Skin Technique

[Platinum Pete]

What are the fundamentals of good skinning technique? For breaking trail or for following the skin track.
It seems I am always the slowest skinning skier of anyone I ski with, and that frustrates me. It doesn't help that I haven't had many days out this year (PNW winter of dispair), but I don't have the foggiest idea of how to work on my technique to be more efficient and/or more speedy. Further, I find myself loosing traction on not steep terrain when the snow is hard which seems like a problem of skins gone bad (they are very old) or more crap technique on my part. Skinning a steep traverse is always a nightmare for me, as my skis seem to washout at the worst moment and I find myself wishing I'd bought a whippet.
My current rig is Snow Rangers with Diamir IIs, old BD ascenscion skins not trimmed to fit (just a stripe the width of the waist), Lowa Struktura GTX boots, and my beat up old poles. I am working on assembling a rig of Carbon Surfs with TLT's, trimmed to fit ascension skins, Dynafit TLT 700 boots, and flick-locks with one whippet. Obviously lightening up will help, but I want to have good technique so that I will be able to make the most of my new gear and irritate my bc bros the least.
I suck at skinning and need some suggestions on how to improve. My transitions are hella slow too.
Trackhead? APD? Powstash? Duph? SheRa? Iskibc? You guys hike for it a ton, please share any tips and tricks. Anybody else chime in, too.

[laseranimal]

tech talk


BITCH


that being said, wider skis with wall to wall skins will enable you to skin steeper angles(I went from Explosives with wall to wall skins, to TM:X's with the same skins trimmed 1mm from each side and had to adjust my skin angles to compensate) as you said lightening the load will help but general physical fitness is probably the best way to keep up on the skintrack

[Platinum Pete]

tech talk
BITCH

Wrong. Tech talk is equipment centric, not technique.

[Lone Star]

I can relate to your troubles on steep traverses and sketchy spots-- I have the same problem. If you see yourself going slower than the group even on the easy spots, though, then I'd wager that your speed will improve as you spend more time doing it.... the easiest way to become an efficient hiker or skinner is to get out as much as possible, maybe even carry some extra weight when you're with slower people, that sort of thing.

in my experience, having the gear and technique down sure speeds you up, but general physical fitness and willpower are by far the most important. at least until you get to those sketchy spots!!

[Trackhead]

Technique on steep: Lean back a bit, rookies lean forward and slip out. Keep your poles no further forward than your boot. On really steep, put the palms of your hands on the tops of your poles and keep your poles behind you for extra traction.

Tech: Wall to wall skins on fat skis, you can skin anywhere. Leave 2mm of edge showing, so you trim your skins so they are just able to expose the edge, no base.

Gear: Get rid of the Diamirs and buy Dyanfit's. Dynafits are nearly 3 pounds lighter, and unless you're a huckster, they will work fine.

I am going all superlight next year. Dynafit bindings, Scarpa F-1's, etc. On more difficult days I might ski on a stiffer boot, but I'm sick of hauling all the extra weight. I'm not a huckster, so the light weight stuff will work fine for me.

[Trackhead]

Another thing on speed.

Buy a pack that accomodates a Camelbak or the like. Stopping to pull out a water bottle is slow, and you get dehydrated because you don't drink enough.
Bring atleast 2-3 liters of liquid for tours longer than 5 hours, any less and your skiing dehydrated, and slow.

Also, get a pack or something that allows you to eat as you hike. If you want to speed up, don't stop to eat. My pack has pockets on the waist belt, I keep Snickers or something in the pockets and eat all day long as I hike.
You shouldn't stop to eat when your hungry, eat before you are, then you won't bonk from low blood sugar.

Keep hat and gloves easily accessible so you don't have to stop to take them off or put them on. Same goes with jackets. Jacket on the outside of the pack where you can easily put it on/off, etc.

I hate stopping for anymore than a couple minutes on a long tour. I like to stop on the summit for a bit, but not on the approach.

Just some ideas.

[Spew]

sup platinum pete.
i hope you're not using those skins you picked up from me like 10 years ago. i gave up on those for the reason that you're complaining about them. those were supposed to be backups!!!!!!!!!!! get fatter skis and fatter skins!

[Platinum Pete]

sup platinum pete.
i hope you're not using those skins you picked up from me like 10 years ago. i gave up on those for the reason that you're complaining about them. those were supposed to be backups!!!!!!!!!!! get fatter skis and fatter skins!

Nope. Those skins are on my backup/loaner AT rig.
That set of skins aside, how can I tell when my skins are worn out vs. my technique sucking?

Good advice thus far, keep it coming. Especially on positioning weight and pole work. What about setting the ski/skin on slippery stuff, what is good technique for making the skins really stick to the snow?

[Arty50]

Also, slide your skis. Don't pick them up. It saves a ton of energy.

And trackhead was right on with the balance comments. Getting your weight back is super important. Along the same lines, keep you head up and don't look down. This is especially important when you're on a steep slope and don't have a lot of purchase. When you put your head down, it puts a lot of weight forward and you'll be more likely to slide out.

[Trackhead]

Small steps on the steeps help keep the skins from sliding.

Arty50 stating about sliding the skis is one of the biggest things rookies do wrong. They pick their feet up like they are on snowshoes. Think about barely lifting your ski, more like just unweighting it. It should slide along the snow, not leave it.

[LaramieSkiBum]

I'm a total skinning jong, as I've only had them for the past 2 seasons, but FYI Pete I found my self not leaning forward enough as opposed to leaning to far forward. Its a little tricky on the steeps getting the right body position. Try both leaning back more and leaning forward more and get a feel for it.

I'm thinking my own first personal hiccups has to do with putting pressure on the tips of the skis where the bulk of the skin surface area is located.

[laseranimal]

as Arty said keep the head up as it also helps with breathing, psychologically runners are taught to look up to the top of the hill since you feel closer to the top then if you're looking down at your feet

[AltaPowderDaze]

as Arty said keep the head up as it also helps with breathing, psychologically runners are taught to look up to the top of the hill since you feel closer to the top then if you're looking down at your feet

good advice in general. just remember that as you get closer to a peak your neck will start to hurt. looking forward is something that will tell you when you are getting tired or low blood sugar. if you find yourself looking at the ground then you are one or the other.


sliding your skins:

important on an established skin track. i usually keep the tip slightly in contact with the snow, just enough that i don't feel any drag. ideally the rest of the ski is either barely in contact or just slightly off the ground. sometimes on hard snow, like in the grunge video, you have to kick a step in for purchase. when breaking trail i always try to get my tip up above the surface so i don't end up having to lift my ski thru a lot of weight.

it's all a fine balance but in sketch situations i alway find myself relying on my poles. my tricepts burn most of the day but it still takes less energy than having to recover from a near fall or actually having to arrest and stand up again.

What about setting the ski/skin on slippery stuff, what is good technique for making the skins really stick to the snow?

use your edges to kick and hold. no sliding the skin here.

i make sure that i'm putting all my weight directly under my foot in most situations. that means that your heel is in contact with the riser and has all your weight on it. when you lean too far forward you'll notice some weight come off the heel.

each situation is different and takes a slightly different technique.

kick turning:
i wish i could kick turn downhill on the steeps but i'm just not that good at it. i turn uphill on 40 degree slopes and always remind myself how infexible i am. i actually split my boxers on the grunge and 1 other time. practice kick turning when you can. it will improve your ability to keep up.

[gimpy]

biggest thing is to always walk on your heels and on slippery traverses stand kinda bowlegged so your skins are flat making substantial contact w/ the snow.

[Trackhead]

Take a private skinning lesson from Gramps' roommate, he can skin 65 degree alpine ice with ease.

[Telegasm]

All good comments so far. Here's another one about pacing.

To maximize your performance when skinning for a long time, learn to watch your internal tachometer. There is a gauge inside your body with a needle that cruises from a green zone (low exertion) through a yellow and orange zone (that's where you want to be) and into a red zone (more than a minute in the red and you are forced to stop, getting dizzy).

At first you don't know what to look for. But listen in. You don't have to calculate anything, count your heartbeats, or anything like that. It's simpler. Just try to learn what it feels like to be just below the red zone. Learn what it feels like to be in the green or just above it. Then day by day, work on this until you can keep your gauge right up there somewhere in the yellow or orange. Hint: if you have to stop to rest, you're aiming too high. Try for a pace that you can maintain as long as possible -- without going slower than necessary.

Another hint borrowed from climbing hills on a bicycle. When the slope angle slacks off, your body won't want to speed up -- that's just your muscles talking. Smart skinners accelerate on purpose when the slope angle lessens, over the protests of their body. It works, you just have to get familiar with how to do it. After 30 or 40 feet the body will give in and agree that the slope isn't so bad. Similarly, smart skinners intentionally call a slowdown as soon as the slope gets extra steep -- instead of charging ahead at the same pace and waiting for their body to force a halt.

[LeeLau]

Someone else mentioned this but I think it needs to be stressed. Most of the grip comes from the are under the foot. Visualize striding forward and putting weight forward then shift weight back and on to the heel. I go for a pretty long stride on less steep skin tracks and shorten up the stride on steeper tracks but that can be individual preference. Slipping back is very tiring and very inefficient.

Also dont be afraid to put in your own track. Put it in next to the existing track so you don't mess up the slope you're going up - this may not apply in extensively crevassed terrain. Steep icy tracks are a PITA for skin hold.

Shorten up the grip on your poles also - this forces you to get your weight back a little more.

[Tri-Ungulate]

This has kinda been mentioned in prevous posts, but I gotta emphasize that sometimes small steps can make a difference - it seems stupid, until you think of Lance Armstrong's preferred method of ascending steeps versus Jan Ullrich's. The point is, when the going gets steep, Lance spins hard (high frequency) in a granny gear relative to Jan, who pulls less rotations in a bigger chainring - and who has more Tour de France victories?

Smaller steps at higher cadence seems to work better for me than bigger strides with lower cadence. YMMV, of course -- if you're a World Cup Rando-Racer, you'll want big strides with high cadence, but we're not all superhuman, eh?

[bcrider]

I made this from the tips I've learned over the years.

http://www.splitboard.com/split101/a...h.htm#skinning

It's specific to splitboards but may be useful to you as well.

Skinning 101
Most of the time you'll spend on your splitboard will be in tour mode going up the mountain -- using good form and proper technique is critical. Skinning on a splitboard requires more skill and coordination than using snowshoes but it will become second nature once you get the hang of it. If you don’t learn the basics early on your splitboard experience will be negatively affected. You might be able to fudge your way through it on short tours but do a long tour and you'll quickly notice how much further good form can take you. These are the main points to remember -- using your own variations is also encouraged.

Skinning is as much (if not more) mental than it is physical. The journey up the mountain can be a long one but it will only seem longer if your mind is telling your body that skinning sucks. Remember to stay positive and think about the ride down. Learn how to break the ascent into sections so it doesn't seem overwhelming. Keep up with your group and try to stay near the front of the pack so you don't feel like you're constantly falling behind. Get mean when the skinning is difficult and curse to yourself if needed. You can also experiment with "robot-mode" while skinning. This is when you turn off your brain and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Obviously don't try this if you're setting the skintrack or in terrain that requires more attention, i.e. avy terrain, glaciated terrain, knife-edge ridge skinning, etc.


Here are a few tips to make your uptrack more enjoyable and efficient:

1. Stand up straight
Stand up straight with your shoulders back and head up. This will shift your weight to the back-seat and allow proper pressure to be applied to the ski and skin which is needed for good traction up the slope. An all too common mistake is to look down at your skis while skinning. By doing so, your body will become hunched over and not enough pressure will be applied to the ski resulting in slippage. Looking up the slope also allows you to set your uptrack in the safest and most practical place possible.

2. Push with your heels
Pushing with your heels and not your toes also plays an important role in getting good traction. It allows more of your weight to be applied to the rear of your ski. Remember to glide the skis too, taking long, rhythmic strides. Gone are the days of short-stepping on snowshoes which requires lifting the weight of your boot and snowshoe (often with snow on top) for each step. Welcome to efficiency of the skinning world!

3. Keep your skis flat
Keep your skis as flat as possible when you're going straight up the slope (not traversing). This allows more of the skin plush to grab the snow and will result in better traction. Your edges can be your number one enemy on flat skintracks (however they will be your best friend while traversing). Although one of the main benefits to using a splitboard is the ability to glide, it can also be helpful at times to lift the ski up and stomp it down flat on the skintrack. This really sets the hairs of the skin plush into the snow and provides added grip.

4. Shorten your poles
Shorten your poles a couple of inches when you transition from the flats to the steeper slope. Long poles are good for flat and rolling terrain but will hinder your performance in steep terrain. Using shorter poles will allow you to utilize the strength of your arms and take some of the work off your legs. Remember to keep your arms and poles close to your body, no spread eagles.

5. Use the climbing bars
For steep terrain, use your climbing bars. They help place your foot in a more level position on the slope which will result in easier skinning and your legs feeling fresh longer.

6. Step off the skin track
If you just can't get proper traction on a slick skintrack, try stepping out of the track and blazing your own trail right next to the existing one. This isn’t recommended in glaciated terrain or on a guided trip unless you ask your guide. The untouched snow won't be as slick as the skintrack from previous skinners and will allow the skins to get better traction. This also gives you the freedom to adjust your uptrack differently from the original track, most likely set by a skier. Skiers will often set an uptrack with a bunch of switchbacks, which are somewhat easier to execute on skis. But the fatter base of the splitboard translates to superior traction and often means we can take a more direct line. Think of your uptrack as a series of "S" shapes rather than "Z" shapes.

7. Use the kick turn
A kick turn is used when you simply need to change your direction on the slope (i.e., when on a ridge or when avoiding rocks or cliffbands). The goal is to change directions safely, quickly and easily. The spot where you make this change of direction is known as a switchback. There are two main types of kick turns, the uphill and the downhill. We prefer the uphill kick turn because it's more natural and efficient for splitboards.

As you approach the switchback, go past it about ½ stride. This will allow you to step down onto the track as you change directions, not up to it. Before you stepping down to the track, shift your weight to your downhill ski and lift your uphill ski out of the snow -- snapping it in the opposite direction. Now weight this ski and bring around your other ski. Quickly weight your trailing ski once you set it down as it is now your uphill ski. Using your poles in the kick turn is important too. One trick is to wedge the pole tip under your downhill ski to prevent it from slipping out. When possible we also recommend trying to round your switchbacks by keeping your skis flat. This will save you the time and energy of doing a kick turn in the first place.

8. Cadence
Think about your skinning cadence and maintaining a steady pace. This is better than using small bursts of energy for fast skinning followed by slow bursts while you catch your breath. Find your rhythm where breathing is easy and maintain it.

9. Don’t overdress and remember to hydrate
Being properly dressed for skinning is an important aspect to remember. A common mistake is to overdress which will quickly have you dripping with sweat and stopping to shed a layer. It is far better to start off a little cold and warm up as your exertion level rises. Don't forget to drink plenty of water as well, your mind and muscles will thank you.

10. Know when to switch to boot mode
Most folks are advocates of keeping their skis on their feet for as long as possible before switching to boot mode. While this makes sense, there are times when switching to boot crampons or a boot pack is both safer and faster than skinning. Knowing when to pull the plug on skinning is an important thing to remember.

[Platinum Pete]

Good stuff guys. Appreciated.
I've definitely been on my toes too much, and I look forward to my lighter set up - hooray for Spring deals!

[Ireallyliketoski2]

Get some ski crampons, that'll solve all your problems.

[Arno]

A few further thoughts. It's all about keeping your weight centred. I find it easier to keep my weight where it should be when I have as little heel lift as possible. Short steps on steep slopes help. If you're breaking trail, keep the incline comfortable. You may need to make a couple more kick turns but it'll be a much more pleasant skin up.

As far as pacing is concerned - if it's steep and/or high altitude I try to breathe in as I stride forward with one foot and breathe out as the other foot goes forward. I find this self-regulates my pace to something that I can keep up for a long time.

[PNWbrit]

Don't overdress - polypro top is often all you need. Combine with a light wind shell. Gore Tex can't keep up with the heat you'll produce. Overheat and you'll come to a grinding stop. You should feel cold when when you leave the trail head.

Adjust pack so it's sitting on your hips rather than having shoulder and sternum straps constricting your chest

Slide the skis

Stand up straight - drive the hip forward with each new step and snap heel down to get skin to "bite"

Small steps - steady pace

Time breathing with steps - increasing pause between steps if you feel winded until you're at a full climbers rest step

Use ski crampons if you feel you're slipping or insecure & wall to wall skins are a must

Angulation of skis on traverses - roll ankles away from slope

Keep the misery meter out of the red

Economy of movement - keep moving even if only slowly, don't keep fiddling with gear, clothing, heel lifters, pack etc.

Micro terrain management - minimize kick turns which are tiring and use natural ramps. Skin with some one who has lots of experience you set the track, have them follow you but ask them to set their own track when they see you missing out on these chances to use the terrain. You'll quickly pick up the technique

Don't let heel lifters and good skin grip tempt you try and climb steeper than is efficient

Try and appreciate your surroundings rather than just getting stuck thinking about the climb. Develop an "auto pilot" skinning technique.

Set a target - time, elevation etc. for when you'll stop for a break. Stick to it and avoid small unscheduled breaks

[Lurch]

All the above tips are great. What has also helped me greatly improve my uphill speed is going to the gym regularly. One night I do cardio on the ellipse the next I use the stair master. Every other night I do hip extensions. Besides getting my cardio in much better shape for climbing I’ve also lost 10 pounds since November which has helped immensely.

[shmerham]

This is seriously dissapointing. I thought by now someone would have busted out "it puts the lotion on its skin".