Fischer Profoil skin - first impressions
I finally got to test the Fischer Profoil skins. This is a rigid, plastic skin that is essentially like attaching a waxless base to the bottom of your ski. Here is a video:
They are made for several models of Fischer skis. I used them on the Hannibal 94 ski. Here are my initial impressions:
The Test: I did some in-bounds touring at Summit East (also known as Hyak) at Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascades. I skinned up through the woods some and in different snow, but nothing really deep or icy. Plenty wet, though, with temps in the upper 30s and some alternating snow/drizzle. I gotta say I was pretty impressed. For the most part there seemed to be very little difference in performance between the Profoils and regular skins. The biggest difference was they do not absorb water, so they do not freeze, get heavy, or pick up giant snow blobs. In the Cascades that is a definite plus! I put them on 3 times.
Going Up: I was able to hold any line I chose. Caveat: I did not encounter any ice (too warm).
Glide: on skier-packed snow they actually glided a bit, but were a little squirrelly side-to-side. Skiing down a short, fairly gentle pitch with skins on they seemed similar to regular skins, definitely minimizing speed, but were probably a little more predictable in that they were a little less grabby.
Handling: they will take some getting used to, but by the end of the day I didn't think they were significantly harder than regular skins, just different. There is a short (18″) piece of plastic you use at the tail so you do not stick the glue to glue, which can damage the material. You fold them on built-in creases from tail to tip (see video). Because they are pretty stiff they are not so great for just shoving under your coat for a quick descent. My 3rd changeover of the day I timed it and from the time I stepped out of my bindings I had both skins on and clicked back in in about 2.5 minutes. They are slightly fussier than regular skins because they go edge-to-edge so you have to be more careful to line them up, and you need the plastic. The tail clip seemed to loosen a little too easily when not under tension. The folds make them not stick smoothly to the bottom of the ski when putting them on (you can see this in the video). These things are all pretty minor, at least for now. I did not try ripping them off with the skis still on.
Snow build-up: it was sticky snow, and a little definitely stuck to them, but it came off so easily just by sliding on the surface. I also got snow under the skin near the tail where there is a gap under the tail strap.
