Ascension full-length skins

This review concerns the 55mm Nylon Euro skin. I bought them a few years ago. The "tip stretcher" (green thing in this photo) was way too weak. Either I'd not have it tight enough, and it would easily get pushed off the tip if I whacked with the other ski, OR it would be stretched so tight that it looked as if it would break.

However, in the newer models, the tip stretcher seems way beefier. You don't have to stretch it as far to get enough tension.

As skins go, these are good. I haven't used many others.

I should emphasize that you must match your skin to your ski! The general guideline is: skin should be 5mm from either edge, at the narrowest part of the ski. Skin too fat: obvious consequences. Skin too thin: very strange behavior when you try to turn with the skins on.

These are the best skins I've used. They shed water and ice very well and climb as as good as any. Other skins I have used tended to ice up much worse than these (I use the nylon versions). The glue works VERY well. I've never had a significant problem with the skins coming off.



The main problem I have with the new ones I bought is the tail clip. It doesn't appear to add anything since the skins stay on if the glue isn't gone, and it makes getting the skins on more difficult. I will probably cut the thing off soon. The other problem I have had is that the glue sticks to itself better than the skins, so when I pulled them apart some of the glue pulled off one side of the skins.

I have used the nylon (purple) versions for 6 seasons now and have been very pleased. When purchased, they had only a metal tip ring and no tail clip. I found that after skiing a few laps (skin up, un-skin, descend, repeat) the tail ends didn't stay put as well as the at the beginning of the day. I bought the "Euro" kit and retrofitted the skins with the green stretchy tip mount and a tail clip. No problems since. The adhesive has lasted well through off-season storage. In late winter/early spring, I rub an Ascension Glop Stopper wax bar over the hair and they seem to shed snow well. Properly sized to my semi-fat teles, I can climb like a snow-cat. My use of them is limited to Rocky Mountain snow from WY to BC and AB, which is pretty dry.