Kicker skins?

[Cannatonic]

kicker skins are good when it's not steep enough to require full skins. good for long, gradual approach trails. They weigh 1/3rd a full skin and take up less space. easier to take on & off. For many Presidential areas like Tuckerman, Gulf of Slides, Monroe Brook, etc. you gradually skin up to a bootpack and never need full skins.

[lowangle al]

Tuckermans was a miserable slog on snakeskins back in the day. The Sherbourne Trail I think it was called anyway. Do people boot pack up the headwall or do the half skins work?

[Rokjox]

I have the BD skins halfskins and they are OK for me, but I actually still prefer the old style skinny glu on skins. Skinny stripe of sticky cut a little short and running down the center of a fatt ski leaves you the sides you can edge up on to take advantage of a short dip through a sno-mo track and get a few inches of glide for instance. Also the old one skin trick is enhanced where you kick always on one foot, you can still get a little glide on the kicker. Icing is improved when you are running half wide skins too. High angle cross slope traversing is improved some too, I think.

Pull that old pair of mohair skins out of the closet, they still work good. Lite too.

[bgregoire]

I have the BD skins and they are OK for me, but I actually still prefer the old style skinny glu on skins. Skinny stripe of sticky cut a little short and running down the center of a fatt ski leaves you the sides you can edge up on to take advantage of a short dip through a sno-mo track and get a few inches of glide for instance. Also the old one skin trick is enhanced where you kick always on one foot, you can still get a little glide on the kicker. Icing is improved when you are running half wide skins too. High angle cross slope traversing is improved some too, I think.

Pull that old pair of mohair skins out of the closet, they still work good. Lite too.

Great advice Rokjox!

[Rodbelan]

Even 30 feet of vert can hurt.

Well, how about zero? 3-4 years ago, I went down a steep, icy slope at the end of april... When I was done—at the bottom of the hill—I just fell, for no apparent reason. Bang, a broken clavicle...4-6 weeks of TV... It didn't leave any collateral damage though...

[Woodserson]

Tuckermans was a miserable slog on snakeskins back in the day. The Sherbourne Trail I think it was called anyway. Do people boot pack up the headwall or do the half skins work?

You hike or skin up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and ski down the Sherburne Trail. Sherburne is down only, always has been. You bootpack up the ravine. It's steep-- you're basically on all fours but standing up.

[Woodserson]

I just don't see needing them too often to bridge the gap between either climbing with scales or wax and putting on conventional skins.

Exactly, precisely why I don't understand what they are doing on the S-Bound line.

I agree with this. However they are awesome in principle, I see the advantages and I was really impressed with their grip for their small size... but it's overkill for the most part of have them with scales-- Asnes has it nailed. I will say, however, if you know it's going to be too steep for scales and not steep enough to go full length (day tour in a familiar area) they are LIGHT as a FART and take up no room in your pack. So far, Fischer seems to have it dialed in. They lock nicely too and I was worried about robustness but I think they will be OK. I'm not regretting the purchase.

I do need more experience on them however, to see how steep they will go. It's been thin this year, as we know, and I haven't had the opportunities.

[Cannatonic]

Tuckermans was a miserable slog on snakeskins back in the day. The Sherbourne Trail I think it was called anyway. Do people boot pack up the headwall or do the half skins work?

exactly - Tuckerman Ravine Trail is miserably slow on full skins - lots of flat sections. Also too steep for scales or wax. Once you arrive at Tucks or most of the other cirques it's too steep for skins - 40+ degrees, you're climbing the boot trail. Eastern BC skiing is full of long, low-angle approach routes.

[Woodserson]

Eastern BC skiing is full of long, low-angle approach routes.

Which is why I started the Voile Vector BC thread... I'm torn about scales on the low long routes out.

[lowangle al]

Tuckermans was a miserable slog on snakeskins back in the day. The Sherbourne Trail I think it was called anyway. Do people boot pack up the headwall or do the half skins work?

You hike or skin up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and ski down the Sherburne Trail. Sherburne is down only, always has been. You bootpack up the ravine. It's steep-- you're basically on all fours but standing up.

It's been almost 20 years but it's coming back now, I think I went up ther Shebourne trail the first time. Never went up the headwall, skied the auto road though.

Eastern BC skiing is full of long, low-angle approach routes.

Which is why I started the Voile Vector BC thread... I'm torn about scales on the low long routes out.

Woods the BCs are the only scaled ski I don't mind wearing. I would say 99% of my skiing was with kickwax before I got the BCs, now I sometimes wear them as a convienence so I don't have to wax. That never happened before.

I have 3 pin HW on the BCs and will take the heel throws off for approaches. The other pair have switchbacks and I use them when I will be skinning or at the resort in addition to kick waxing..

So if you do a lot of skinning or plan on using them at the resort you might want the smooth bottoms.