Kicker skins VS waxless base back-country skis

[Raventele]

I used to do a lot of climbing relatively steep slopes on X and Lite Terrains..It's too much work really..Grip waxing the tips and tails helped a lot but the constant zig-zag got old..So I started using old skinny skins which can be gotten quite cheaply and worked well..But under some circumstances, waxless skis, properly glide waxed, still rule..And unless you are actually only skiing bunny hills, the drag issue gets way overstated , and if it is a big deal, then just have the pattern ground down a bit..or a lot --and then you have a nice, lite XCd ski which perhaps never was made as a waxable..

[Johnny]

Ahahahahah! I actually didn't read that book... It's just been in my Amazon shopping cart for years... Horses are cool. We need to see more horses around. Maybe I'll upgrade the Telemark Talk logo and add a horse to it.

I sometimes add my kicker skins near the tip of my waxless ski for an extra grip... Keeping the waxless pattern uncovered... I'm still experimenting, but I don't think I will ever use full skins anymore. Here in the east, I'd rather take my time, zig-zag and side-step my way up while enjoying the scenery and feeling super light. But again, it's a matter of taste...