Tests of glide and waterproofing

A new entry in our tests

Author: Michele Guarneri
Photographer: Michele Guarneri

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«Based on our experience over years of outings in all conditions imaginable, this year, for the first time, we’ve decided to add specific tests of both glide and waterproofing for the skins presented in this year’s Buyer’s Guide.»

For our glide tests, we used a specific ski (the 164 cm Ski Trab Gara World Cup 70 for race skins and the 172 cm Armada Locator 88 for all other skins) on a slope near Plateau Rosa, outside Cervinia, which started at 16° and finished at 7°. Testing was conducted on spring snow and with an air temperature of 7°C (45°F), and new tracks were followed for each descent. The test route was marked by timing gates 25 meters (82’) apart, but we let the skis go past the last gate to see how far they would slide. In the bindings, we put a ski boot and 32 kilos (70.5 lbs) of weight to simulate the weight of an actual skier. The numbers shown for each set of skins include glide speed, time for 25 meters, and total distance.

For waterproofing (over time, water droplets from melting snow tend to seep through the edges of the skins), we weighed the skins dry, immersed them in a bucket of water, then weighed them again. We should note, though, that this is only a partial test that measures the skins’ performance under just one of the many real-world conditions you might come across. Also, the skins tested were all new. This explains, for example, the excellent performance of the mo-mix skins compared to full mohair, which should surpass the mo-mix after a breaking-in period.

«It’s a start, but we plan to conduct other tests throughout the season under different snow and weather conditions.»

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