From eyre@ahpcrc.umn.edu Wed Dec 21 22:41:30 MST 1994 Subject: Just say no to snake skins! I have a axe to grind. Snake skins are plastic (and cheap) skins that are attached to the ski with a strap. They work poorly at best. They simply do not grip on hard icy skin paths. Yesterday, a fit member of my touring party struggled the entire day because she was using snake skins. She simply couldn't climb efficiently. The rest of us (using synthetic mohair skins) were able to climb without trouble. This is not an isolated incident. Every time I go for a tour and someone has them, that person inevitably ends up suffering. Please stop buying them, then maybe they will be taken off the market. -- ********************************************************** * David Eyre | eyre@arc.umn.edu * * AHPCRC | * * University of Minnesota | (612)626-8078 * * Minneapolis, MN 55415 | * ********************************************************** From bell@uswest.com Wed Dec 21 22:42:01 MST 1994 Subject: Re: Just say no to snake skins! People interested an ongoing Snake Skin debate may want to look at the recent thread in rec.climbing on the subject. The relevant posts appear with subject line "question about climbing skins??" The consensus seems to be: most people hate 'em; a few people like 'em; nobody loves 'em. In my opinion, scrape out the extra cash for a real pair of nylon skins. -George From grinsell@MT.net Wed Dec 21 22:43:07 MST 1994 Subject: Re: Just say no to snake skins! >They work poorly at best. They simply do >not grip on hard icy skin paths. > >Yesterday, a fit member of my touring party struggled the entire >day because she was using snake skins. She simply couldn't climb >efficiently. Okay...so there is no question that mohair is definitely a superior skin. However, in my experience out here in the Northern Rockies, we get a lot of ice and crud and my snake skins have on occasion out climbed mohairs. The trick is definitely to stretch the heck out of them so that the siping on the bottom opens up a bit more. The major downside to the beasts is that they provide no glide whatsoever and that alone makes them a poor choice for most purposes. But if you are going straight up an icy track, I think that if they are stretched properly, they will work okay. Simply a humble opinion from a happy backcountry camper. From 71762.3702@CompuServe.COM Wed Dec 21 22:43:40 MST 1994 Subject: Re: Just say no to snake skins! That's been my experience as well, though you can make the Snakes grip better by stretching the heck out of them. But when you do that they glide like crampons . A good quality mohair or synthetic skin is the way to go... 'best, Lou -- Lou Dawson 71762.3702@COMPUSERVE.COM From 71762.3702@CompuServe.COM Wed Dec 21 22:44:24 MST 1994 Subject: Re: Just say no to snake skins! If you're going up an icy track, with skins that have _no_ glide, why not just use crampons and stick your skis on your pack ? 'best, Lou -- Lou Dawson 71762.3702@COMPUSERVE.COM From jeffk@dosxx.genetics.utah.edu Wed Nov 1 16:10:05 MST 1995 Newsgroups: rec.skiing.backcountry Subject: Re: Snakeskins vs. stick-ons PowerFord wrote: >For mountain use, who can make an argument for putting up with the BS of >stick-ons? Dara Parsavand writes: this has been beaten to death before, but what the hey. i've used both and i prefer stick-ons (with a heel fix - my favorite being the narrow velcro strap that threads a loop mounted to the top sheet back of the heel) for the following reasons. a) snake skins (or ascension glueless skins) will stack up a lot of snow underneath them during a long climb and depending on the wax you have on your ski and the snow type, this snow can ice and be quite a pain to remove. In 12 years of using SS I've not found snow buildup to be much of a problem. I mount my SS very tight, that is, I set the length so that I have to stretch them quite a bit to get them on. This has two benefits: less snow buildup under the skins, and the "teeth" stick up more, giving better traction. c) i'm not sure snake skins come wide enough for AT boards. Voile makes Snake Skins in two widths; the wide ones work great on AT and downhill boards. on the other hand, snake skins are cheap, they have been pretty durable for me and in snow conditions i have tested have roughly comparable ' grip. they adjust easily to any ski (old front throw cable bindings might have some interference), don't absorb any water and require minimum maintenance. it isn't worth slamming either skin - variety is the spice of life. Dara gives a good summary of the benefits of SS. The best benefit of all, however, is that you can put them on and take them off as many times as you like in a day and they always work. When taking repeated shots, this is a real advantage. I've never had much luck getting my Pomocas to stick after the second or third cycle, even with new glue. I also really like not having any sticky crap on my skis when I remove my skins. jeff