Yes, they are backward-compatible. You can use the X-Skin on older Asnes skis and use the Skin-Lock skins on new skis. The attachment piece on the ski is different. On the left on the picture below is the new X-Skin, and the old Skin-Lock on the right. You won't lose the Asnes logo anymore, as they have completely removed this part, leaving now only two very small holes on the ski. But the real change over the old Skin-Lock is the attachment plate. They changed the old metal plate to a new lower profile plastic one. Not a big thing you will say. I didn’t find the drag very noticeable on the old Skin-Lock, you could barely feel it. But now, comparing both versions side by side, there is a HUGE difference!
On the snow, they glide as they should. The nylons are perfect for climbing and ascents. Their grip is pretty amazing, even for their narrow width. I recommend them if you are mostly touring for turns, when you are climbing most of the time and remove the skins on your way down.
The mohairs are best when you are willing to sacrifice a little bit of grip for better glide. I used them a lot last season and they were my favorite. But that was before they came up with the Race ones. The Race skins are just incredibly cool. They are super light, super fun and also super pink. When you slide on hands on both the Race and the Mohair, the Race ones seem like a joke. They do not seem to grip at all, they are so thin. But on snow, I had a really nice surprise. Here is what I did: I put the Race skin on my left ski and the Mohair one on the other. Yep, that’s funny. But the result was very interesting. Whether it was for climbing or gliding, on tracks or on bottomless fluffy snow, I couldn't feel much traction and grip difference between the two. The mohair offered a slightly, barely noticeable better grip over the Race skin, but really, nothing to justify buying them over the Race ones. But there was a quite noticeable difference over speed. The Race X-Skin offers a better and faster glide than the mohair. It’s not night and day, but you can definitely feel the difference, they are significantly faster. Definitely my favorite flavor... (No, it is not just because they are pink...
)I highly recommend the Race skins if you’re looking for something to replace wax and keep the skins on the skis most of the time. I only have a few miles on them, but I suspect the durability to be better on the Mohair. Both the skin material and the back coat is so thin on the X-Skin Race… But so fast too…! (I also suspect the price tag to be slightly higher on the X-Skin Race...
)If you already own some old Skin-Locks, you already know how great they are. Yep, they are a bit expensive, and if you bought some recently, you might not be inclined to replace them with the new X-Skins right now. But I think it’s definitely worth the upgrade, especially if you are using them for kicking, gliding and striding. And if you haven’t tried them yet, it’s the best time to do so with all those new offerings from Asnes. You might never need wax again…
(Click on the picture below to zoom... Notice the different textures...)
"air channels" in skis, thinner edges, plastic bindings...no thanks!