With the start of the 2015/16 season, the scale-like impressions in one or two of the ascent tracks will make you wonder which reptile used the path before. The newly evolved species is called "Profoilius fischeri'in the Linnaean nomenclature and has recently become commercially available. I have been using the Profoil for one season. Below is my experience of the climbing foil, which declares war on the conventional climbing skin.
But first comes a big disclaimer: I have been riding for Fischer since 2013 and am treated extremely well by the people in Ried - where Fischer is based - and always get at least one coffee when I visit. So you can attest to bias and will probably be right. On the other hand, nobody is forcing me to write this text, nor am I getting any money for it. I am therefore trying to describe my experiences as objectively as possible. Nevertheless, the analysis will be positive. (Disclaimer taken from this test by my team colleague Stephan Skrobar.)
The Profoil is made of yellow plastic. More precisely, it is made from almost the same material as a conventional ski base (P-Tex). A scale pattern is "printed" in it, which allows the ski to glide in the direction of travel and hooks onto the snow surface against the direction of travel to prevent it from sliding back, similar to a cross-country ski. The whole thing is known as Fischer Crown Technology. At first you wonder whether a few thousand scales can build up as much grip as millions of tiny hairs. And yes, they can do it amazingly well. In this context, you should be aware that there used to be a cross-country skiing class in ski touring races in open terrain. Back then, the athletes climbed peaks well over 3000m high in record times - with much less mature surface structures (compared to Profoil). It is attached in the classic way with a clip at the front (initially only available with the specific Fischer clip & ready-waisted for the Fischer touring collection model range), a commercially available adhesive and a hook at the back.
Cleats/weight
Yes, the Profoil can be cleated. Ice can adhere to the sharp edges of each individual scale and subsequently snow sticks to the ice. Pleasant: when you get from wet to dry snow, you can tap the foil briefly and continue on your way without a care in the world. A moistened skin will immediately start to stick again. In addition, the Profoil retains its weight because, logically, it cannot absorb water. A cross-country wax (such as Toko Grip + Glide) has now proven its worth in eliminating the studs.
Handling
Probably a matter of taste. I love pulling the foils off the skis at the summit and folding them up quickly, casually and efficiently at the designated crease points. The adhesive side is on the scale side. You no longer need to worry about a meter-long protective film in combination with the wind. It must lie flush against both edges during application. It takes a few tours to perfect the application and removal techniques.
Fischer Profoil folding from Discovery on Vimeo.
The Profoil holds up just as well as a skin in most conditions. It becomes critical in really hard, slightly icy conditions. Where the tiny hairs of the skin still find the one or other, equally tiny unevenness between the snow crystals, the foil has to fit because the teeth can no longer hook into compact, compacted snow or when icing begins. But to be honest: Most aspirants here already use crampons anyway. If I know before the tour that an icy snow surface awaits me (e.g. after rain in high winter with subsequent cooling), as a strict crampon denier (who needs them with good climbing technique?) I still prefer the classic skin. These are now the only conditions where I leave the foil at home. If you find powdered sugar on a firm surface (hardpack, hard piste, well-trodden ascent track), the Profoil smears slightly sideways until the scales grip. On powder snow of various densities and degrees of moisture, on "normal" spring snow, on hard and soft firn, on a hard wind crust and on slush of any water content, it holds bombastically.
It offers significantly better grip, especially on crossings, in contrast to the common skin. This is because the Profoil is flush with the edge, it has exactly the same waist as the corresponding ski. This is a great advantage when edging up steep slopes - especially in spring. You hardly slip at all. Very pleasant on hairpin bends...
Glide
The biggest advantage of the foils! They glide noticeably better. Best experienced on soft and wet snow types. There is noticeably less resistance in the direction of travel, the thing is simply faster. If you compare this with a conventional skin, the skin has a surprisingly slowing effect in the last phase of the stride. On hard snow surfaces, it makes a relatively loud noise, but you get used to it very quickly.
I like to remember our mountain rescue community tour to the Langtalereckhu?tte in Obergurgl in April this year. The ascent to the hut offers several downhill runs of more than 50m. On this day, the snow surface was wet and absorbent. With the Profoil, the short intermediate descents turned out to be real "downhill runs" for me - without any additional movement, the Rattlesnake accelerates as soon as it goes downhill and after a few seconds you have the feeling that you have no ascent aid stuck to your skis - while my colleagues had to make cross-country-like, faltering movements downhill.
Conclusion
For me, the Profoil works, I practically don't use conventional fur anymore and even if I did, I wouldn't be punished by Fischer with a withdrawal of love. The only question that remains is whether to "foil" or "foil"? ;-)
Details
Weight/pack size: The weight is slightly less than that of a skin of a comparable size, in some cases almost identical. The Profoil must be folded (not rolled). When folded, it is about 20 cm long, but flat.
Price: RRP 179 €
And if I don't have Fischer skis?
From next season, the Profoil will also be available to cut to size.
The guys from Bergstation already tested the Profoil extensively last spring and wrote a report about it.
