Ski touring skins · Test magazine 2023
Tech talk with Werner Koch, CONTOUR
Owner and Managing Director · Print page 97
Who is Werner Koch? Owner and Managing Director of CONTOUR
Werner Koch is the owner and managing director of CONTOUR and grew up in the family business. A keen ski tourer, he frequently spends time in the mountains around Innsbruck. In the BACKLINE 2023 test magazine, he explains the differences between traditional adhesive skins and hybrid skins, along with material selection, care and adhesion for ski touring skins.
Koch recommends hybrid skins to anyone who treats their equipment carefully: they offer high surface tack and easy handling, but must be kept clean and cleaned whenever dirty. Those who prefer to avoid this effort or are accustomed to traditional adhesive skins can stick with hot-melt adhesive technology. According to Koch, wear has a greater influence on climbing grip and glide than care does. Mohair glides very well, while nylon lasts longer but glides less well and needs more frequent reproofing. He describes blends of 65 percent mohair and 35 percent synthetic fibre as a very good compromise.
To prevent moisture absorption and snow buildup, Koch recommends applying block wax against the direction of the fibres. For reliable adhesion, users should check adhesive performance regularly, keep skins warm during tours and remove snow and moisture from ski bases before attaching them. Traditional glue can be replaced at home; hybrid skins benefit from cleaning with special wipes or spray, which also removes wax residue.
Who do you recommend classic adhesive skins to, and who do you recommend hybrid skins with adhesive and adhesion technology to?
Hybrid skins are suitable for anyone who is used to treating their equipment well. Hybrid skins are characterized by high surface stickiness and easy handling and should – to ensure their functionality – be kept clean and regularly cleaned if they get dirty. Those who are not willing to do this and/or are accustomed to handling adhesive skins can stick with the proven hot-melt adhesive technology.
How often and how should different skins be maintained to ensure their climbing and gliding properties?
The climbing and gliding properties of a skin depend much more on wear and tear than on maintenance. Skins with a high mohair content always become faster with use, while pure nylon skins quickly become very dull. However, the more worn a skin is, the worse its climbing properties will be. Typically, pure mohair skins can be used for about 80-100 tours, while mix skins last about 30% longer, but at the expense of gliding properties.
What do you recommend if your skins no longer stick or start to clump during a tour?
A small block of wax helps against moisture absorption and the associated clumping. It should then be applied against the nap. The complete impregnation of older skins can be renewed with pump sprays before the start of the spring season with wet snow. This needs several hours to take effect. The problem of skins no longer sticking during a tour should ideally be avoided by regularly checking their adhesive properties. On the go, it helps to keep the skins as warm as possible when putting them on and taking them off multiple times – by storing them under your anorak for the descent. The base should be thoroughly freed from snow and moisture before reapplying, and the skins should be pressed on with gentle pressure from front to back. If nothing sticks anymore, you can improvise with tape or straps. However, it is much more important to improve adhesion in good time and to renew or reactivate the adhesive depending on the technology.
Contour uses mohair and nylon as the base materials for their skins. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these two materials?
Mohair, as a natural fiber, is very soft and supple, yet abrasion-resistant. This ensures very good gliding properties. Nylon has a significantly longer lifespan but needs to be re-impregnated more often so that it doesn't clump. Nylon glides less well. Mix skins made of 65% mohair and 35% synthetic are a very good compromise.
How elaborate is the renewal of the adhesive layer?
For classic adhesive skins, the adhesive can be completely renewed at home using a tube or, more easily, with iron-on tape. For hybrid or adhesion skins, cleaning with special cleaning wipes or spray, which also remove wax residues from the adhesive layer, helps. Manufacturer instruction videos are helpful here. You need some space, ideally a workbench, and for adhesive skins, you should expect about 30 minutes; cleaning hybrid skins takes only a few minutes.
