "An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field." I gotta go out and make some more mistakes. Practice does make perfect.

[icelanticskier]

just ask and save yerself the trouble.

[yuckster]

Originally Posted by wooley12

I think I have to agree with rog..if your glue is in good shape. On my very first tour, with borrowed gear, the skin had no tail clip and let loose. But my partner knew that the setup was sketchy and did a workable fix with a rubber strap. Well maintained skins probably work w/o the tail clip if you know what your doing- I don't.

If the glue has failed you can't rely on it for long anyway. Especially with STS, the first thing that happens after your glue fails is that the tail strap will break from the added strain of the skin moving around freely. Keep the adhesive side free of snow (as has been often pointed out, scraping it on a ski edge is a good way to clear the snow buildup.)

[wooley12]

Thought I'd update with my observations for other newbs that stumble on this thread.

1-Young, strong, fit athletic adults need no help in the form of proper technique."Just do it" will suffice. Any gains from technique will not be apparent.

2- As an athletic, long time AARP member, using proper technique sure helps. i.e. Stand tall, look ahead, shoulders back and start to bring your leg forward with your hip and slightly "whip" your lower leg/boot forward.

3- Practice on level ground helps, up to a point.

Last week I located a nearby drumlin practice slope. 1/4 mile 10* road to the top. Backside is a 35* (measured it) with 150" vert. that a farmer has mowed for a sledding hill. Wahoo!! Perfect for down hill and uphill kick turns. TR to follow when we get some snow. Only 4" of old wet on zero base now. PLEASE SNOW

[BigJay]

I've had a splitboard for quite a few years. Splitboard skins were designed without tailclips. The reason is that there is so much surface that the skins will stick no matter what.

Last week, i received my new board and skins. First thing i did was to install BD tail clips on the new skins and cut a dent in my board for them. The main reason is that normally i don't have any issues with my skins. They are plenty sticky. But on big cold days, it has happened that the skins peeled off. And after that, you're done! They will not glue back until you warm them up and let them dry... unfortunately, the thick woods of Northern Vermont don't often have a spot where you can lay your skins to dry... especially on a northern slope.

The install: http://splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=8407

The pics:







Now, i can't wait to go for a big tour tomorrow!

[yuckster]

One thing to keep in mind: I've had tail clips break on me after the glue failed. After the tail clip fails, you're herringboning for the rest of the day. Best to not allow the glue to fail in the first place - maintain it. Scrape any snow/ice buildup off the glue with a ski edge before it becomes a problem.

[StuckInJersey]

On my split I will use Kick wax like a mother until it won't grip anymore than the skins come out. I find this allows me to keep the skins fresh for when I need them. 2 cents