Skifelle

As the days get longer and the tours become more enjoyable, the most demanding time of the year begins for ski skins - spring is demanding for both equipement and care. Where fluorine-based impregnations were used in the past, there is now a clear shift towards more environmentally friendly alternatives. These now offer comparable performance, but require more conscious and more frequent care.

The "Alpinist PRO" is currently the top skin from Kohla and, thanks to its 100% mohair construction and the Kohla "Smartglue", is said to combine the best climbing properties with particularly good handling. We have tested how the skin performs in practice on ski tours.

The practical test of the Contour Guide Mix 2.0 shows how the PFAS-free ski touring skins perform in everyday touring. After around 20 ski tours, the reliable grip, low weight and stable adhesion were particularly impressive.

This winter, my beetle-crushers could have come to more use during the Nordketten forest fire to help step it out than on ski toures. This lack of touring opportunity gave me enough time to get to grips with my own equipment. In doing so, I came across a few topics that had been on my mind in previous winters.

Meanwhile, some splitboards already come with nose holes or cut-outs, as well as tail cut-outs or holes as standard. However, most splitboard skins—including mine—still use a front bracket and a butterfly clip at the tail. Since Kohla is located close to Innsbruck, I assumed a quick visit would be enough to have my skins adjusted accordingly. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be quite that simple.

They are rarely missing even in freeride backpacks and are almost standard equipment these days; for ski touring backpacks, this has always been true anyway: a pair of climbing skins! This makes it all the more important to have a skin with the right properties. The product range is now so wide that this is no problem. In the improved guide line, Contour relies on lighter, more robust materials and improved gliding and adhesive properties. Now you can win your own pair of the revised guide skins!

Ski skins are essential for anyone who wants to be independent of lifts in the mountains. This week I present the Contour Hybrid Pure ski skins - a great choice for ski tourers looking for a high-quality companion.

The search for the right splitboard and the corresponding binding has probably already taken a lot of time and nerves. The new treasures are quickly unpacked and want to be admired, but you soon realize: It doesn't look anything like a snowboard! But there's no need to panic, despite the many individual parts, a screwdriver is enough to assemble everything before the first tour. Here are a few helpful tips.

The ski touring season has long since begun and you can see ski tourers scaling the mountains everywhere. But what should you look out for while ski touring when it gets warmer? What is the right skin for me? What can I do about stubborn skins? We spoke to Sebastian Dorn from Sport Conrad and put together a brief overview of everything you need to know.

Ski skins usually last me more or less one season. Not that they are no longer usable after that, but the adhesive property in particular forces me to either apply new adhesive or invest in a new skin.

The 2022/2023 season is currently in the starting blocks. The first snow has fallen, but there's not much going on in the terrain yet. Nevertheless, Christmas is already approaching, more or less suddenly! As suitable gifts for freeriders and ski tourers is always welcome, we are once again presenting the PowderGuide editorial team's Christmas wishes this year.

Climbing skins allow us to hike up the mountains on skis. For a carefree touring experience, the skins should offer glide and grip. Hybrid climbing skins made of mohair and nylon are robust, water-repellent and make it more difficult for studs to form. The skins from K2 combine precisely these properties and cannot be broken.