Gooey Skin Glue

[Lauren]

I have a pair of Magic Carpet BCA skins from 6-7 years ago. I probably have used them an average of 5 times a year. I've never really liked how sticky they are (almost impossible of pull apart when stuck glue-to-glue so I always carry my skin saver). I pulled them out for the first time this year, and they seem to have gotten really gooey. I store them off-season in a cool, dry place, with the skin saver on, and them gently folded/rolled in their bag. This was my first pair of skins, so don't have a ton of experience on longevity of ski glue. Is this normal? Can it be fixed? Maintenance required on skin glue? Is it time for a new set of skins? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[nemesis256]

I highly recommend Contour skins. Their glue is not gooey at all. Some might even complain they don't stick enough when cold. But after a little pressure on them they're fine. I'm able to remove them in one motion with skis still on my feet.

 

[Wooley12]

Might be able to restore the glue by laying down parchment paper over the glue then running a waxing iron on medium over it like hot waxing a ski. Lay the skins down flat and take the paper off after they cool. Worth a shot.

gooey ski skin glue - Google Search

 

[Lauren]

Might be able to restore the glue by laying down parchment paper over the glue then running a waxing iron on medium over it like hot waxing a ski. Lay the skins down flat and take the paper off after they cool. Worth a shot.

gooey ski skin glue - Google Search

This seems to be the the general online consensus. But it also seems to be a mixed bag for success.

Anyone here have experience with it? Tips?

 

[Wooley12]

I've done it. But not on a G3 skin with G3 skin glue. All it will cost you to try it is a roll of parchment paper. And you will gain some "experience".

I also help the glue do its job. I hot wax the skin fur to keep it from getting wet and stretching in use. After not waxing and having the skin slide off.

A tip: Most people are better off buying new skins rather than removing then reapplying new glue. I've done it and it works, most of the time.

 

[jmeb]

I don't know exactly what glue BCA is, but if it is black diamond glue, I've had some success with the brown-paper-bag or parchment paper approach. For G3 glue, the only thing that worked was complete removal and then reapplying Black Diamond Gold label.

At the end of the day, glue is not a particularly stable compound. 6-7 years in...things will break down no matter how attentive your care. That means the value of skin glue is far higher for regular users than infrequent users.

I will say the Contour glue is by far the easiest I've dealt with from a refreshening perspective (wipe down with citrus cleaner, rinse, dry). But I've only got 4 years on those.

 

[Lauren]

I'll dig into this one a bit more and decide if I want to invest my time in the skins I have or invest the money in a new pair.

Anyone have experience with Pomoca skins? I have a pair of Jones skins on my splitboard that I love, and learned recently that they're made by Pomoca.

 

[James]

Don’t forget the slippers! These are made ftom Contour production off cuts.

Upcycling

Für unseren fairen und nachhaltigen Hüttenschuh upcyclen wir Skifell von Contour. Entdecke jetzt unsere robusten und ökologischen Hüttenschuhe.

www.doghammer.de

Or belts-

Shop | Skinalp

Eco-friendly accessories from upcycled skitouring skins: belts, wallets, keyholders.

www.skinalp.com

 

[Lauren]

Don’t forget the slippers! These are made ftom Contour production off cuts.

They should make the foot bed out of the skin. With the skin hair oriented so you can slide your foot in easily, but they stay on better than normal slippers since you can't slide out as easily.

 

[pais alto]

I’ve done it. A heat gun is an important part of success. It’s a messy, gruesome process, but it worked for me. No tips other than what you’ve probably already read online, except maybe work to get a thin layer, rather than a thick one. I used Black Diamond glue and it was on BD skins.

 

[James]

They should make the foot bed out of the skin. With the skin hair oriented so you can slide your foot in easily, but they stay on better than normal slippers since you can't slide out as easily.

Ooh, good idea.

 

[Mothertucker]

I'll dig into this one a bit more and decide if I want to invest my time in the skins I have or invest the money in a new pair.

Anyone have experience with Pomoca skins? I have a pair of Jones skins on my splitboard that I love, and learned recently that they're made by Pomoca.

I have a pair of Pomoca pre-cuts that have been great, but are in need of re-glue. Seriously considering just sending them to Big Sky Mountain Products https://skiskinsonline.com/shop-bsmp/climbing-skin-reglue-service/ for refurbishment.

 

[pais alto]

I forgot (pre-caffeine) to flesh out my post by saying that I use the heat gun and metal scraper method. If the glue is thick I’ll try the paper-iron method, but that’s never taken the entire glue layer off as well as a heat gun-scraper method.

 

[Snowflake2420]

I'm a big fan of the Pomoca glue. Easy to pull apart, but stay on ski. I have the climb pro s-glide and it's a good combo of glide and grip.

I'm done trying to use BD skins. The glue is too sticky even to start and the backing of the lighter skins are difficult to trim even with a good tool and then I had to install the hardware, which didn't even function very well. I'd much rather pay $50 more than deal with them.

Don't even get me started on G3 haha.

Skins are the most underrated item of a touring set up. I'd much rather hunt for deals on skis and bindings than try to go cheap on skins.

 

[James]

I have a pair of Pomoca pre-cuts that have been great, but are in need of re-glue. Seriously considering just sending them to Big Sky Mountain Products https://skiskinsonline.com/shop-bsmp/climbing-skin-reglue-service/ for refurbishment.

Wow, those look interesting. Any experience or feedback from people using Big Sky Skins?

 

[In2h2o]

Don’t forget the slippers! These are made ftom Contour production off cuts.

Upcycling

Für unseren fairen und nachhaltigen Hüttenschuh upcyclen wir Skifell von Contour. Entdecke jetzt unsere robusten und ökologischen Hüttenschuhe.

www.doghammer.de

Tease. They are out of my "measured" size ... debating if I should size down for a race fit or go up one for a recreational fit....

 

[James]

Tease. They are out of my "measured" size ... debating if I should size down for a race fit or go up one for a recreational fit....

Well, I didn’t know about them before you posted it, now I want a pair. Those belts are nice too. Which color fo you want?
Regluing, slippers, belts, wallets. These skins get expensive.

 

[jmeb]

I’ve done it. A heat gun is an important part of success. It’s a messy, gruesome process, but it worked for me. No tips other than what you’ve probably already read online, except maybe work to get a thin layer, rather than a thick one. I used Black Diamond glue and it was on BD skins.

I use the same process. I didn't find it too gruesome with heat gun plus scraper. About a beer to get glue off and a beer to get new glue on. A well ventilated space for the application of glue and it drying are critical. I too used Gold Label from BD -- the only glue that is easily available.

I'll also echo @SkiFiore -- good skins are really nice to use. Unless you use a high-traction, low slide skin next to a nicely sliding skin. I skied the first 20k of vert this year on re-glued G3s. About 10k ago I started skiing with my Contour Hybrids. The only way I'm going back to G3s is with a summer off so I forget what good glide feels like.

 

[Mothertucker]

Wow, those look interesting. Any experience or feedback from people using Big Sky Skins?

Only online feedback, but avoiding the entire process will probably be worth at least one try.

 

[In2h2o]

@James the blue hütte-zua ski fell 2. Did you see the kastle limited edition? What they have in sizing/ color now is all they will have until next season (October).

I haven't thought about the belt color but I like that you can shorten down to what ever size you need.