paranoidhb wrote: ↑Tue Mar 01, 2022 3:31 pm
Hi Everyone,
Long time lurker, first time poster here. This forum is awesome and has been very informative thus far - I have tried to base some of my decisions based on the experts here
Hi
@paranoidhb and welcome, (former) MR48 owner, still MR48-adjacent by marriage, and long-term musk ox here, moo.
Would the 30mm Mohair skins provide sufficient grip or am I better off investing in 45mm ones?
30mm mohair skins are the sweet spot for those skis and will absolutely give you all the grip you need for the flats and not-too-steep hills on trails. They grip better than a standard wax job. They're not really meant to be a solution for 'proper' ascents and steep angles, though. You'll need wider skins for actual mountains.
The length of your skis + your weight are a factor, too: 45mm mohair skins on my 190cm MR48s dragged so much, striding and descending, on anything other than good 3D snow, that the fun went out of it. My skis were too short: too much contact between mohair and snow because I was too heavy, presumably. But my wife, with the same length skis and a few less kilos of lard, didn't have the same problem with identical skins. 45mm mohair skins glide fine on my longer, wider skis in the right conditions.
In short, 30mm mohair skins trimmed to the heel can be magical, virtually wax replacements in the right conditions and terrain. 45mm skins are surprisingly good climbing skins. And if your MR48s are long enough, I assume 45mm skins can glide nicely if you trim them to the heel.
Should I be buying both full length skins as well as X-Skins since I can't really predict the ski conditions at these resorts?
No. You could theoretically buy full length skins If you want to go up very high and come down very fast – but the MR48s aren't the skis you'd want coming down from anywhere high enough and steep enough to require full-length skins, especially without beefier boots and bindings than the ones you've very reasonably chosen.
If I understand what you want to do correctly, you really won't need full length skins at all.
Do I need to consider waxing the skis or are just the skins sufficient for the steeper climbs? (I have also invested in skin protectors)
30mm will be rather underpowered for going up proper mountains (not that you'd do that on MR48s anyway). 45mm will probably be enough to get you where you want to go. If it's 'a proper climb', a little Polar on the tips and tails won't make much difference if you have already skins on, to be honest. But many here swear by tip-to-tail Polar with the wax of the day in the middle. You may have to resort to skins eventually, but you'll be the last to do it! It's a good method for hilly terrain. But you'll still want skins for 'proper' mountains. Put it that way.
What is the typical protocol? Put on the skins while climbing up and then take the skins out while going downhill? What do you do for shorter ups / downs?
Yes. And in some circumstances no. Generally yes, take them off at the top, because whee and ooh and ha haaaaa and woah shit wheeee oop fuck I almost died ha ha that was the best, let's have a pizza. Skins can also act as a brake, and with skis as light as the MR48 you might perhaps, in some conditions, find it useful to keep them on on the way down. For mixed ups and downs, a lot depends on conditions. You'll almost certainly just want to keep the skins on because it's less of a pain in the arse.
Is there a place which describes how the skin-lock works? Once I take out the skins, how do I put them back on if we decide to go back up the mountain after coming down? Are there any special procedures? Dry them etc?
The second you put them on you'll be like 'Oh, I see'. It's simple. The Åsnes page is pretty good. You can stick the skins adhesive to adhesive when you take them off, stuff them in your jacket pocket, and dry them out when you get home.
In general, for those of you who have had experience with MR48s, are there any other tips that you can provide to a first time owner?
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