Happy owner/user of Asnes Rabb68s in Colorado here. I have a couple different widths/lengths of X-Skins and use them as adjustable waxless bases, with the benefit of being able to take them off entirely for longer downhills. I started out waxing them, but always felt the wax dragging on the downhill...

I agree that the time to swap out the flexors is not significant, especially if you happen to be stopping to swap out skins at the same time. Interestingly, I accidentally did an experiment this winter while uphilling inbounds at Steamboat. Forgot to swap out the free flexors at the top. Had a great...

I switched to the Alfa Free this season (from the Alaska XP), and definitely noticed some heel discomfort at first. I found putting band-aids on the hotspots helped a lot, as did wearing thin liner socks that gave an additional layer for the hot spot to slide against. I also found keeping the boots ...

Take a look at the Arcteryx Beta pants. Unlined shells with full side zips for ventilation. Short of finding something with a crotch zip, full side zips are probably as much ventilation as you can get.

I have the older Beta AR pants, which just have thigh zips. I really like them.

You should at least consider an Asnes ski with an X-skin as a substitute for a ski with a waxless base. You can modify the grip with different lengths/widths of X-skin, and take it off altogether for downhills. Doesn't solve the cost issue that you mention, though.

I've been wondering a 3-D printed heel plate for Xplore soles, that fits the negative space in the Xplore heel, could increase the rigidity of the boot/binding system during turns.

Very interesting. My OCD went into overdrive at the thought of an adjustable cleat, similar to cycling shoes. Lots of adjustability when combined with a binding with easy fore-aft adjustment built in.

I can't remember exactly what I paid for my Rabb68s last year, but it wasn't $699. Pretty sure it was either $589 or $599.

Hey folks,

Courtesy notice here: I just got an email from Neptune Mountaineering that all Asnes skis are on sale until Feburary 19. You can't miss the sale notice if you visit their website.

I just noticed SkiMo has these if you click on Pomoca Skin Parts, Ski Trab Skin Part or Contour Skin Parts in the "Parts and Accessories" section. When you click on these you'll see them in the pull-down menu or the individual pictures. You can order them from an industrical supplier, but ordering f...