Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS Climbing Skins - 110 / 125mm
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Now more packable and lighter weight than previous versions, Ascension Nylon STS Skins provide benchmark traction and feature the Black Diamond patented STS tail attachment for 10cm of adjustability.
Shop similar products- Durable plush material provides benchmark climbing and efficient glide with high packability
- Patented STS adjustable tails provide 10cm of length adjustment
- Adjustable tip attachment fits a wide range of ski-tip shapes
Made in USA.
View all Black Diamond Ski Skins| Best Use | Backcountry Skiing |
|---|---|
| Material(s) | Nylon |
| Length | 200 centimeters |
| Width | 125 millimeters |
| Weight | 1 lb. 10 oz. |
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Good skins, bad assembly
I'm with Prana on the screw issue. What should have been an easy process to fix the nose bracket on became an exercise in frustration. Even pre-cutting the skins in the screw-holes two of the screws snapped with their ends barely through the other side. Spent over an hour trying various methods to remove them until I eventually just filed both sides down. So it worked, but I'll have to drill the thing out if I ever want to remove it. That said, the skins themselves are otherwise great and I have no complaints about the actual use after the headache of the setup.
Only a poor craftsman blames their tools...
I have owned these skins for almost a year now and used them half a dozen times. They grip on seemingly too steep surfaces in most snow conditions, they are light and easily packed (but not the lightest if you're really trying to shave weight) So far durability has been excellent and the glue is like-new as far as retention goes. I didn't find them hard to assemble or cut and other reviews that make it seem impossible lead me to believe that the user was not using the right tools for the job, and probably didn't understand the technique. It's no reason to avoid these skins whatsoever, as you only put them together once and then the product should be evaluate on its function.
Inadequate assembly screws
Unless your dealer fits these to your skis and, so, assembles them, or unless you don't mind replacing the screws that come with the product, you should avoid these skins. The assembly of the skins requires using the supplied screws to thread through and fasten the front clips and the skins. The supplied screws have a notch in the middle of the threaded body, to help you break off the tips that protrude from the clip-skin-clip sandwich fastened by the screws. However, the notch in the screw body makes it very delicate work to get the screw head screwed far enough to seat the screw head into the countersunk screw hole on the clip without twisting the screw into two pieces prematurely. In other words, it is very easy for the twisting force required to drive the screw to also break the screw too soon. Out of 4 screws attempted, I could only manage to get one seated into its countersunk seat. The solution I used: I replaced the notched screws with #4 brass screws (3/4 inch long) with the same screw head to fit the countersunk seat on the clip. To clip the protruding end of the screw, I used the end nippers I was forced to buy by this frustrating product. End nippers are basically wire cutters with the cutting edge facing out the end of the tool (like fingernail clippers face out and not to the side). Installation tips: Use a few short 2x4's to lift the ski off the table tall enough to clear the bindings. A friend can help keep the ski from moving when you have to pull on the skin to place it accurately. The REI video on how to install these particular skins is much better than the written instructions that are provided by Black Diamond. Use a narrow (2-3") piece of 3/4" plywood as a backer board for driving the screws. The replacement screws can be made to "bite" into the skin with driving pressure that would break the screws provided by BD. Ensure yourself a flush connection between the clip body and the plywood backer board, to help you apply pressure when driving the screws, by allowing the protruding screws already installed to sit to the side of the narrow backer board. When driving the screws place the clip and backer board directly over the 2x4's supporting the front of the ski, so that the driving pressure doesn't lift the other end of the ski. If fitting multiple pairs of skis, don't use the blade provided with each kit to cut more than one pair of skins - the blade dulls. Scissors work better than the blade to make the cut of the length of the skins, but be sure to use the blade to trim the width of the skins. The REI video shows the proper way to hold, angle, and abut the blade against the edges as you cut. Be excellent to each other. I want to give these puppies one star, but that would require me to be moved too strongly by the exquisite frustration of twisting off the second screw in a row and realizing that the kit only comes with one spare screw.
Skins seem great, stuck on assembly process
The quality of the skins seems great, but the assembly process is an absolute nightmare. I'm at the point of just tossing them and buying a different set of skins all together because I need a working pair of skins tomorrow. I already cut the length of one skin, so this just feels like a complete waste. I followed all the assembly directions, which requires you to use a philips #2 screwdriver to screw the adjustable tip loop onto the skin. I have the correct size screwdriver. The screws are flimsy and began stripping almost instantly after a few turns into the tip loop holder. After hours of trying to get it to work, the screws simply won't go through and I've got stripped screws logged halfway through the skin and tip loop holder and currently in an unusable state. Feeling stuck at this point. From online, it sounds like people had success pre drilling holes in the tip loop holder, but I didn't do this since it wasn't mentioned in the instructions. It's too late now with the screws stuck partially logged into the hardware.
Skins for Skiing
I've loved these skins. Nothing beats walking straight up a mountain. I rarely lose traction, except in really steep or loose sections on the snow. Easy to cut/shape so they work optimally for your skis.
Skins are fine but hardware is troublesome
I only broke one of the six screws off while trying to get them in, ended up using a file to just smooth off the ends. Also I'm betting I'll lose the clip on the end of the skin at some point, it popped off twice while I was working on cutting the skins, and it's hard enough to find on the garage floor, never going to find it in the snow.