How to Apply Skiing Skins to Telemark or Alpine Touring Skis
With the increased interest in telemark and alpine touring skiing, more new skiers are heading into the backcountry to begin using the skin track up the mountain. Before earning your turns, you have to know how to put the climbing skins onto the bottom of your skis.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Place your first ski in the snow or stand it upright against a solitary object with the tail down. Take your climbing skin and peel it out so that it is open and flat all the way down the skin, with no part glued to itself.
-
2
Fix the fastener to the top tip of the ski so that the skin will attach to the underside of the ski. Starting with the top and using the palm of your hand, smooth the skin onto the ski, moving down the length to the tail of the ski.
-
-
3
Fix the tail fastener onto the ski. Slide your palm back up the ski, pushing down on the skin to make the skin glue firmly attach to the bottom side of the ski.
-
4
Check you work and make sure the skin is on the bottom of the ski accurately. If the sides of the skin are not on the ski, remove the lower fastener. Starting at the tail of the ski, slowly peel the skin off the ski to about one-third of the length of the ski or until the off-center portion of the skin is off the ski bottom. Align the skin properly, and then use your palm to smooth the skin onto the ski bottom accurately.
-
5
Take the time to check your work again and ensure that the skin is on the ski bottom accurately and equally.
-
6
Repeat the process on the other ski. When both skins are attached accurately, take your palm and smooth over each skin one final time, making sure all parts of the skin and glue are attached to the bottom of the ski. Check that the top and bottom fasteners are on tight.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Store your skins inside your jacket when skiing. The warmth from your body keeps the skins flexible and the glue tacky.
Avoid getting the bottom of the skins dirty with pet hair, lint or dirt. Making sure the glue remains as tacky and fresh as possible prevents skins from falling off while you are climbing.
