Jon Todd

I just recently purchased a pair of Black Diamond (formerly Acension) skins for my very big Karhu Team Jak skis. For those not privy to the lingo, skins are essentaily a furry unidirectional skin the adheres to the bottom of your ski allowing one to glide uphill without sliding back.
Having trimmed them before my friends came out I’ve been anxiously waiting for an excuse to take them for a ride. Last night was the perfect chance. The full moon, clear skys and light breeze made for pretty much the perfect conditions. I set out by myself for a peaceful climb up to take some pictures and otherwise unwind from a busy Saturday in the cafe.

As the slopes here are quite steep, I quickly found that skins have there limitations. Firstly, while snow conditions play a large role in the purchase of the skins, there is definitly an inlcline limitation which is to be expected and turned out to be about 30 degrees to my untrained eye. Second, when you end up slipping, it is absolutly vital that your skins are properly trimmed such that your edges are exposed and ready to take grip. Mine weren’t perfect and I fell a bit but now I know better and you do too.

So upon reaching the the gun tower at the peak of the wildcat lift (technically its Mount Baldy’s shoulder) I took some night time photographs with a 3 inch tall tripod and very long shutter speeds. Click the photo below for some of the shots I took.