Black Diamond is known for its wide range of climbing skins. For winter 2012/2013, a number of innovations were introduced in the Ascension Skin series. The main focus was on the adhesive properties and weight. We tested the GlideLite Mohair Mix STS climbing skin throughout the season in a wide range of conditions.
The large zipper skin bag is immediately noticeable when unpacking. All the components included in the scope of delivery fit easily into the skin bag: cutting tools, ski tip hangers, the separating net, the uncut skin and the manual with information on material, cutting, care and storage. Finally a sufficiently large storage bag that you can open wide with the zipper for better sharking! It's already clear that there's no more annoying fiddling around in unpleasant temperatures on the summits. Little things like this make life considerably easier for ski tourers. What's more, when you take them out for the first time, you notice that the skins are softer and more flexible than older ones. What is also immediately noticeable, however, is the tried and tested separating net, which has frayed time and again in the past and you then had to laboriously remove individual pieces of plastic from the skin adhesive with tweezers. First of all: this no longer happens, but the separating net still tends to fray after repeated use. I prefer to store it without a separating layer because of the sharkskin anyway, as it can't fly away on a windy summit, for example. But that brings us to the next point, the adhesive properties.
Cutting, Haindling and adhesive properties
When cutting to size, you can see how good the revised adhesive really is. Every now and then, adhesive residue came off the cut fur sides and stuck to the blade, so that the cutting tool had to be cleaned several times. Otherwise, however, the cutting works perfectly, but you get the impression that the blade dulls quite quickly. The brackets for the ski tips are easily mounted (screwed) as usual and the width for the respective ski can be adjusted very easily. In practice, the stirrups hold except for the very wide, round ski tips (over 160 mm), for which the stirrup should perhaps be enlarged again in future. The adjustment using the patented STS system has proved very successful and is very easy to use. The same applies to the Haindling in use. The softness is particularly noticeable when fitting and corrections can be made easily. Apart from a small deduction in the B grade for adhesiveness (see below), there is nothing to complain about and the Haindling gets full marks (five out of five).
The adhesive strength of the skins is really amazing - my way of storing the skins (sticking them together directly with the underside of the skin) can no longer really be recommended with these skins. The skins can only be separated from each other with a lot of force and it is advisable to use the separating layer (as recommended by BD). Unfortunately, the adhesive is similarly strong on other textiles, such as gloves, jackets, pants, etc. It adheres very well to the ski - even if there is a little snow or a few drops of water in between. I have never had any problems with the skin coming off the ski (even when applying and removing the skins up to four times), which is why the adhesiveness gets five out of five points. Much less effort is required to remove the skins from the skis and even after prolonged use, there is still no evidence of reduced functionality. I was also unable to identify any differences in performance at different temperatures.
Climbing and gliding properties and stud inclination or water absorption
The coat's greatest strength is certainly its climbing properties. Sometimes you feel like a mountain goat and get a little overconfident when climbing. At no time and in none of the various conditions (see below) did I have a problem with the skin slipping back. However, I have to admit that I sometimes don't go as steeply as others and that I try to push as much weight as possible forward over the poles. This of course relieves the skin and its climbing properties, but also in comparison to other skins (with which I walk in the same way), the grip properties of the skins can be emphasized very positively. The relatively short hairs offer really good grip everywhere - but I have to admit that they are only of limited use in glacier ice. Regardless of this, the climbing properties get five points and an extra star.
The fur does not perform quite as well when it comes to gliding. The proportion of nylon in the fabric is noticeable here, but compared to a pure nylon skin, it nonetheless glides significantly better. When skiing downhill, after overcoming a certain amount of activation energy, i.e. after initially more difficult acceleration, you achieve an acceptable speed that is in no way inferior to skins that glide well. However, as there is (already) noticeable resistance when pushing the ski forward, only four out of five points are awarded here. The high proportion of mohair fibers (65%) and the high fat content ensure that hardly any water is absorbed. The skin dries quickly and the ascent performance and stickiness is just as good the next morning as it was the day before. I have also had very good experiences with cleats, even though my ski touring colleagues have long been out and about with a lot of extra weight. I rate the stud tendency and water absorption as very low, which is why both get five out of five points. The addition of nylon material is an important factor (for me) in the longevity of the skin. Even after a complete season with several ski tours, I still can't see any loss in the skin performance and with this mohair-nylon mix climbing skin, the arguments for buying a more sensitive, but more efficient, pure mohair skin are fading more and more (for me)...
Advantages and disadvantages
+ very good climbing properties
+ easy sharking of the STS fixation
+ low weight, good pack size
+ large length adjustment due to STS fixation (up to 10 cm)
+ very convenient stowage in the Zipper Skin Bag
+ soft, but still robust skin
- very good adhesive properties, even with textiles
- separating net still frays
- cutting knife quickly becomes blunt
- price
Test conditions
I mainly tested the skin on the Salomon Rocker2 115 with a Dynafit Radical binding. On the ascent, I used it in all facets of snow (powder snow, surface rime, firm, broken snow, glacier ice, old snow, slush and wet spring conditions) from early to mid-winter and into spring. The air temperatures were between -15 and +15 degrees Celsius. The skins were put on and taken off a maximum of four times during one tour (day).
Conclusion
A climbing skin that focuses on the essentials: The climbing properties! With the mix of mohair skin and nylon components, slipping in a run-out, wet or frozen track is no longer a problem. Highly recommended for longer ascents or multi-day spring tours.
All images in the gallery
Information
Test product: Black Diamond GlideLite Mix STS climbing skins
Widths: 80 | 95 | 110 | 125 | 140 mm
Weight (pair): 603 g at 110 mm width x 173-180 cm length (manufacturer's specification)
Fur material: Fabric mix of 65% mohair and 35% nylon
RRP: 119.00 to 159.00 euros
Softer, 20% smaller pack size and 60 g lighter than comparable Ascension models
Patented adjustable STS straps for the end of the ski with 10 cm length adjustment
Adjustable tip stirrups compatible with a wide range of ski tips and sizes
Link to the manufacturer's page...
Link to the offer in the PowderGuide.com partner store Bergzeit.de...
