Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS Skins

I used theses skins on Denali last summer and although they performed fairly well and survived the trip I would not bring them on another long Mountaineering trip. The STS attachment system is fairly cumbersome and I found that besides attaching itself to the ski that my sled teather and sometimes even the climbing rope was getting caught up in it. The system is close but the clip needs to be slimmed down. The result was that the rubber strap had tears in them by the end of the trip.

These climb like crazy, stay on your skis like crazy, and give you a great upper body work-out when you first unfold them on a cold winter morning. Their stiffness makes them much easier to deal with in the wind than the G3 Expedition skins. A couple tips: 1. Only use the plastic storage mesh for long-term (summer) storage. It's too much trouble dealing with the backing all the time, and bits do tend to come off and stick to the glue. 2. Treat the plastic STS tabs gently. They're very durable, but, especially when you're peeling off with skis still on, you'll get much more life if you hold the tab and then extend your leg backwards to peel the ski off the skin instead of jerking the tab to get the skin off the ski.

these skins are the best i have ever used. they are strong on the way up and stow quite nicely (though what 130mm skin stows great)

These skins can take the abuse..resilient when crossing the occasional rock, branch, or other debris in the field. Excellent adherence to both the snow and ski. Found that they do glide well downhill, and are a pretty tough product all around. I have two sets of these and both have lasted me a couple of years at least, so far. Durable, strong with long lasting stick. For cutting, use a razor blade & use caution, but it works the best. Great attachment system for varying tips and tails.

I've used the heck out of my Nylon STS skins and they still work amazingly well. Let me retrace their life. They were on a super-fat powder ski for a while and did their fare share of breaking trail through deep snow as well as walking through mud and pine needles. Then I cut them down for a lighter and skinnier touring ski and have been on that set-up for another couple seasons. I haven't even needed to redo the glue using the kit that you can get from BD for when the adhesive gets too old. To this I owe the STS system. Its a really easy to use tensioning system that keeps your skins in line on your base even if they get soaked and the adhesive gets compromised.

I don't have experience with other brands of climbing skins, but I've found the Nylon STS to be very durable during spring ascents where you will encounter non-snow surfaces along the way. As long as you don't slip back, traversing/climbing along rocky surfaces doesn't cause any rips in the skin. Longevity of adhesion has only been an issue after 8 hours into a multi-tour day. Avoid using the plastic netting to retain better adhesion.

The Acscensions are frankly the best skin out there. Yes, they are somewhat more bulky than the GlideLites, but I do not personally notice any weight difference. I would point out the following: (1) the glue is bomber and they are easy on and off due to the glueless strip down the middle; (2) I did loose the clip for the tail but that is easily replaceable (and frankly, with the glue, you don't even need to clip to the tail); (3) the hold the traction on all types of snow up to about 35 degrees; (4) while they do not glide as well on the downhill, that can be improved by applying glob-stopper (which also helps keep the skins from picking up wet snow in the spring and getting heavy); and (5) so of the reviews below mentioned the difficult instructions - if you have never cut skins, just go to the Black Diamond website and they have a very useful video on the proper way to do it.

Incredibly versatile, this has become my only pair of skins...Used for both my AT & Tele setups, the STS clips have no problem adjusting to an array of ski sizes/ shapes (even holds tight to my TWIN TIPS!). Putting these skins to the test in a variety of conditions, ranging in steep afternoon ascents to multi-day treks, the Ascensions have held strong in all snow conditions. Though easily replaced, my only complaint with the Ascensions is that I am always managing to lose the tail clips. I wouldn't go as far as saying this is a design flaw, but blame my own user error.

These are my first skins ever, so it took me quite a while to cut them and get used to using them (user error), but I've been happy with them on the hill. They come with a metal clip at the tail end, which was difficult to attach, yet the skins worked fine without it. Seem to be great!

Twin tips...No Problem!! Easy to use with a variety of skies, grips great in any snow condition, durable but still packs well. I have yet to have any problems with them icing up after one season of use.

These work great. Super solid grip and easy on and off. The lighter versions are nice too but these work great.

first set of skins i've owned. working like a dream. i scaled some steep shit, and they held. on the rolling stuff, they weren't so good on the down down side. they didn't glide. i had to run em down. alls good. i'm happy!

I finally decided to put an end to whining every time I pulled off my G3 skins (stickier every year!). The BD design with the glueless strip down the middle makes all the difference. These also grip like crazy on steep skin paths. I got the widest ones (140 mm) for BD Zealots--even the tip loop is perfect for these fat monsters. 5 stars!

Too bad dilema22 didn't have a trimming tool included, but the one i had broke. I know a lot of people who have not liked the stuff sack, but it seems okay to me. The skins are bomber, for sure, but a stronger trimming tool would be helpful. The old ones were a lot better, so if you have your old tool, you'll probably need it.

These things are the standard of the skinning industry. I use these on my Line Prophet 100's and they're great! I am using the 120 size. Someone forgot to put the trimming tool in, so maybe this site could monitor their items better so people get everything... But definitely use the trimming tool. They've been great for my use around Bozeman.

I love skins, you can just climb up anything and then ski down, what a brilliant invention. The Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS Skins are the best I have used. They are light and durable and very quick and easy to use. The STS clip allows for super easy use and can easily accommodate a variety of sizes and shapes without much hassle.

custom cut the 130mm to fit my skiis with no problems. Cutting tool and directions seeemed fine to me.Great sticky climbers at big angles. Superior Glue when doing laps. You can throw th e bag away, it is toooo small

I found the video about trimming your climbing skins on Black Diamond's website useful as I had never done it before. Not too difficult though. You're better off over trimming on the sides because you will want your edges exposed on side hill climbs. The skin doesn't stay folded over the toe fixture unless its under tension but this is always the case during use so no biggie. Heel fixture works great on the STS! Don't get the clip fix!!!

Have been using these skins for two seasons skiing the Teton's and the Wasatch. The skins perform great, easily allow climbing up 30-35 degree slopes, and have no problems with the glue or the grip surface. I have only one caution: mine came with "skin savers", a perforated plastic-like material that you're supposed to put between the glue surfaces when storing, and after about 1/2 a season, they began deteriorating and leaving plastic bits all over the glue surface of the skins. If these skins are still coming with those skin savers, save yourself some headache and toss 'em in the garbage and store the skins the old fashioned way. Other than that, five stars.

Fantastic skin! The STS tails fit my '05 Guns without a problem. The grip is absolutely excellent!! There is more to be desired when it comes to gliding, but to me that aint a big deal. As with most things, once you find a rhythm taking them on and off gets easier and easier. The bag I got with mine is still holding up OK - no holes etc., but it's only a year old, so we'll wait and see, i guess.

These pups do what they should, easy to get apart and the glue seems to hold up well in super cold temps. Really like the tail attachment, no issues with it coming off. Now.........if only Black Diamond could made a self propelled skin, my legs get tired sometimes.

I finally got to use the new skins this last weekend, up on Mt. Baker, WA. I have to say that compared to my other set of skins, I like these the best. It could be my imagination, but they seem to glide with a lot less friction. They also stick like glue going up the slopes. My only reservation is that they are thicker than other skins. This may only be a aesthetic thing I'm not used to yet, but they are slightly bulky. The glue is bomb proof. I may have to start lifting weights to make it easier to remove them. I would have given them a 5, but they didn't come with a good-looking blond lady to install them.

Loved them! They stayed on and didn't slip. Easy to stow away when ready to ski.

The STS skins work great. The cutter which is supplied works really well until it breaks. Be careful not to go too fast with your trimming.

These skins climb great and are easy to put on and take off. My only complaint is the tail strap tore partially on my second day of use. It still works, but I need to check into the warranty and have it replaced.

I screwed up following Black Diamond's directions. Don't let this happen to you. Here's how to do it - Before cutting, make sure skins are perfectly centered. Trim excess from both sides. Offset one way 2MM (the width of the edge), trim excess. Offset to the opposite side 4MM (the width of the other edge plus the first edge), trim excess. Recenter. Voila, finis. Now that I figured out how, I'll probably buy another pair - expensive lesson. Still, solid skins. Love the cheats.

There is no other skin that can match the consistancy of the sticky glue in the cold or wet snow. There is no other skin that can go where these skins go. Don't waste your time on anything else, just spend the $$$'s on what works best and focus on hiking up hill instead of maintaining skins on your skis. If you aren't using these skins, then catch up when you can, cause I can't wait around for you to get your to stay stuck to the ski. I will be the one logging miles of smiles while you grimice and grin trying to hold your frustration in over your substandard skins that only work when they want to.

In my opinion a good skin should be durable and track well on steep slopes. This does all that. I don't know why anyone would use another skin.

Haven't used my skins yet, however, I had to buy separate tip rings for these skins as the ones that came with them were too small for my skis. I have the BD Lyrics (tip 118mm). My complaint is that there are not many back country skis that are small enough for these tip rings to work. These skins should be packaged with bigger tip rings. Or plan to buy some separately that will work with your skis.

These skins are by far the simplest to attach (and the trimmings double as a great toy for cats or other squirelly animals).

I've been using them in Tahoe on my old school Pocket Rockets, no problem with climbing angle or grip, but the bag provided is a piece of crap.

I used these effectively in 80cm fresh Japanese powder. 120cm width fits my '03 Seth Pistols perfectly, despite being slightly under-width toward tip. Also STS has no problem grappeling with Seth Twin Tips. Excellent attack angle, limited only by Fritzsche step height! Don't follow BD cutting instructions; use the SJH method, much easier. The bag provided is not big or tough enough. Fat skins need a bigger pouch. Mine already tore. Overall, big thumbs up and Four Stars!

The skins work great! The only complaint I have for skins vs. snowshoes is for the steep hills. Otherwise, lighter gear than shoes and less to carry on your back.