I have been using Ascension Nylon Climbing Skins for well over a decade, and I have never felt inclined to switch to another brand. Any change that Ascension has ever introduced in materials or features have only resulted in improved performance. I have seen some of my fellow backcountry partners experiment with the "latest fad" in high-tech skins, only to return to trust-worthy Ascension quality later on. I have a ten-yr-old pair that I have r-glued once and wax regularly for hash early season and late season usage, and they still work perfectly.

Previous reviewers got it right.

These skins stick like crazy and it's great. They don't glide that well. The glue is decent and holds up reasonably well (if you take care of it, obviously).

Downside: when they get wet, they stretch, and then the Clipfix system doesn't work too well because you can't tighten it down. Then the gobs start getting in between the skin and the ski, and that sucks.

Conclusion: good skin, Clipfix best for dry snow conditions.

These are the 4th set of skins I've used over the years, and I thought I was getting a new improved product, with an easy to use Clip Fix tail system. Unfortunately these are not as good as my old purple Ascension skins.

Ok, so they climb well. That's about it.

Problems:
1) They don't glide as well as the old skins.
2) You have to get the skin length perfectly right, or the Clip Fix won't work right. Theoretically Clip Fix should be much easier to use than STS (which my wife has), but in practice it's a pain.
3) The overlap recommended at the tip is not enough to keep the skin length constant over time ! After multiple frustrating ski tours, I spent a couple of hours stitching the tip in place (I destroyed 6 needles in the process).
4) The bag for storing the skins is too small, and the plastic mesh used for protecting the glue on the skins gets hung up bag's mesh.
5) That cutting tool cracks too easily.

I own and like lots of BD products, but this is one that they really screwed up.

I'm a big fan of the old purple Ascension skins. I believe that Black Diamond bought out Ascension, thus the word Ascension in name Black Diamond Ascension Nylon Clipfix Skins. However, the Clipfix skins do not have the same holding power and resistance to water of the older Ascension skins. Pros of the Clipfix skins: The trimming tool and instructions are very easy. The skins glide better than older skins. The uphill grip on the snow is excellent. Cons: Skins are supposed to stick to the bottom of the skis, period. The Clipfix stick well if they are perfectly dry, but any moisture presents a major problem. I did a 4 day tour in April in the Sierra Nevada. Most days I had my skins on in the morning on long climbs and had them off coming downhill in the afternoon. One day we took a short downhill run without skins and then attempted to skin up again for more climbing. It was a no go. Not even liberal duct tape could keep them one - there was no residual stickiness at all. The old purple skins would have restuck though. Part of the problem with the Clipfix skins is the center of the skin has no glue. While this makes it easier to remove them, I'd argue that the ease of removal does not make up for the lack of stickiness when wet. I plan to reapply skin glue to the entire skin before heading out next winter. Side stepping for a few miles taught me to not trust the Clipfix skin's holding power.

These skins work well enough. They climb and grip well, even if they don't glide as well as mohair. The glue is plenty sticky and has held up for two seasons, though I hear that it doesn't last forever and re-gluing is perhaps not worth it. The actual skins are the standard in the industry, though a certain upstart company founded by the designers of the original Ascensions sells better skins online for much cheaper. You probably know who I'm talking about, and after buying those for the missus' splitboard, I can say the hype is true and they are significantly better than BD skins.

The clipfix works well in theory though there are major drawbacks. You have to size the skin length right, which is no big deal. It even works fine with twin tips. If you live in a place with dry snow, as I was when I bought these (northern NM), it works just fine and you can forget about it. If you experience wet snow, as I did when I moved so SoCal and as I do when I visit the family in the Pac NW, you will discover the shortcomings of the clipfix. When skins get wet, they stretch. On my 175cm skis they stretch as much as 1-2cm when wet, allowing the clipfix to just slide off the end of the ski as if it weren't there. I bought an STS tail kit, though I haven't gotten around to putting it on yet. Not pleased with the clipfix in wet snow.

Also, like most people my trim tool broke when I was trimming the skins and I had to finish it off with a razor blade.

Even so, when the glue on these gives it up I'll be eschewing BD and buying "climbing skins direct" from that other company whose glue is better, who has better attachment systems, and whose trim tool doesn't break.

Black Diamond skins are top of the line. I have found these to work much better than BCA's Lo-Fat skins. Watch the online vid on how to cut and trim. It's easy.

These skins did just what they were supposed to do. I had a little trouble with the clip on the end, but it could have very well been me! No problem with the glue over the course of several days in the BC and they stuck to the trail no problem. Cutting them to fit took some time but no big deal - if you want the custom fit it's gonna take some time. I'd definitely recommend these.

Ascension clip fix skins, when purchased in the proper width and trimmed accurately have superior climbing traction. I have the 120mm skins trimmed to fit Rossi T4's. I have had no failures with the skins. Being as wide as they are gliding is not great, but they hold well to the ski and provide me with the climbing power I was seeking. An excellent bc product!

If you have a flat tailed ski, these skins are fine, hell, they'll kick ass, but if you attempt to use them on skis that have a twintip, or even a slightly raised tail, I would highly advise getting the ascensions instead, you'll thank yourself later.

These skins work fine except for one thing: the tail clip comes undone all the time. I have fixed this by tying a length of utility cord to the clip which I then wrap around the lower part of the heelpiece (I use Dynafits) and then tie back to a loop in the cord.

The Clipfix style worked for me. I found the cutting tool easy to use. So far I have had no problem with my skins coming off. The clips stay put and the bottom has stayed nice and sticky.

It took me a little while to cut them just right, but I’m a little stupid. They perform great and the clipfix has been awesome. I love the mesh to protect the skins in the sack.

Found the skins simple to cut to shape for the skis. Once fitted, they are simple to get on and off. The new 'cheat sheet' is useful for storage by stopping the skins sticking back on themselves, it saves the glue. It felt like I was on a magik carpet the first time I climbed on them.

My first experience with any skins, so keep that in mind ...

As I suppose with any skins, cutting them to fit my skis was a bit of a chore. Took me 1.5 hours - could do it in less than hour next time. The way the skins attached to the tip was confusing - they had a description but not a good picture. I did it wrong. Guy at ski shop looked at them and fixed it for me.

In the backcountry, the skins gripped very well. I was able to climb some pretty steep grades - even without poling. The tail clip on one ski would occasionally unclip itself although I'm fairly certain it was all adjusted and installed correctly. This did not effect performance as the glue and my weight held the skin on.

Still waiting to see how the glue holds after several applications and removals. I'll make the tails a little tighter next time to see if that prevents the unclipping.

-Dave

I've been using the elastic tip style skin for three years now. This winter I changed to the ClipFix and I'm really disappointed. There’s no problem cutting and setting up , but they don't like to work with double tip skis and are difficult to adjust. They kept taking turns releasing on the backs , again no problems the glue sticks fine. Still I'll be purchasing new ones next year and they will not be the clipfix, don't be tricked.

Just returned from Mount Assiniboine (BC) – very cold weather. I found the ClipFix Skins easy to trim (width-wise) and apply, and the directions basic. 4+. Ciao.

I was hesitant to purchase these after hearing of some problems with the ClipFix, but I went for it anyway. I bought the 110mm skins. The tail clips wouldn't even work on my skis (Fischer BigStix 8.6) and the tip loops were way too small. My skis have a slightly curved tail and they are thicker than other skis in the tail. The ClipFix system wouldn't fit right. Also, the tips of my skis are wide (120mm) and squarish so the tip loops didn't fit right either. I ended up buying a tip/tail kit and cut off the ClipFix and put on the regular tail system like those found on the GlideLight skins. Now they work fine.

I have tried other brands and types, but nothing beats them. They stick to the skis and I don't have to tape them to stay on. Also the video that BD has on their web site makes trimming the skins a breeze, much easier than trying to read the instructions. If you notch the tail of your ski to the width of the clip they don't release until you want them to.

Although I will admit that they may not work well with twin tip skis (I don't know), they work very well with traditional tails. I think that the negative responses here are due to user error.

Adjust the skin so that the cam buckle puts tension on the skin and stays in place. There is a trick to putting them on that is very important. First, put the tip loop of the skin over the tip of the ski. Without allowing the glue on the skin to contact the ski base, straighten the skin and, while applying tension to the skin to keep the glue away from the base, attach the tail clip. Finally, run your hand over the length of the skin to ensure that the glue engages the bottom of the ski. This is very quick and is actually easier than applying a traditional skin.

If you apply the skin to the ski starting at the tip before you attach the cam buckle, you'll end up with a lot of tension on the last 3 inches of the skin instead of the whole skin. Don't do that!

I am very pleased with my Black Diamond climbing skins. The tail clip system is easy to use and is a nice help. It takes a tiny bit of work to adjust the tip loop to the right length so that the tail clip has tension.

The skins were a pleasure to cut and fit to my tele modified Voikl Vertigo G31's. There could have been a little more adhesive on them when delivered but hasn't caused any problems yet. Many thanks they will come in handy for the nine months of winter up here.

Yeah, they stick to you'r skis fine and climb well, but that's about it. The tail piece, or ClipFix, doesn't work. Especially on twin tip skis. I've heard they don't work well on traditional shaped skis either. The entire time I was touring the clips were just hanging off the back un-clipped letting snow ruin the glue. I'm moving on the the cow looking ones hoping for better performance.

The clip fix system worked well when cut properly. I was recently touring with three others who had the clip fix. Two of them cut the length too long and the clips kept coming undone. Two of us cut them a hair short and they never came off for either of us. Bottom-line, cut them right and they work great. I also skied with another person who had Xscreams. The skins won't work well with a turned up tail.

Mechanically, these skins are fine, the clipfix system works great and the skins climb very well. I had a serious problem with the glue however. It is so soft and tacky it sticks to my ski bases, even after they have been freshly waxed. The problem was worse in warmer weather or when the skins were on the skis and put in the sun to dry. The problem also occurred in the cold though.
Maybe it was a bad glue batch from BD, I wonder if any others had this problem.

I love these things. Bomb proof and easy to deal with. Even the wet stuff doesn't stick to these. Get a pair, grab your pair and get out there.

The gold ones are lighter than my old purple Ascensions or the blue/white cowglides. They seem to climb as well as the others, maybe better... can't tell for sure as I got them to match my new yellow skis, they look great for that.

I never had problems with water retention but I used some glopstopper on mine. Had one day of minor clumping on the glopstopper and then perfection.

The glue is softer and stickier than the old purples, sometimes a little bit sticks to the bases but nothing major. I left the center fabric strip and never had a problem with them coming off the skis.

I never liked the clipfix, I cut them off and put some green euro stretchers on the tails instead, I have twintips. I've never kicked these off with this setup.

Overall nice skins for the light weight, good climbing, and groovy gold color. I have no issues with them and the mesh-top bag is the nicest skin bag i've ever owned.

I have been using old Ascension skis and tried these for the first time recently. Much better! The clip on the tail really makes for a stable fit that does not come off. They grip well. Also, they are easy to trim. Check out the sweet tutorial on Black Diamond's website for a great video on trimming. They never slip and grip on steeper terrain like my current skins do.

Very easy to use, superb grip, and I really like the ClipFix design. Wish I had bought them sooner!

My clipfix skins were easy to trim and set up on my mira black diamond sks. They even worked well the first time out. However... second big trip out, Mt. Phelps in the Adirondacks, and they no longer stay clipped! Pain in the
a _ _ ! My partner warned me. He had similar problems and Black Diamond hassled him. Finally replaced with the new system which does not come off. I would not recommend this product!!

I have used these skins 100+ days on twin tips. As long as the skin is the correct length the tail clip works great. I have had glue stick to my ski bases, but the bases were not waxed or well cared for. I simply scraped the glue off and waxed the bases. Problem solved!

These skins do their job, they get you up the mountain, but the tail attachment is finicky, and hard to adjust. The STS attachment is way better and easier to use. In fact, the ClipFix actually broke off the skin and I lost it on the way up...

The gold (orange) standard in skins. Totally bomber. Get the STS if you have twintips.