I’m a simple man, wax pocket on my Åsnes skis is heel to the “shark bite” where you engage the X-skin
I’m just a BC skier, I might ski tracks once every few years
Rex Grip Tape
Re: Rex Grip Tape
I haven't tested grip tape in deep snow in the backcountry yet, but I have been testing it on my Fischer Powerlight track skis. I have used it on groomed tracks and on very hard, icy snow off-trail.
In general, I think the stuff is quite good. It truly does seem to grip and glide in all conditions, and it's much easier to deal with than klister. It's much easier to apply and it doesn't run all over everything or make a mess. It does seem to get abraded by really icy snow, but I have had better luck keeping this stuff on the skis than I have with klister. Under these same situations klister is mostly gone after a few kilometers, while the grip tape still partially works. I also suspect that my application procedure for the grip tape could use some work. Apparently it must be applied when the skis are warm, and I have always applied it when the skis were cold.
It would be interesting to hear if anyone has tried this stuff in true backcountry conditions yet.
In general, I think the stuff is quite good. It truly does seem to grip and glide in all conditions, and it's much easier to deal with than klister. It's much easier to apply and it doesn't run all over everything or make a mess. It does seem to get abraded by really icy snow, but I have had better luck keeping this stuff on the skis than I have with klister. Under these same situations klister is mostly gone after a few kilometers, while the grip tape still partially works. I also suspect that my application procedure for the grip tape could use some work. Apparently it must be applied when the skis are warm, and I have always applied it when the skis were cold.
It would be interesting to hear if anyone has tried this stuff in true backcountry conditions yet.
Re: Rex Grip Tape
I just use the normal wax pocket, minus 1 or 2 centimeters on each side. You could try your method, and maybe it would be better, but I find that grip tape is pretty forgiving.Xixi wrote: ↑Thu Feb 27, 2025 12:48 pmHi, just getting set up on some Asnes Amundsen BCs (still waiting on the Alfa Kikut boots, coming from Varuste), and have decided to go with Start Grip Tape (at least to start, especially with temps warming up) after being out of waxing since early 00's. I'll be using these for in-, out-of track and trailbreaking. I've been obsessing probably too much, but I had an idea about determining the wax pocket for grip tape. Basically do the same at-home method of determining the initial hard wax kick zone: standing on both skis evenly weighted, except instead of using a piece of paper, which would determine the hard wax pocket, I would use a short strip of the grip tape, with the peel-off cover still on, held perpendicular to the length of the ski, then run it forward until it catches to determine the front end of application, then rearward until it catches that way, or the end of the heel at the furthest. This would give a more accurate estimation of where the kick zone would actually be with how thick the tape is. These skis have a full wax pocket, not 1.5-camber. Thoughts on this? Also has anyone had any success shortening up the tape length once it's been applied? I would think it wouldn't go well trying to accurately apply the wax remover as it would probably contaminate some part of the tape you wanted to keep on. Thanks for your help and thoughts!
It's much easier to add additional grip tape and lengthen the grip zone than it is to remove it. The stuff sticks to the skis pretty well, and it takes a fair amount of scraping (and solvent use) to get it off. So if you're unsure about the amount to apply, start relatively short and add more later. Also, make sure the skis and tape are both warm. Applying it when the skis are cold will cause the tape to peel off too soon.
Re: Rex Grip Tape
Thanks for letting me know your experience! Looking forward to giving it a try, and encouraging to hear it's a good, more convenient and durable, replacement for klister, especially for models that don't have an integrated skin option.
As an aside, I did the EMGT back in the early 00's on waxable metal-edged Madshus w/ 3-pin leathers. My teammate and I were concerned about what to do if conditions called for klister. We brought some of course, but things turned out to be fresh snow and we waxed. Used base wax and started out with blue at the outset then to red by the end of the course. I think we had like two reapplications of red. Really, really ideal conditions for waxing, and really fun (in regards to equipment, other aspects definitely type II
). Anyway, grip tape I reckon would be an ideal approach for this race if things were to look very abrasive, and probably save more time over klister by not having to deal with reapplication and messes than any relatively small loss of efficiency.
As an aside, I did the EMGT back in the early 00's on waxable metal-edged Madshus w/ 3-pin leathers. My teammate and I were concerned about what to do if conditions called for klister. We brought some of course, but things turned out to be fresh snow and we waxed. Used base wax and started out with blue at the outset then to red by the end of the course. I think we had like two reapplications of red. Really, really ideal conditions for waxing, and really fun (in regards to equipment, other aspects definitely type II
). Anyway, grip tape I reckon would be an ideal approach for this race if things were to look very abrasive, and probably save more time over klister by not having to deal with reapplication and messes than any relatively small loss of efficiency.