3.5 stars. The skins themselves have been amazing. Used over 100 days last season on Backland 100s in southern Montana and on the Icefall Traverse, from days well below zero to late spring/summer conditions.
The glue, however, started fading early and was a constant struggle after a handful of days. I maybe am not the best at aftercare, but I’m pretty good about hanging them out to dry and using cheat sheets, so I was quite disappointed. Either I need to baby them even more or the glue is inferior.
That being said, I’d say it is still better than pomoca’s glue and I think I’ll buy another pair of these skins and experiment with some toxic American magic glue on the old ones, as the plush held up excellently to the abuse of last season.
Kohla Alpinist Per CM
If you're a fan of easy-to-manage mohair skins, you've come to the right place. The Kohla Alpinist skin is 100% mohair and features the Smart Glue adhesive with amazing handling properties, easy to peel apart and off your skis. With a fluorocarbon impregnation on the plush and Fiber Seal Technology, this skin is resilient and constructed to be 100% waterproof. The Alpinist has a wide application range, all the way down to a chilly -30o C while still pulling apart easily. The skin material is 130mm wide and sold by the centimeter (make sure to order enough material for both of your skis). The Kohla Alpinist skins are a perfect fit for those looking for a lot of glide and glue that is a pleasure to handle.
- Fiber Seal Technology means a 100% waterproof membrane.
- Smart Glue for functional adhesive down to -30o C.
- Eco-friendly, solvent-free glue formula.
- 100% mohair for great gliding.
Update 2021/22: Kohla improved their gluing process to make these stick a bit longer than the first generation.
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Questions & Reviews
Comment on this review:
1/20/2022
I’m restoring two pairs of ‘70s Asnes woodies and my dream is to add two strips of Kohla Alpinist skin on either side of the tracking channel on the ski bases.
1- Can this Kohla material be cut (with an exact knife and straightedge) along its length without instantly fraying?
2- how thick is the Kohla and can I assume I’ll need to carve an inset into the ski bottom so the backing doesn’t catch snow on the leading edge interfere with the
glide? I’ll be using a CNC machine to cut the inset so it’ll be easy to exactly adjust the depth.
3- Final question, what can I coat the bottom of the inset with so the Kohla magic adhesive/glue keeps the skin in place?
I still plan on pine-tarring, glide waxing, and kick-waxing my other woodies - I’d just love to see if I can add some modern technology to these beautiful old boards and produce some magic!
Sorry for the ramble, but I really look forward to your thoughts!
Cheers - John
1- Can this Kohla material be cut (with an exact knife and straightedge) along its length without instantly fraying?
2- how thick is the Kohla and can I assume I’ll need to carve an inset into the ski bottom so the backing doesn’t catch snow on the leading edge interfere with the
glide? I’ll be using a CNC machine to cut the inset so it’ll be easy to exactly adjust the depth.
3- Final question, what can I coat the bottom of the inset with so the Kohla magic adhesive/glue keeps the skin in place?
I still plan on pine-tarring, glide waxing, and kick-waxing my other woodies - I’d just love to see if I can add some modern technology to these beautiful old boards and produce some magic!
Sorry for the ramble, but I really look forward to your thoughts!
Cheers - John
1/20/2022
John,
Those sound like classics! Let's make sure they get the treatment they deserve. To answer your questions, yes, the skin can be cut, but to cut a specific pattern will be difficult to perfect, even with a very sharp blade - straight lines will be much easier than shaping corners. If this is the direction you go you will need to route out space for the skin material. As for how to keep the skin parts in place, you may be better suited purchasing something like this that are specifically built for Nordic skis. The glue on touring skins is intended to release and will peel off as you start to glide along where as the Nordic specific skins are intended to hold firm, but can still be replaced if necessary. If you want to go further down the rabbit hole feel free to email us at help@skimo.co. Hope this helps!
Those sound like classics! Let's make sure they get the treatment they deserve. To answer your questions, yes, the skin can be cut, but to cut a specific pattern will be difficult to perfect, even with a very sharp blade - straight lines will be much easier than shaping corners. If this is the direction you go you will need to route out space for the skin material. As for how to keep the skin parts in place, you may be better suited purchasing something like this that are specifically built for Nordic skis. The glue on touring skins is intended to release and will peel off as you start to glide along where as the Nordic specific skins are intended to hold firm, but can still be replaced if necessary. If you want to go further down the rabbit hole feel free to email us at help@skimo.co. Hope this helps!
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1/6/2021
How does the “Smart glue” on the Alpinist skins compare to a traditional glue like, say, the Pomoca skins, and the “non glue” used on the Kohla Vacuum skins, in terms of stick ability and ease of removal? Is it somewhere in between, making it significantly easier than traditional glue to remove skins from skis or pull them apart once stuck to themselves, or is it really just a traditional glue with a smart name?
1/7/2021
Hi Jim, the million dollar question! It is glue and it's comparable to Pomoca in stickiness (maybe slightly less), which is to say much stickier than vacuum/silicone but less sticky than the glue made by the North American skin manufacturers. It's a newer formula so we can't comment on the longevity, so far it's been a pleasure to use as it's so easy to peel apart. On cold, multi-lap days, you want to avoid getting snow on the glue, but even after a failure it seems to come back after warming in your jacket like Pomoca.
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