I have used these on several tours now and especially after using the Black Diamond ascensions, these are the best skins on the market. They stick on some of the steepest grades and glide great.

That being said, there is still improvement in the attachment to the skis. The tail hook is hard to get the skins tight. It is also made of metal without any protective material so they can dig into the base of the skis. Most of the skins suffer from this problem. When wet, these skins do not stick at all to the bottom of the skis and if you are doing a spring tour, watch out for needles, as they like to stick to the skins and are almost impossible to get off. These seem to excel in cold temperatures but are miserable in warmer temperatures. Just remember they are great but not perfect.

4.5/5

I picked these up off tramdock last week and finally had a chance to go up to our local resort for some night skiing during the annual march dump here in the cascades. We had about 6" of cascade powder which had quickly turned into moguls. The skis did really well in the variable snow conditions. I can imagine they would do well in deeper powder .

They can carve on ice better than any ski I have had. I tend to ski with alot of short turns but these skis wanted to do large GS turns at high speed. They are pretty heavy for moguls but they do have a short turning radius so its not too bad. These skis are really good for steeps because it can get an edge on anything. You better be in good shape or they will kick your butt.

I am 5'8" 170 lbs and ski the 177's. These things are super fast and are super fun if you open up on them. Would not recommend buying unless you can ski