Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

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MikeK

Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by MikeK » Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:12 pm

So far only the 60mm left over from last year I believe. I bet they'll get another shipment in soon. I should call...

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Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by Johnny » Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:30 pm

lilcliffy wrote:I want a set of 35mm mohair skin-lock as well BTW ;)
We all do... I already contacted Asnes, still no answer... I doubt they will be available at Neptune...

I had the confirmation that Norseman won't carry the 35mm mohairs...
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Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by lilcliffy » Mon Oct 03, 2016 8:31 pm

Found them- SportAlbert in Europe (Germany?): https://www.sportalbert.de/asnes-mohair ... ag=1508752

SportAlbert does ship internationally...I think Athabasceae looked into it, and I think Anrothar orderd the Asnes Mountain Race from them?
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Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by lilcliffy » Mon Oct 03, 2016 8:34 pm

Hey LJ, and Tom,

The shipping from SportAlbert to Canada is almost as much as the 35mmm skin!!

Wonder how much to mail within Canada...cheaper to group order- then mail out to the other two?
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Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by lilcliffy » Tue Oct 04, 2016 5:46 am

Got a reply back from Asnes regarding kick wax and the skin-lock- they recommend removing kick wax before applying the skin-lock:
Hi Gareth

This depends on the wax, but normally we recommend our customers to remove the wax before attaching the skin-lock.


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Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
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Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by lilcliffy » Thu Oct 06, 2016 1:59 pm

Having to remove kick wax before applying the skin-lock really sucks :twisted:
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MikeK

Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by MikeK » Thu Oct 06, 2016 2:09 pm

lilcliffy wrote:Having to remove kick wax before applying the skin-lock really sucks :twisted:
Yes - but how good is anyone going to remove it? They aren't going to strip the base. I'm guessing just a quick scrape to keep the skin glue from getting too waxy...

Also if you are using the 35mm skin on a wide ski, you are definitely going to want to clean the wax off well enough to keep it from sticking to the presumably wet snow you are skiing in due to choosing the skin.

My hope is that the 35mm skin won't impede you too much going DH. I'd be hoping to use this just like a scale setup... if not, I probably wouldn't use it much and just ski my scaled skis. The drag of the wide nylon could come in handy in icy, difficult conditions to keep speed down, but perhaps it won't be the safety blanket that a full skin can be.



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Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by lilcliffy » Thu Oct 06, 2016 3:24 pm

MikeK wrote:
lilcliffy wrote:Having to remove kick wax before applying the skin-lock really sucks :twisted:
Yes - but how good is anyone going to remove it? They aren't going to strip the base. I'm guessing just a quick scrape to keep the skin glue from getting too waxy...
On an everyday tour I was hoping to use the skin-lock for that little bit of extra grip- over grip wax- when I need it. So- I was hoping I could slap them on for a bit over my kick wax, and then pull them off the moment I no longer need the grip.
Also if you are using the 35mm skin on a wide ski, you are definitely going to want to clean the wax off well enough to keep it from sticking to the presumably wet snow you are skiing in due to choosing the skin.
Although I doubt that this will be my primary application- I am interested in the performance of the narrow skin-lock/easy-skin- versus a waxless ski. The skin-lock/easy-skin would have to offer some impressive grip/glide for it to outperform a similar waxless ski on wet snow...BUT- on icy, refrozen snow? That's a whole other question...
My hope is that the 35mm skin won't impede you too much going DH. I'd be hoping to use this just like a scale setup... if not, I probably wouldn't use it much and just ski my scaled skis. The drag of the wide nylon could come in handy in icy, difficult conditions to keep speed down, but perhaps it won't be the safety blanket that a full skin can be.
You are planning on using the skin-lock downhill?
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



MikeK

Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by MikeK » Thu Oct 06, 2016 3:37 pm

lilcliffy wrote: On an everyday tour I was hoping to use the skin-lock for that little bit of extra grip- over grip wax- when I need it. So- I was hoping I could slap them on for a bit over my kick wax, and then pull them off the moment I no longer need the grip.
I was actually planning on doing this with the 60mm Nylon skins I have. I figure throwing it on for a quick hill climb wouldn't hurt the skin too much. Worse comes to worse I'll have to clean and re-glue them eventually.
lilcliffy wrote: Although I doubt that this will be my primary application- I am interested in the performance of the narrow skin-lock/easy-skin- versus a waxless ski. The skin-lock/easy-skin would have to offer some impressive grip/glide for it to outperform a similar waxless ski on wet snow...BUT- on icy, refrozen snow? That's a whole other question...
In theory the skin should grip that icy crap better than the scale, no? It will probably wear out the skin rather quickly though.
lilcliffy wrote: You are planning on using the skin-lock downhill?
Yes and no - for quick climbs and descents, which is mostly what I do - I'm envisioning this only with the 35mm mohair skins. For dedicated climbing/descending which is rare for me due to geography, I'd remove them and probably use the nylon ones. Or in the case of above where I just need more grip and don't want to herringbone or sidestep.



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Favorite Skis: Asnes Ingstad, Combat Nato, Amundsen, Rabb 68; Altai Kom
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Re: Fischer Easy-Skin vs. Asnes Skin-Lock

Post by lilcliffy » Thu Oct 06, 2016 8:15 pm

MikeK wrote:
lilcliffy wrote: On an everyday tour I was hoping to use the skin-lock for that little bit of extra grip- over grip wax- when I need it. So- I was hoping I could slap them on for a bit over my kick wax, and then pull them off the moment I no longer need the grip.
I was actually planning on doing this with the 60mm Nylon skins I have. I figure throwing it on for a quick hill climb wouldn't hurt the skin too much. Worse comes to worse I'll have to clean and re-glue them eventually.
I think that- just as the Asnes response suggested- the degree of complications likely depend on the specific kick wax. A cold wax (i.e. hard) should cause fewer problems than a warm wax (i.e. soft and sticky)- klister and skin adhesive would be a particularly bad mix I would think! :twisted:

I have used full length climbing skins overtop of skis with cold/hard kick wax with no significant problems. I have no experience with warm/wet snow, kick wax and skins- I have always used waxless skis on warm wet snow.

So- on cold snow- hard kick wax plus skin-lock/easy skin.

On warm, wet snow- no kick wax, just the skin-lock/easy-skin. This is where the narrow skin is likely the most useful in terms of grip/glide. Yet is a good example of why I don't think the easy-skin plus waxless base is crazy- in fact I wish it was available on the E-99/E-109 crown. There are many situations where the easy-skin/skin-lock would give that extra grip over a waxless base as well.

I also have my doubts that a kicker skin is going to outperform a good waxless base when xcountry skiing on warm, wet snow...
MikeK wrote:
lilcliffy wrote: Although I doubt that this will be my primary application- I am interested in the performance of the narrow skin-lock/easy-skin- versus a waxless ski. The skin-lock/easy-skin would have to offer some impressive grip/glide for it to outperform a similar waxless ski on wet snow...BUT- on icy, refrozen snow? That's a whole other question...
In theory the skin should grip that icy crap better than the scale, no? It will probably wear out the skin rather quickly though.
Yes- I think that a kicker skin is the only dependable solution for K&G grip when backcountry skiing- through the woods- on icy, refrozen snow. Klister provides the best grip/glide, but it is an absolute nightmare in the woods. :twisted: Again the narrow skin will hopefully provide a decent balance between grip/glide.

As far as wearing out the skin on icy, refrozen snow- perhaps having the narrow nylon skin for these awful abrasive conditions?

With the Fischer Easy-Skin- I think I will eventually want both the narrow and the wide skins- to cover all of the above scenarios. (The Easy-Skin is currently only available in a mohair-nylon mix.)

With the Asnes Skin-Lock I can see the almost ridiculous scenario:
1) wide (e.g. 60mm for the Ingstad) mohair skin-lock for extra traction on cold snow over kick wax
2) narrow mohair skin-lock for extra traction- or standard K&G- on warm wet snow
3) narrow nylon skin-lock for K&G on icy, refrozen snow
4) wide nylon skin-lock- or full-length climbing skin- for serious climbing traction. In this context a full-length climbing skin is likely better value- especially because it can be used with other skis.

As crazy as it sounds- I see myself eventually buying both the 35mm mohair and nylon for my Combat Natos...
MikeK wrote:
lilcliffy wrote: You are planning on using the skin-lock downhill?
Yes and no - for quick climbs and descents, which is mostly what I do - I'm envisioning this only with the 35mm mohair skins. For dedicated climbing/descending which is rare for me due to geography, I'd remove them and probably use the nylon ones. Or in the case of above where I just need more grip and don't want to herringbone or sidestep.
But- wouldn't you take off the skin-lock on the descent? I would predict the skin-lock to peel off if you attempted a downhill turn...
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



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