Combin must be German for “speed,” because the new Colltex skins nail the light ‘n fast concept that we hold so dear. Building on the formulas that have made the brand a regional favorite, the Combin skin features supple material with the grip of a much heavier skin. Colltex locked the world’s leading chemists in a room until they came up with a groundbreaking adhesive. The glue-like-substance retains full adhesion to P-Tex from -58°F to 122°F (-50°C to 50°C). The packing volume is 30% less than traditional skins. The advanced adhesive peels from a ski base much easier than the company’s exceptionally strong glue, making it a great skin for big powder boards or light ‘n fast spring missions. There is no problem storing the skins glue-to-glue, so transitions are straightforward with the easy-to-peel stick ‘em. As a bonus for those night missions, the glue is phosphorescent and glows in the dark! The Combin nap is Colltex’s mohair which is earning converts world-wide. Between the innovative adhesive and the smooth mohair performance, this may be the one.
- “Backing-less” design allows the skin to pack to 30% lower volume.
- Combin formula can fold glue-to-glue and peels apart easily.
- Mohair is as mohair does.
- ISPO Award Winner.
- Glows in the dark!
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Questions & Reviews
12/22/2020
Cayce Cullinan
(used product regularly)
The skins glide and grip well, IF you can actually manage to get the skins to stick to your skis. The silicone adhesive loses its 'stick' after a few uses, even if you are meticulous about keeping the skins clean, dry, and stored properly, and it costs $40 to replace. If you try to use these skins in cold, dry snow conditions, you can forget about it, nothing you do will keep them on your skis, and your day in the BC will be ruined by the constant frustrations that accompany a purchase of these skins. Do yourself a favor, and invest the $240 asking price on a pair of skins with traditional glue.
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4/22/2019
How can I reglue these skins with a different kind of glue, and what kind of glue can I use? I tried putting a little gold label over top in a very small area, but it didn't stick to the skin well and is easily smeared around
4/23/2019
Scott- This skin is not a traditional hot melt glue so you cannot just add more glue to it. It is silicone based adhesive so it needs to be replaced with the same type of adhesive.
1/12/2020
In the end I acquired a combin reglue kit from my local distributor. It's a 2 part adhesive. The reglue process was similar to regluing with gold label, but without the need to scrape off the old glue.
I used a hot putty knife to remove the glue from my erroneous attempt to put gold label over the combin glue which didn't work at all.
I used a hot putty knife to remove the glue from my erroneous attempt to put gold label over the combin glue which didn't work at all.
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4/22/2019
Scott Nelson
(used product a few times)
I wish I had read this before I bought these skins. I had Colltex Extremes for years and loved them. I heard good things about CT-40. These just don't stick consistently in wet conditions, which we have a lot of here in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. On dry days, when the temperature is below freezing they work ok if pressed into the ski very thoroughly after putting them on. Even then I get snow gradually packing in between the skin and the ski, especially breaking trail. If the skin gets soaked from wet snow, or from rain, then they are a liability.
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11/29/2018
Hey Skimo team. Quick ? I am going to give the Combins another try this year. Is there any way I can apply regular skin glue to them to improve the adhesion? Is there a glue Colltex reccomends?
11/29/2018
Hey Mitch! Not entirely sure! I haven't heard of anyone doing that, I suppose you probably could though. I can't think of a reason why you couldn't, but at the same time I have no idea how the hotmelt Colltex glue would react with that Combin adhesive. It could be quite the science experiment.
9/25/2019
Tried adding Black Diamond glue to Colltex Whizz skins with this type of glue, won't even stay put, peels right off You'd have to scrape ALL the old glue off right down to the fibre (not easy)
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11/7/2018
Larry
(used product a few times)
Im very curious about the overall impression of the Combin skin from people. I got this late last winter around March. First impression out of box was this skin doesn't feel any sticky at all. I gave it a try and used it for around 14 days including a 7 days expedition trip. It stick on my ski all time. Easy glide, pack small and dry fast. I was quite happy. As today(Nov. 7,2018) my first day out this winter and temperate was between -10 to -15 c. After 2-3 hours, the adhesive fail. I patiently spent quite a bit time to fix that in the field including clean the base of ski, drying the skin, press firm to attache. It just couldn't stick to skin. One thing I noticed was when there was sun that I can warm up both skin and base of ski they stay together better and last longer. When the sun was out then I could never fix it. The company said this skin is even good at -50. I am questioning that. This is a very pricy skin and I like how smooth when gliding. However this issue really worry me.
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2/22/2018
foreigngreg
(used product regularly)
These skins are made for skis without rocker as they require constant pressure to stay on the ski. They will not stick well to anything with a rocker. Buyer beware! Shame Colltex does not seem to explain this anywhere.
Otherwise excellent glide, easy to stow away glue on glue, and exceptionnaly light. I am giving it 3 stars as they are exceptionnaly light skins that will perform well on traditionnaly cambered skis, just not for rockers, shame.
Otherwise excellent glide, easy to stow away glue on glue, and exceptionnaly light. I am giving it 3 stars as they are exceptionnaly light skins that will perform well on traditionnaly cambered skis, just not for rockers, shame.
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2/3/2018
Mitchell Gold
(used product a few times)
I completely agree with the above review. I used these skins to climb Mt Yotei in Japan. The skin grip was exceptional on the way up on a very greasy skin track. However after ripping at the summit and skiing into the crater I had 100% skin adhesion failure. This is unacceptable and not safe. I had to use Voile straps to attach the skins to exit the crater and bootpack out. I love a lot about this skin but I am not sold on the glueless concept yet
2/18/2018
Hi Mitchell, please read my response to Ralf's review for some usage tips. It's likely that a combination of scraping, wiping, and/or pressing would have solved your problem. That said, if you value quick stick-age more than anything else, it's better to choose a traditional glued skin. But please note that any adhesive can fail in certain situations which is why racers carry two pairs of skins and adventurers carry ski straps or tape.
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1/21/2018
Ralf Kaestle
(used product a few times)
Although this skin won a price at the outdoor exhibition in Europe it is a good example for something that has only limited use in practice. It is good for speed since it is liteweight and glites well due to it mohair surface. However the silicon surface to fix to the skis will only glue in case the ski surface is dry enough. If you want to use the skins several times on one tour or in case it is snowing and cold the skin will not glue anymore on the ski. In addition: skins with normal glue can always brought back glueing by taking it to the warm body under the pullover. With this skin no chance for it.
In conlcusion: If you fix it ones before the tour and put it away on top and ride down --> good. If you want to make a tour and cross several valleys or make several peaks on one day take and you will minimize the risk of standing in the nowhere and having a skin which does not glue anymore take another skin with normal glue.
In conlcusion: If you fix it ones before the tour and put it away on top and ride down --> good. If you want to make a tour and cross several valleys or make several peaks on one day take and you will minimize the risk of standing in the nowhere and having a skin which does not glue anymore take another skin with normal glue.
2/18/2018
Hi Ralf, thanks for the feedback. Like many silicon-based skins, the Combins are designed for experienced users who value lightweight material that is extremely packable and easy to peel apart. They require pressure to apply, so you should press the skin firmly to the ski and smooth out any bumps. Microscopic crystals of snow can prevent the adhesion so in certain conditions you may have to rub the base of the ski with a microfiber cloth, glove, or something similar to ensure it is ready for application. You can also carefully scrape any crystals from the skin with your pant or ski edge.
The “non-glue” adhesive formulas are not for everyone, but they are a really nice option for some. For recreational users who value adhesion more than anything else, Colltex recommends their traditional hot-melt glue formula, available in mohair or mix flavors. They have some of the strongest glue around so you won't have any problems with those sticking!
The “non-glue” adhesive formulas are not for everyone, but they are a really nice option for some. For recreational users who value adhesion more than anything else, Colltex recommends their traditional hot-melt glue formula, available in mohair or mix flavors. They have some of the strongest glue around so you won't have any problems with those sticking!
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1/8/2018
Kind of a dumb question.... My BC skis are 140x108x130, will the 130 mm skins work, since 140mm isn't available? I have always had wall to wall carpet on my BC skis, but is it really necessary? My skimo skis just have the center strip and seem climb just fine... Thanks.
1/8/2018
Hey Cayce! No dumb questions!! 130mm is going to work just fine. Depending on who you ask, your skin width should be measured based on the width of the tail of your skis (some people want to size based on the width of the tip of the ski, but because most skis, especially 108mm underfoot skis have a ton of tip rocker, all you create is drag if size based on the tip of the ski). But yes, you also found how well a straight cut race skin climbs so pretty much anything more than a straight cut race skin will climb really really well! I say go for the 130mm!
1/8/2018
Hi Cayce, since your ski is 130mm in the tail, 130mm width skins will work perfectly. It's not really necessary to have wall to wall coverage in the tip since your traction is not gained from that area of the ski. Ensuring full width in the tail will give you the greatest advantage in terms of grip, but will save you some weight and give a little extra glide by being narrower than the width of your tips.
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