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We purchased and tested the 16 best climbing skins for backcountry skiing, from brands like Pomoca, Contour, Dynafit, Black Diamond, and more
Award winning skins, from left to right: Pomoca Tour Pro, Montana Montamix, Contour Hybrid Mix, Pomoca Free Pro, Pomoca Explore Pro.
Credit: Jediah Porter
By Jediah Porter ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ Updated May 6, 2026
Climbing skins make backcountry skiing possible – if you can't get up, you can't ski down. Among all of the remarkably similar options on the market, a few stand out for their balance of glide, grip, and durability.
Our team of certified ski guides has continually tested the best climbing skins for backcountry skiing for the past decade. We purchased and tested 16 of the top options and compared them side by side. Our team draws on their cumulative knowledge – earned through skinning millions of vertical feet – to offer expert recommendations to help you find the best option for your new setup.
Modern skins can be divided into two categories: traditionally glued skins and “glueless” skins with a cleanable adhesive. Skins with traditional glue may last a long time without any maintenance, but glueless skins last even longer with regular maintenance.
The Pomoca Tour Pro, with a traditional glue, offers the best balance of glide and grip among any of the popular Pomoca skins we tested. The Contour Hybrid Mix is a glueless skin that's directly comparable to the Pomoca Tour Pro. The only difference is that its cleanable adhesive, with regular, minimal maintenance, will last even longer.
Climbing skins don't vary as much in price as other pieces of gear. That said, the Pomoca Tour Explore features the same glue and fabric as the Pomoca Tour Pro. As best we can tell, the only difference is that the Tour Explore doesn't include the same factory waterproofing treatment, which slightly affects glide.
Editor's Note: We updated our review of climbing skins on May 6, 2026, after retesting all of the Pomoca skins in our lineup, which were recently updated with a new tail clip.
The Pomoca Tour Pro has proven itself with balanced performance attributes across the board. Skin performance is always a matter of balance. We need them to both grip and glide across the snow. We need them to stick to our skis and then peel off, usually multiple times a day. The primary difference between the Tour Pro and our Editors' Choice award winner, the Contour Hybrid Mix, is maintenance. The Pomoca Tour Pro will last many dozens of days – up to a few full seasons, depending on how often you use it – before needing any sort of maintenance. When the glue wears out (which it will do; all skin glue fails eventually), repairing it is a lengthy, involved process. Our test team suggests that after collecting the tools and supplies, re-gluing the skins takes about 2 hours of active work and 24 hours of curing time. On the other hand, the Contour Hybrid Mix requires more frequent, lower-commitment effort to maintain.
SPECIFICATIONS
Measured Weight (lbs per pair)
1.12
Weight per Pair (Based on Ski Tested)
506 g for Black Diamond Helio 108, 180 cm; 448 g for Dynastar M99 Tour, 178 cm
Weight per Ski Width (grams/mm)
2.34
Material
70% Mohair, 30% Nylon
Glue
Traditional
You can get very, very similar performance (especially in the long term) from our value choice, the Pomoca Tour Explore. The Tour Explore is yellow instead of blue, and Pomoca omits a glide-enhancing treatment from the Explore that is included on the top-of-the-line Tour Pro. Another option to have on your radar is the Pomoca Free Pro. These award-winning pink skins are optimized for cold, dry snow. In that context, you get enough grip and durability on the fabric side, the same glue, and much better glide.
You don't always need to remove your skins this way, but the glue on the Tour Pro makes it easy if you want to. Credit: Jediah Porter
The best climbing skins are well-balanced across a suite of conflicting criteria. The award-winning Contour Hybrid Mix skins do exactly that, and we love them for it, but they do take some work to maintain that balanced performance. The “mix” of Mohair-nylon fabrics and the tip and tail attachments are pretty darn standard – in our books and in this case, “standard” is good because it's reliable and proven. The “hybrid” glue, though, deserves some more discussion. This glue is considerably more reliable than most, if it is properly maintained. That maintenance regimen is not complex, but it requires a bit more frequent attention than some backcountry skiers have come to expect. For the best performance, you should use dedicated Contour cleaning products to clean the glue after every couple of dozen days' worth of use. If you stick to this relatively easygoing regimen – which requires only 10-15 minutes of work – the glue will last for dozens of such cycles.
SPECIFICATIONS
Measured Weight (lbs per pair)
1.21
Weight per Pair (Based on Ski Tested)
551 g for Blizzard Zero G 95, 180 cm
Weight per Ski Width (grams/mm)
2.65
Material
70% Mohair, 30% Nylon
Glue
Hybrid Glue
With proper maintenance, we've learned that skins with this type of “cleanable” glue offer greater long-term durability and performance than skins with more “traditional” glue. Traditional glue requires less maintenance in the short term but significantly more work in the long run – re-gluing traditional skins takes hours of active labor, not to mention a day or so of curing time. We're also monitoring the long-term performance of the directly comparable Montana Montamix Adrenaline, which features a unique adhesive similar to the cleanable glue on the Hybrid Mix. Two seasons of testing these brand-new skins suggest they are on par with the Contour skins; we just don't have the same number of days on them to comment with the same authority on long-term durability (by comparison, we have at least 5 seasons on some tester skins with Contour Hybrid glue). All the other top performers in our review are made with traditional glue. If you don't want to clean your skins every few weeks, go with our other Editors' Choice award winner, the Pomoca Tour Pro.
Pomoca has its skins dialed. Their full lineup offers subtle variations across a relatively broad price range (at least as far as other brands go), and they have something to offer any level of backcountry skier. The “yellow one,” the Pomoca Tour Explore, is their budget offering, and by extension, we feel this is the best value on the market. When you consider the performance of this skin – especially its durability and reliability – against other top performers, and then look at its purchase price, it's easy to see why this skin is nearly as popular as “the blue one” (the Pomoca Tour Pro), or “the pink one” (the Pomoca Free Pro). This skin is particularly popular among newer or more casual backcountry skiers, as the plush offers a bit more grip than other options in our lineup.
SPECIFICATIONS
Measured Weight (lbs per pair)
0.99
Weight per Pair (Based on Ski Tested)
451 g for WNDR Vital 98, 177 cm; 423 g for DPS Pagoda Tour CFL 105, 180 cm
Weight per Ski Width (grams/mm)
2.32
Material
70% Mohair, 30% Nylon
Glue
Traditional
As best we can tell, the only difference between this less expensive product and the top-of-the-line Pomoca Tour Pro is a waterproofing treatment on the fabric side that helps prevent icing and offers enhanced glide. Our testers confirm that, especially when both are new, the Tour Pro glides better than the Explore Pro. After seasons of use, however, it is harder to tell the difference – this checks out, as that treatment is sure to wear off to some degree. However, there are so many variables affecting the glide performance of long-used skins that we hesitate to draw any definitive conclusions about long-term glide comparisons. What we can say is that you'll get 90% of the performance from the Explore Pro and save a few bucks in the process.
It works so well, you will likely never notice its “budget” characteristics after purchasing the Tour Explore. Credit: Jediah Porter
The pink Pomoca Free Pro is a lightweight, race-type skin for backcountry touring. Powder snow doesn't demand the same grip and durability as firm conditions, which makes it all but tailor-made for fat powder skis. The fabric is thin and compared to other well-rounded Pomoca skins, like the Tour Pro, so there's less material to carry around on your feet. Comparatively, these are pretty specialty skins – as a result, we generally recommend these skins as quiver items to complement a quiver pair of skis. Set them up on your fat skis and use them both only when you're reasonably confident you'll find plenty of soft, dry powder. That said, we know plenty of avid backcountry skiers who use them day in, day out. Although the glide of the Free Pro consumes less of your precious energy on the way up the mountain, it requires a bit more care than the other Pomoca skins in our lineup.
SPECIFICATIONS
Measured Weight (lbs per pair)
1.11
Weight per Pair (Based on Ski Tested)
444 g for Armada 112, 180 cm; 468 g for Atomic Backland 95, 177 cm
Weight per Ski Width (grams/mm)
2.00
Material
70% Mohair, 30% Nylon
Glue
Traditional
The main downsides to the Free Pro are the strength and durability of the lightweight fabric. If you regularly skin over rocks and dirt in the late season, you may want to opt for the much more durable Tour Explore. There are also certain ways the more flexible fabric backing affects the integrity of the glue and how you handle and apply your skins. Thicker, more rigid skins, like the Tour Pro, help keep the fabric from separating from the bottom of your ski while skinning, and they're easier to fold up in the wind. However, more supple skins like the Free Pro – or full mohair options like the Contour Hybrid Mohair or Kohla Performance Mohair – glide better and are more packable. As we'll say again and again throughout this review, there are always tradeoffs with climbing skins.
Pair the pink Pomoca Free Pro with wide powder skis, as we have with these 112 mm skis, and save some very meaningful grams per skin. Credit: Jediah Porter
The Montana Montamix Adrenaline is made by the same brand known for its top-of-the-line ski tuning equipment. While we have now spent a few seasons with these skins, we simply haven't skinned them as much as the other award winners in our lineup. Yet, testing is very promising so far. Essentially, they perform just like the Contour Hybrid Mix, but they are lighter weight and more compact. If their performance continues to hold up over time – and if we can continue to clean them as readily as the Contour skins – they will be a contender for a top award in the future.
SPECIFICATIONS
Measured Weight (lbs per pair)
1.13
Weight per Pair (Based on Ski Tested)
512 g for K2 Wayback 106, 179 cm
Weight per Ski Width (grams/mm)
2.42
Material
65% Mohair, 35%Nylon
Glue
Fusiontec Adhesive
Our extensive experience with the Countour Hybrid Mix suggests that cleanable glue is superior to traditional glue. But until the release of the Montamix Adrenaline, there have been no other cleanable skins against which to readily compare the Hybrid Mix. Although it is a more expensive alternative, the cleanable adhesive on the Montamix may be worth the investment. Even with limited time during the height of a busy ski season, five minutes of cleaning periodically helped our test team get through a season of heavy use. We will keep testing these Montana skins, but they are certainly an exciting option, especially if their adhesive continues to hold up over time.
The Montamix Adrenaline are a bit thinner than directly comparable options, which makes these easily cleanable skins just as easy to peel. Credit: Jediah Porter
Product Comparison Table
Quiet time. Powder snow. Buddies nearby, thoughts close and rambling. Excellent skiing in the crosshairs. This is what we skin for. Credit: Jediah Porter
Why Trust GearLab
We test these skins thoroughly, mainly in “real-life” backcountry skiing. Our first skin review was in 2015, and we have updated it every year since. Our longest-serving testers have been logging full, varied backcountry ski seasons since the late '90s. We start each product test with setup and “bench test” comparisons for compatibility and integrity of the new glue. Then, we dive into busy, varied winter and spring backcountry skiing. We can get every set of skins on huge powder days, technical ski mountaineering missions, and occasionally a multi-day expedition. We aim for multiple opinions on every product we test. We will directly compare products, often skiing with two different skins for an apples-to-apples comparison. That's the best way we have found to rank both grip and glide.
Our testing of climbing skins is based on six different metrics:
Our test team's varied experience includes full-time human-powered ski guides, passionate users, beginner ski tourers, and a few points in between. Our lead test editor is internationally certified mountain guide Jed Porter. Jed has been backcountry skiing since the mid-'90s and has logged significant ski accomplishments on three continents. Further, he is a pioneering ski mountaineering guide with notable human-powered accomplishments. For instance, in June of 2022, Jed made history by leading the first modern, ropeless guided ski descent of Alaska's Denali. Jed also taps into the expertise and experience of ski partners, colleagues, and clients to generate skin reviews.
Expedition skiing (and expedition skin testing) in British Columbia. Credit: Jediah Porter
We compare weights by equalizing for the size of the ski, which allows us to draw conclusions that help define portability. Credit: Jediah Porter
Skin testing involves a whole lot of backcountry skiing over the course of a season. Credit: Rosie De Lise
Analysis and Test Results
Read on for our overview and recommendations of textile products to stick to the bottom of backcountry skis for uphill traction. We rate climbing skins for glide, portability, glue integrity, grip, icing and glopping resistance, and compatibility. If you want to dive a bit deeper, take a look at our buying advice article to better understand what to look for in buying climbing skins.
Worse Value
Better Value
What's the Best Value?
Shopping for any technical equipment by price is difficult. With skins, it is an especially “sticky” situation. You will rely a great deal on your climbing skins, but they aren't cool and flashy like boots or skis. The “best” are only marginally better than the “worst.” Price is less correlated to performance than in many other technical products. Only very occasionally does a product come on the market that is truly ineffective. Those products, though, are truly heinous. Our first advice to the bargain hunter is that if it seems “too good to be true,” it probably is. Older products, especially used products, can work, but you are taking a huge gamble.
For us, testing skins and our ski passions perfectly align: the more compelling the skiing, the better the skin testing. Here, racing sun on a hot traverse of Washington's Ptarmigan range. Credit: Jediah Porter
Next, let us point out that the price range of the products that actually work is smaller than in other categories. With skis, the top of the heap is two times the cost of the bottom. Not so with skins. Differences are in single-digit percentages. A small discount on expensive skins will yield a lower cost than the full retail price of the least expensive options. Further, comparing prices is especially difficult as every size and configuration of a skin model is priced differently. In granting our value award, we consider absolute price, durability, availability, and likelihood of a discount.
Testing? Yes, but mainly skiing and soaking in the view of British Columbia's Coast Mountains. Credit: Jediah Porter
Again, make sure you compare the prices of similar items. Each make and model is sized differently, so you must shop by size – look at length and width, which can vary by company. When shopping by price, narrow your options first by size and then compare prices. Bigger skins of the same model are more expensive than smaller ones.
Discerning value can be tricky, especially when choosing skins, but there are good deals out there. You can't go wrong with the affordable, durable Pomoca Tour Explore or Black Diamond Glidelite Mix. Older versions, especially of the Black Diamond model, are likely exactly the same as the newest version (which has an updated print). Often, you can find these for exceptionally good deals.
Nothing says value and reliability like gear you take on significant trips. Here's a snapshot of the aforementioned 2022 Denali expedition, accomplished on the Pomoca Tour Explore (then known as the Climb 2.0). Credit: Jediah Porter
Glide
This is the most important single attribute of climbing skins, as it is the biggest determinant of their uphill efficiency. Good skinning technique slides the skis and skins rather than lifts them, so skins that slide easily climb easily. Two things that affect the glide characteristic are the type of fiber in the fabric (commonly referred to as "plush") and the length and geometry of those fibers.
Mohair, made from the shorn hair of the Angora goat, creates the smoothest and least friction in glide. Nylon is slower, and mixes of the two split the difference. It is important to note that differences in glide characteristics depend a little on the nature of the snow. While mohair skins always glide at least a little better, the difference is far more pronounced on dry, wintry snow than it is on wet or melt-freeze snow. On fresh and dry snow, mohair is considerably faster than nylon, while on corn-type snow, the difference is much less pronounced.
Long, flat approaches aren't anybody's favorite, but they do get us further from the masses. Easy-gliding skins mitigate the exhaustion of the slog. Credit: Jediah Porter
The length and geometry of the fabric hairs also affect glide. Skins that glide better have hairs that are lower profile and more closely shorn. Logically, the angle at which the fibers protrude from the backing fabric would affect glide characteristics. Quantifying both length and geometry has proven to be beyond our testing capabilities. What isn't beyond us is the ability to distinguish glide resistance between different products. Differences in fiber geometry explain differences in performance between products that otherwise have similar fiber contents, even if we can't readily cite those geometry differences in numerical terms.
Glide isn't the first thing you think of with skins, but it should be. While all skins grip well enough, some glide much better than others. Credit: Jediah Porter
The Pomoca Tour Pro Cold skins glide better than any other skin we tested. The Contour Hybrid Mohair and Pomoca Free Pro are both right in the mix with these green gliders. The Kohla Performance Mohair doesn't glide quite as well as the two other full mohair products, but they do glide better than any options that include nylon in the plush.
The glide of mohair skins really pays off on long approaches, especially when you're hauling lots of gear. Credit: Jediah Porter
The next echelon holds the remainder of our favorite skins for glide. The blended skins, like the Pomoca Tour Pro, Contour Hybrid Mix, Montana Montamix Adrenaline, Dynafit Speedskin, and Kohla Alpinist all have virtually indistinguishable glide characteristics. Even though it is a blended skin, the Big Sky Mountain Products (BSMP) Mohair Mix Endurance doesn't glide quite as well as these other blended options.
On efficient skins, the practiced backcountry skier can learn to appreciate the uphill almost as much as the downhill. It's a meditation, of sorts. Credit: Jediah Porter
The blended construction of the G3 Alpinist+ Glide is closer to the performance of the all-nylon Black Diamond Ascension than to the other blended skins. We were also surprised by the high friction coefficient of the blended formulation in the Kohla Freeride skins. The budget G3 Escapist Universal and BSMP Nylon Rover both glide similarly to the BD Ascension skins, that is, slightly better than the Kohla Freeride.
The Black Diamond Ascension skins might not glide as well as other skins in soft snow, but when it comes to refrozen springtime snow, they glide just as well as everything else. Credit: Rosie De Lise
The full nylon skins in our review, like the Black Diamond Ascension, must get special mention for how well they work in the springtime. When skinning over coarse-grained, melt-freeze snow, as we mentioned above, the difference in the glide characteristics of nylon and mohair is negligible. If you do a great deal of skinning on corn snow, you might justify owning full nylon skins. Those nylon skins will certainly be more durable than anything that includes mohair and, arguably, could perform better in very wet conditions while offering minimal drawbacks to their glide.
Even on particularly steep climbs, most honed backcountry skiers will want the efficiency of better gliding skins than the minimal advantage offered by ones with slightly better grip. Credit: Jediah Porter
Portability
We test skis and, therefore, skins of different widths, so we cannot directly compare the mass of one skin to another. However, even without the convenience of making direct comparisons of like-sized products, we can make authoritative judgments of their portability. In general, nylon skins are heavier and bulkier, while mohair skins are lighter and less bulky. Predictably, blended skins usually split the difference. Similar to the balance of grip and glide, packability and weight correlate to the material. By opting for a smaller, lighter, more packable skin, they will inevitably suffer in terms of durability.
Pomoca makes some of the most packable skins available. The pink Free Pro is more compact than basically any other non-racing skin on the market. The Kohla Performance Mohair, Freeride, and Alpinist are almost as compact and lightweight as the pink Pomoca. The Kohla Alpinist and Performance Mohair strike a better balance than the Freeride – we love how small and light the Freeride is; we just wish that it glided better. Dynafit Speedskins are right in the mix with the Kohla skin options. Dynafit's compactness, especially compared to its cousins from Pomoca's “all around” line of skins, is a function of the low-profile tip and tail kits and the cut-to-fit shape, both of which leave the final product compact.
Supple and light, the Pomoca Free Pro packs down smaller than most. Credit: Jediah Porter
The Pomoca Tour Pro packs similarly to the BSMP Mohair Mix Endurance. The Montana Montamix Adrenaline packs similarly, while the Black Diamond Glidelite Mix is a bit heavier. Other blended skins that we tested, like the Contour Hybrid Mix and G3 Alpinist+ Glide, are bigger and more bulkier than the Pomoca Tour Pro and Montana Adrenaline.
The Contour Hybrid Mohair is not nearly as svelte as other mohair options, but its performance makes up for it. Their size is more in line with what we expect from blended skins. The bulky attachments of the G3 Alpinist+ Glide take up more room in a pocket or pack, but are perhaps worth it for how well they attach to your skis. The custom-cut nature of the Escapist Universal leaves even more bulk at the tip than other G3 skins. The good news, though, is that you can cut them to the exact length you require (and that exact length is likely shorter than you think).
Raw weight numbers of our tested skins are not as useful as our “weight per surface area” calculation. This number, for the most part, helps you compare skins while correcting for ski size. Credit: Jediah Porter
The BSMP Nylon Rover is bulky, much like the perennial Black Diamond Ascension. These full nylon products, though, will stand up better to hundreds of thousands of feet of abrasive corn snow than anything with mohair in the blend.
You want your skins light and compact to stow away for the descent. Especially for technical descents like this one, in the Mayan Apocalypse Couloir, Grand Teton National Park. Credit: Jediah Porter
Glue Integrity
The glue's main job is to keep your skins on your skis. Considering the demands placed on skin glue (wet environment, high shear forces, poor care, repeated use), all products work marvelously. With very few exceptions in recent years, none of the skins we tested suffered complete, unexplainable glue failure. If it is cold enough or wet enough, all skins will fail to some degree. But even in those extenuating circumstances, some stay put better than others.
We want to first distinguish between the two primary “types” of glue. For lack of better terminology, we're going to designate these two types as “traditional” and “cleanable”. The difference is less in how they are designed but in how they are maintained. Traditional glue is used until it loses reliable stickiness, which normally results from the accumulation of detritus on the glue surface over time. The glue's surface also degrades over time and with use, even without debris accumulation. Whatever causes the degradation, skin loses its stickiness over time. At that point, one must either dispose of the skins or commit to re-gluing them.
We want skin glue to be sticky enough to adhere to the bottom of our skis, but releasable enough to be able to rip skins with our skis on. Credit: Jediah Porter
Even if manufacturers use different terminology for their proprietary adhesives, we'll use the term “glue” to refer to cleanable adhesives. Cleanable glues lose adhesion through the same collection of detritus as traditional glues. And, presumably, cleanable adhesives also degrade independent of debris collection – though we've not really noticed this in, in some cases, years of testing. The difference, however, is that one can clean the debris off and achieve a nearly new level of stickiness with just a few minutes' worth of work.
Skin Glue Isn't Foolproof
All skin glue will fail. Snow, water, regular skinning forces, and gravity all disrupt the glue-ski base bond. Don't dispose of your skins simply because the skins came off when you didn't want them to. In the field, brush/wipe them off, dry them out as best you can, do the same to your ski bases, and stick them back on. During a ski tour, this might mean that water, snow, and ice continue to negatively affect their adhesion. At home, hanging skins overnight (indoors and away from pet hair, dust, and direct heat sources) will dry them entirely. If skins fail when they are dry, clean, and being pressed onto clean, dry ski bases, consider regluing them. (Or, in the case of the Contour Hybrid Mix and Montana Montamix Adrenaline, clean them with the recommended procedure!)
In our experience, factory-applied traditional glue lasts for about 100 days of ski touring before requiring replacement or re-gluing. Subsequent glue jobs last for about 75 days. Cleanable glue lasts 30-35 days before requiring cleaning, and then subsequent intervals shrink to 20-25 days. Traditional glues will require one or two full resets over their life cycle, with each re-gluing session requiring a couple of hours' worth of labor and a day or two of wait time. Within that same life cycle, cleanable skins will require six to eight cleanings, which only take about 10 minutes. Regardless of the glue type or maintenance regimen, skins will eventually become unusable simply because the fabric nap wears away over time.
Beautiful, mellow glacier skinning deep in the Alaska wilderness. It's helpful to have skins with cleanable glues if you plan on travelling to far off locations. Credit: Jediah Porter
Traditionally glued skins are familiar, offer proven performance, and are initially low-maintenance, even if they require more labor throughout their life cycle. Skins with cleanable glues are newer and not as well-proven (just by the nature of the fact that this is a newer technology), but require easy, periodic maintenance. We understand that many backcountry skiers will opt for traditionally glued skins, but our test team is leaning more and more toward cleanable options.
"Glue integrity" takes into account how well they stick to your skis as well as how easily and reliably they remove when you need them to. Credit: Jediah Porter
Within the two families of glue types, there are variations in quality. The glue itself is the primary determinant of adhesion between skin and ski, but tip and tail attachments and fabric stiffness also affect glue integrity. Secure, low-profile tips and tails keep the skins stuck to your skis better than those that are loose or create gaps. Stiff fabric is less likely to peel and roll than more supple fabrics.
Glue alone can't do the job, so glue integrity is also a function of tip and tail attachments. Credit: Jediah Porter
Only a few products currently feature cleanable glue. Contour's Hybrid Mohair and Hybrid Mix feature the same cleanable glue on two different fabric blends. We have tested Contour's Hybrid glue formulation for years now and have had a positive experience with the cleaning procedure (after a slight learning curve). The Montana Montamix Adrenaline, on the other hand, is a newer skin for us. The tip attachment is essentially the same as on the Contours – that is to say, perfectly adequate – though the fabric is slightly less stiff. The cleaning procedure on the Montana skins seems just as effective as on the Contours, but we have not yet employed as many repetitions. The Montana cleanable glue is a relatively new product. The remainder of the skins in our test use traditional glue, and we certainly have plenty of experience to comment on their relative performance.
Tail clips help the glue do its job. Glue is number one, but tip and tail clips matter too Credit: Jediah Porter
The glue on all the Black Diamond options is predictably robust. The Pomoca and Dynafit skins all appear to have essentially the same glue (which makes sense, since they're owned by the same company). Although this glue may appear and start out less sticky than other options, as long as the skins are well cared for, we've never had many issues. Kohla glue seems very similar to that on Pomoca skins. It pulls easily from itself and your skis when it's time to transition, but it sticks adequately the rest of the time. A few years ago, G3 adjusted its glue formulation, and it's robust, if not a little too strong. G3 glue requires more strength than the others to pull from itself and from your skis. Big Sky Mountain Products uses glue that is on par with G3 skins' stickiness. The softer fabric of the BSMP Mohair Mix allows for skin rolling and snow incursion more than on the Nylon Rover model.
Over the course of your day snow slowly creeps in between glue and ski base, starting at the tip. This is a common sort of glue “failure,” often caused by cold conditions, deep snow, and multiple laps. They won't fully recover in the field, but these skins will work just fine after thawing and drying indoors. Credit: Jediah Porter
The stretchy tip attachment of the Kohla Performance Mohair is more vulnerable to snow incursion than the more secure rigid wire tip loops. The stretchy tip, though, allows for tip-first skin removal. Dynafit Speedskins also feature a stretchy tip for tip-first skin removal, but their “stretchy” tip is much stiffer than that on the Kohla Performance. This arrangement, combined with a long, gentle taper of the skin width and fairly rigid construction, made for an overall more secure skin fit than the otherwise less tacky glue would suggest.
Among the universally compatible skins, the G3 models have the best and most secure tip attachment. Their pair of hinged, metal hooks is more secure than the rigid wire loops on every other brand's skins. These rigid tip loops are better than the now-out-of-date flexible cable tip attachments. The stiffened plastic tip of the G3 Alpinist is brilliant and serves to virtually eliminate skin roll at the tip.
This sort of failure is not normal or acceptable: The glue side came detached from the plush side, and these skins are now unusable. Credit: Jediah Porter
Finally, most skins are equipped with a tail clip, ostensibly to help the skins stay glued on. In certain (relatively warm and dry) conditions, we find little to no difference in glue integrity with or without the tail kit. However, cold and wet skins work better with a tail kit. Most skiing is done in cold or wet conditions. In wetter, stormier, and colder climates, especially on huge, multi-transition days and multi-day trips, tail clips and careful glue care are advised.
Classically designed skins didn't include tail clips. However, most backcountry skiers now agree that they are a useful addition to help keep your skins free of snow for longer. Credit: Jediah Porter
There Are Conditions Where Glue Doesn't Matter
No matter how new your skins are or how good you are at taking care of them, they will fail to stick when they're fully saturated, like when the snow is slushy, or it's raining.
To troubleshoot this problem in the field you need a pair of ski straps for each ski. Put on your skins like normal, then wrap the ski straps tightly around the skin and the ski – one in front of the binding and one behind. If you're carrying ski crampons, we suggest using them, even if it doesn't otherwise seem necessary.
A very wet mid May visit to the North Cascades of Washington. When days like this involve multiple transitions, they will also involve “complete” skin glue failure. Credit: Jediah Porter
Grip
Skins are made to grip. That is their only purpose: to make your skis grippier than they would be otherwise. One could assume, then, that the grippiest skins are the best. This isn't true. Further, skins differ less dramatically in this regard than they do with respect to glide. Additionally, physiological efficiency limits your angle of ascent more than skin grip. Finally, technique – not skin material or construction – is the biggest determinant of one's skinning security when it gets steeper than your body prefers.
A good skinner can climb more steeply on the most slippery skins than a new skinner can on the grippiest. Nobody, regardless of skinning skill, wants to skin as steep as their skins will grip. Good skinning is a magic art of balance, trust, and reading terrain, with just a little bit of the overall grip equation tied to the actual skin construction. All that said, skins do differ in their ability to grip. We found noticeable differences in the grip characteristics, generally inversely proportional to the product's glide. Better gliding skins grip less, while the slower gliders grip better. We keep saying it, but every single climbing skin performance attribute is balanced by a competing performance attribute.
This is the steepest sort of terrain one might expect to skin. Even here, on a slope pushing 40 degrees, grip wasn't an issue for anyone in our party, regardless of the type of skin they were using. Credit: Jediah Porter
The Pomoca Tour Pro Cold grips well enough that expert skinners might use these exclusively, even for the gnarliest of missions in the gnarliest of conditions. The Kohla Performance Mohair performs on par with the full mohair Pomoca model, as does the Contour Hybrid Mohair. These 100% mohair skins are optimized for glide and grip, as well as you may ever need.
Steep, alpine terrain is what you envision when you envision backcountry skiing. But proper track setting and skinning technique is much more important than the grip of your skins. Credit: Jediah Porter
All of the blended skins, including the Contour Hybrid Mix, Pomoca Tour Pro, and Free Pro, grip well enough for intermediate to expert skinners to follow even the steepest, iciest skin tracks. The G3 Alpinist+ Glide grabs slightly better than the other blends, often enough to make up for a less developed technique. The Kohla Freeride skins grip much like the Alpinist+ Glide, which is to say a little better than average. The Montana Montamix Adrenaline and BSMP Mohair Mix Endurance grip similarly to one another and are indistinguishable from the other middle-of-the-road grippers.
Epic skiing requires epic skinning. Epic skinning requires just the right skins with just the right sort of performance. Choosing climbing skins involves compromise, but if we had to make a choice, we will always opt for glide over grip. Credit: Jediah Porter
The full-nylon Black Diamond Ascension, BSMP Nylon, and G3 Escapist grip the best of all of the skins we have tested. But, after reading the above, do you really feel you need the most grip possible, given the tradeoffs therein?
Skinning in and out of sun-warmed snow is the best way to collect ice on your skins. Preventing this requires a combination of, in decreasing order of importance technique, waxing, and skin design/materials. Here, tough conditions on flat terrain deep in Yellowstone National Park Credit: Jediah Porter
Icing and Glopping Resistance
When the fabric gets wet from the liquid water present in warmer snow (or, more rarely, from immersion in water, like a creek) and is then subject to cold, dry snow, ice forms within the fabric. Depending on the exact snow conditions, this can result in anything from mere annoyance to a full-on shutdown. In fact, conditions dictate icing propensity considerably more than skin materials or characteristics. In the worst of conditions, even waxed bare ski bases (with no skins on) will ice up. So consider it an inevitability – all skins ice up.
The worst “glopping” conditions lead to tens of pounds of snow stuck to each ski and require extensive scraping and waxing before progress can be made. Further, and painfully, it could just happen again within a few steps. All the skins we tested were treated by the factory with water-resistant coatings that worked well but eventually wore off. None of the coatings seems to last noticeably longer than the others. Nylon fiber initially absorbs marginally less water than mohair. Once wet, however, all fibers ice up. Again, differences were marginal, and all skins require waxing so they won't ice up in warmer, fresh snow conditions. Good technique (waxing and sliding your skins forward with each step) is a greater equalizer than any difference in materials. All materials will ice up in the worst conditions, and a little prevention and technique will prevent icing on all materials in all but the worst conditions.
All skins ice up in the wrong conditions. Newer skins, waxed skins, and skins with more synthetic material in them resist icing better. Credit: Jediah Porter
Compatibility
Not all the skins we tested are compatible with all skis on the market. Specific to our lineup, the Dynafit Speedskins are compatible only with Dynafit skis. The remaining skis we tested are ostensibly universally compatible.
Skins were once made and sold with flexible wire tip loops. These were tougher to use on fat and rounded ski tips. All manufacturers that we know of have finally abandoned their cable tip loops, and now none of the skins we tested have wire tip loops. You will still find used and overstock skins out there with flexible wire loops, but they are not worth your consideration. Not every “universal” skin comes in sizes large or small enough for outlier ski sizes (think fat powder skis and super skinny skimo setups). Generally, though, most of the skins we tested universally fit most skis on the market.
Compatibility determines how skins go on, stay on, and then come off at the top of your ski run. When its windy, like this, that compatibility matters even more. Credit: Jediah Porter
It's important to note that tip attachments vary among skins with a universal fit. The best and most versatile are the pivoting metal hooks of the G3 skins. Next, the offset and rigid wire slots of the Pomoca, Contour, Kohla, and the newest Black Diamond options are quite secure and adaptable to different tip profiles.
The three most recent generations of Pomoca tail clips. Older on the left, newest on the right. Our favorite is the left most, least favorite is in the middle. Credit: Jediah Porter
Tail attachments are often more similar, though differences still exist. G3 tail clips are notably well-designed. The newest Pomoca tail clips, including those we retested on the Free Pro, Tour Pro, and Tour Explore, are metal and slightly better than the recent generation that had a too-narrow slot. However, the tail clips we like best are the ones Pomoca used about 5 years ago. If you have Pomoca skins from that era and are updating them, save just the plastic tail-clip portion and transfer it to your new Pomoca skins for the best of all worlds.
Some skins are pre-cut to specific skis, some can be cut for width only, while some can be cut for length and width. The G3 Escapist is one of the more customizable skins we tested: they come without tip and tail clips attached and can be cut in length and width to fit practically any ski. Credit: Jediah Porter
Conclusion
The reality of choosing climbing skins is that you have to compromise on every performance attribute. Grip is balanced by glide. Durability is balanced by weight. We wish we could point you to one option for the best performance across all metrics, but this is one piece of gear where that authoritative recommendation just isn't possible. Skin function is fundamentally compromised. Our hope is that after reading this in-depth comparison, you will be better prepared to dissect the nuances of our recommendations and arrive at a purchase decision with confidence. Having said all of that, if you choose an award winner, you won't be disappointed.
To complete your setup, check out our in-depth reviews of the best backcountry skis and touring bindings. An avalanche beacon is a critical component of your avalanche rescue gear, and it's well worth considering carrying an avalanche airbag, considering that modern packs are much lighter than they used to be.
