Unexpected Climb

[FourthCoast]

Sunday I was out skiing with my family at the local rope-tow hollow trying to learn how to drop a knee properly. With the binding remounted forward I can make some nice carved turns (alpine, anyway). I think I finally have everything mounted right and the correct boot for the setup.

The rope that goes up from the lodge to provide access to all the ropes on the 'back' of the hill stopped. After some wait they announced that it would be 20 minutes to repair the front rope, but that all the back side ropes were running. It was really cool to see all the people, mostly teens and kids, immediately kick off their skis and start climbing to get to the back. It was great to see such enthusiasm for the sport.

So here I am, the only person skiing with an 'up hill' ski setup, and I can't climb! I never would have imagined that skins or something else would be useful to have on hand. Getting in and out of these X2s is still a hassle for me so I made my way up in a combination of herringbone steps and side steps.

Anyway -- I was wondering if someone might recommend something to carry for a short climb up on hard packed snow. Using full length climbing skins seems like too much trouble and I expect the hard snow with some ice under it might make the skins useless anyway. I am thinking about getting some crampons that I can, hopefully, put on without taking the skis off and climb up. The reality of climbing here is that the snow will likely be hard pack or ice. Do I really need both skins and crampons to go up?

[lowangle al]

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DCh ... CDU&adurl=

I'm not sure if the link will work, but it is for kicker skins, which would be my first choice. Kick wax would also work if the slope angle doesn't go much over a typical green run.

[fisheater]

I kick wax my skis before hitting the lifts. Kick wax can wear off quickly in abrasive rental snow, but I enjoy it while it lasts. I usually carry a tin and a cork in my pocket. I don't know if I have every reapplied on the hill, but my jacket has lots of pockets, and you never know when you may want to go uphill. You can buy red and blue kick wax at REI in a package with a cork. I heard there is a good Nordic Shop in Grand Rapids.
I go to this shop when I get up to Grayling. They will also mail order me kick wax.
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[FourthCoast]

Thank you al and fisheater. Two good options to consider.