Skins: Trim, or not?

[Eldo]

I'm looking to finally replace the skins I bought more years ago that I care to mention. They are real beauties, actual mohair, but showing their age.

So now I am a skin JONG. The skins I have are 60mm wide and have been used on many different straight skis and most recently on some shaped tele skis, dimensions: 102-75-95, or close to that. I want new skins to use on a pair of B3s, and I have been told that the modern way is to get skins as wide as the tip, and then trim them to follow the shape of the ski.

Is that what everyone is doing? Can't you use, say a 90mm wide skin, and just have it not completely cover the base at the tip and tail? I know that would give up a bit of traction for the climb, but would it make a major difference? (I guess that's really what I've been doing with my teles.) Mostly I'm reluctant to trim skins, and then have them not fit if I buy a different pair of skis.

Opinions? Road tests? Skin jokes?

[snorkeldeep]

you'll be happy you spent the cash.. it makes a considerable difference.. for me at least. get em big enough to cover the widest point on the ski and then trim from there.

[phUnk]

I try to get them as wide as the tail, then trim down to where the edges are exposed the entire length of the ski.

There's not a lot of weight up by the tip of the ski when you're skinning, which is why I don't worry about having a bunch of exposed base up there.

If you cheap out & try to save money by buying skinny skins: You'll want them at least as wide as your ski waist.

[cj001f]

Shovel - 1cm, round up.

[supercow]

Mountain Gear.com has the following
There are 2 choices in sizing skins for your skis:

For skis with less than 20 mm of sidecut, buy a skin 5 mm (.5 cm) narrower than the waist (narrowest part) of your ski.

For skis with more than 20 mm of sidecut or for maximum climbing grip, purchase a skin 15 mm (1.5 cm) narrower than the tip of the ski. The skins will then need to be trimmed to the shape of your ski.


Backcountry.net says that you should order a skin 6-8 mm smaller then the tip of your ski

That being said.........

I've got a pair of CMH explosives that I used 110 Glidelites on and I've pretty much got full coverage. My wife has Explosives with 95 Clipfixes and gives up a little coverage at the tip but overall has wall to wall everywhere else. The advantage to going a little smaller skin width is that you don't have to make like Edward Scissorhands and cut tons of material off. The reason I have new skins for my Explosives this year was I did such a brutal hack job cutting down a pair of 120's to fit my G4's last year that the skin is literally falling apart Also they'll fold up better and save your glue

[Sphinx]

Just trim. straight skins == SUCK. Trimming is easy. You won't save money by buying 100mm skins instead of 110.

[Eldo]

I try to get them as wide as the tail, then trim down to where the edges are exposed the entire length of the ski...

Thanks everyone for the advice. I've decided to go with phunk's method.

(I also got some lotion to put on my skins, just like in that cool video.)

[Spamhelmet]

if you are are real cheap ass, you can do this..

get (your old?) narrow skins, cut them in two lengthwise, put them on their
respectable edge,shape,build the tailclip and rearclip again.
so now you have a "wide skin" that covers the edges,but leaves a 3-5cm
gap in the middle.

saw that couple of bums had made them new skins from old 60mm POSs.
It was a real hazzle when they tried to put them on...
But,as they put it "they are free,so they work for me".
They didnt have that much problems on (that days) easy skinning.

[phUnk]

if you are are real cheap ass, you can do this..

get (your old?) narrow skins, cut them in two lengthwise, put them on their
respectable edge,shape,build the tailclip and rearclip again.
so now you have a "wide skin" that covers the edges,but leaves a 3-5cm
gap in the middle.

saw that couple of bums had made them new skins from old 60mm POSs.
It was a real hazzle when they tried to put them on...
But,as they put it "they are free,so they work for me".
They didnt have that much problems on (that days) easy skinning.

How does that provide any more surface area than using those same skins without cutting them up like this? I don't see the advantage.

[Telepath]

I don't see the advantage.

If you have to choose between non-skinned base in the middle or along the edges a bit of traversing in less-than-epic conditions should make you realize that the uphill edges are the most important base parts to cover. Actually I kno of a good few (myself included) people who have been playing around with similar conceps (and related stuff like shaving wide skins along the centreline etc.) in order to maintain edge traction but improve glide. It's not really a well working concept yet....

[Eldo]

I wasn't too worried about the expense of new skins. Just didn't want them to be useless everytime I got different skis.

Interesting idea about cutting up the old ones, but that wouldn't be possible. They are real mohair stitched to a backing, so they would just fall apart.

Someone told me mohair is rabbit fur. Have I been sliding on dead bunnies all these years?