The 10 Best Splitboard Skins for Grip and Glide

The climbing skin tech has come a long way since snow travelers strapped horse-skin onto their skis (I heard the Kazakhs still do it that way). It can be pretty daunting these days to choose from all the skin offerings, and skin rental isn’t too much of a thing so luckily your adventurous friends at Mountain Weekly have done some of the legwork for you by testing out a selection of the best splitboard skins on the market.

All of these skins can fit inside your snowboard backpack or can also be folded up and stored against your body if temps are really cold.

Though one thing we gotta mention until the industry listens: these split companies need to start including custom skins with their splits. That said, let’s talk about running uphill and sliding down the line with a pair of skins.

Best Splitboard Skins We Tested

Black Diamond Ascension Skins

The skins that have topped a million peaks, Black Diamond’s Ascension Splitboard Skins gotta win the award for “Most Likely to see on a Split in the Tetons.” These full Nylon skins have unbeatable glide but hold the snow like little claws. They’re glue skins but they have Black Diamond’s special skin glue which is just so smooth and grippy. So much that it’s called Gold Label.

One more thing I love about Black Diamond’s Ascension Skins: their clips. This tail clip just locks it so well to the end and the side on your half-flat, half-curved splitski tails. At 30-ounces for the 2 and a Black Diamond pedigree, the Ascension Splitboard Skins are your perfect time-tested ascension solution.

Skin Review – https://mtnweekly.com/reviews/black-diamond-ascension-nylon-splitboard-skins/

Black Diamond Glidelite Mix Skins

Black Diamond’s mohair/nylon Glidelite Mix skins are simply killer. They’re plush hybrids, with a fluro-free DWR coating to keep up Black Diamond’s reputation as bombproof, high-performance splitboard ascenders. And of course they have that Gold Label skin glue.

Black Diamond’s pivoting STS splitboard tail clip is already my favorite tail clip as I previously wrote, and I love the customization options of the user-installed STS tip clip. Even more, with that mohair mix these are lighter and more packable than Black Diamond’s inimitable ascension skins. Amazing design, Black Diamond pedigree and superlight. These Black Diamond Skins are perfect for your biggest adventures.

Skin Review – https://mtnweekly.com/reviews/black-diamond-mix-glidelite-splitboard-skins/

G3 Universal Splitboard Skins

There’s a reason G3 has a few sets of skins on our list every year and this year is no different with the LT Glide and G3’s Universal Splitboard Skins making our list. These G3 skins bring in nylon plush material for dependable grip and glide. Just like the LTs, there’s PFC-free waterproofing and nontoxic adhesive holding the skins to the bottom of your split. Plus the tail clips, just like with G3’s LT, are pretty good at locking it in.

Of course, there are some shapes that don’t work as well, especially swallow-tails. Notwithstanding our howls that the industry needs to start making board-specific skins, G3 has instructions on its website for how to switch around the tail clips or use the G3 Twin Tip connectors. In general the Universal Splitboard skins are made to perform and hold up well in all conditions, from wet sticky snow to soft fluffy pow. A great quiver-killer skin, as long as you cut and clip them right.

Big Sky Mountain Products Mohair Mix Persistence Skins

Big Sky Mountain Products is a newer player in the game and their Mohair Mix Persistence Splitboard Skins slap hard. They’re a 65/35 mohair nylon mix so yes, they can perform. They also have those universal Wire Tip connectors that are so light but also grab like talons.

These Big Sky Mountain Products Skins made by split mountaineers, for split mountaineers. Their kit even comes with skin wax, which, you know, if you know, you know. Plus love these tail clips: Super durable, made to stay through those rugged days skiing over ice, snow, and roots.

Skin Review – https://mtnweekly.com/reviews/big-sky-mountain-products-skins/

MONTANA Montamix Adrenaline Skins

One of the big problems is that the skin tends to stick to your skins on the down and that can drag; luckily MONTANA’s Montamix Adrenaline skins use their FusionTec for glue-free adhesion to your split. For the bottom side while touring, they use a mohair-nylon blend for that sweet spot between grip and glide.

They have an amazing set of split clips that locks them to your split like a glove. Plus they’ve gotta be some of the coolest-looking, So you have glueless, mohair-nylon-blend skins with a design that’ll stand out on those epic summit pics. And then that glueless descent? It’s like a dream.

Voile Hyper Glide Skins

Any OG splitboarder you know probably started on Voile skins since, hell, the ski company invented the sport. There’s something to be said for legacy but Voile’s Hyper Glide Splitboard skins are a palpable demonstration that they haven’t stopped pushing the envelope. These 70/30 mohair/nylon skins are like a steady ox, always dependable, always strong. Their heat-treated aluminum clips have been trusted for years, indestructible and simple (though it should be added that they aren’t made for directional tails – square or swallow, etc…) and the ski-strap like tail clip strap will outlast any other thin, hyperlite one.

What’s new? The Ever Dry hydrophobic treatment keeps the grip and sheds the glop whether the weather’s warm and wet or cold and dry. And the waterproof membrane between skin and adhesive keep the water from pushing through the fibers into your glue. If you want a skin that will last forever, and has great skin glide, Voile’s Hyper Glide Splitboard Skins are for you.

POMOCA Climb 2.0 Splitboard Skins

POMOCA has long been a big player in the skin game. Their Climb 2.0 Splitboard Skins are simply the next step in that evolution. These skins have a 70% mohair/30% nylon mix to get the best of both worlds — superb grip but also nearly-indestructible material for a dependable smooth glide. Speaking of best of both worlds, check out the fully waterproof Safer Skin Light membrane that sheds water and EVER-DRY 3.0 PFC treatment.

These POMOCA skins are some of the lightest skins on the market, at 7.6 ounces. The POMOCA 2.0s are strong and come with a pretty rad trim tool for cutting them to fit your board. Then you just let the clips do the rest on these high traction skins and you’ve got one of the most hi-tech, lightest and dependable skins you could buy.

Kemper Klimblite Skins

Kemper’s return to the scene has been nothing short of amazing, and while their gear perform brilliantly, they also remind me of how fun snowboarding was, is and can be. Their Klimblite Mohair Mix Climbing Skins are every bit hi-tech, high performance gear but with a colorway that reminds you not to take splitboarding so damn serious. These are serious mostly mohair skins that are extra grippy. The tail attachment is super sturdy, and the clips minimize weight while grabbing any tips and tails.

Of course the bottom designs are killer. Fun, vibrant neons that speak of our heritage. Kemper is perfect for backcountry splitboarding adventures too because when Kemper came up, snowboarding wasn’t allowed at most ski resorts anyway. So get some super-performing, eye-catching skins and stand out in the crowd.

G3 LT Glide Splitboard Skins

Go light, go fast, and go hard, that’s gotta be G3’s motto for their LT Glide Splitboard skins. At about half a pound each, it’s lighter than anything else in its class and the mixed mohair is engineered to give you exactly what you need without anything extra. A cool fact about the glue, though, is that it’s PFC-free and non-toxic to try and make the most eco-friendly glue you can find because, yeah, skin glue sheds off your board on the down and that’s not goin’ anywhere.

The clips are also small and light but man do they hold well, and they still keep with the whole ultralight tip, especially that camming tail strap clip. G3 is known especially for their ability to keep hold and perform in that dry, cold weather that America’s known for. If you’re planning on going high and deep in the American backcountry, these are your skins.

Jones Nomad Skins

While there are plenty of companies with deep R&D departments and great testers, there’s no better person to trust making your split gear than the man who made a revolution with the tools, Jeremy Jones. That alone speaks volumes about these Jones Skins. They’re a mohair/nylon mix, that perfect blend of lightness, hold, and glide. And best of all these are designed to fit Jones Splitboards.

What I really love about the Jones Nomads are the EVER-DRY anti-glopping treatment, which comes in huge during wet, warm spring conditions when other skins gain pounds of snow that turn a fun tour into a miserable slog. The Quick Tension tail clips are adjustable to a wide variety of sizes with a quick and simple move. And the Grip Tech keeps your skins from twisting, getting ripped apart, and failing during massive, rowdy tours. If you’re serious about going big, turn to the Jones Nomad pre cut skins.

Past Winners:

by Mike Hardaker

Here’s my roundup of the best splitboard skins on the market.  I will restate something I have been hammering down the last few years regarding skins for splitboarding.  Board manufactures should be teaming up with skin manufactures for pre cut splitboard skins available for each sized and shape splitboard in their line.

Most of the skin on this list of best splitboard climbing skins are a blend of 70% mohair and 30% nylon.  This seems to offer the most reliable grip and glide properties for splitboard touring.

If the splitboard your considering buying does not have pre cut skins available, perhaps reach out to brand directly and ask why not.  At this point there are only a handful of snowboard companies not working directly with skin manufactures. And out of all the skin manufactures 2-3 companies seem to understand the part about working directly alongside the splitboard brands, POMOCA and Kohla.

G3 Grip Splitboard Skins

This is the grippest skin the G3 Splitboard+ line.  And it’s not just due to the incredibly tacky nylon skin material that excels in steep nasty terrain.  The reasons G3 made this list three times, is their tip and tail connectors. For the tip, G3 skins seem to fit on just about every splitboard out there (minus the super weird nose shapes) the design is simple and works.

On the tail they have the only locking cam system of any splitboard skins I know of.  When stretched out and snapped into place there is some serious confidence boost, especially when you can hear the skin attachment snap on the tail.  Funky shaped tails will like G3 skins better as they can easily be adjusted in length and the connector can go on the back or sides of your tail.

Ski Review – https://mtnweekly.com/reviews/g3-splitboard-grip-skins/

POMOCA Freeride Pro 2.0 Splitboard Skins

This where Pomoca shines the most: the best brands including Salomon, K2, Ride, Jones & Rossignol and many more have teamed up with Pomoca to make custom pre cut skin for every sized board in their splitboard lineups. For these manufactures POMOCA offers hooks at the tip of the skins that attach to holes in the nose of the board, which makes a noticeably better connection between skin and board.

Plus there is an added bungee system that then attaches to notches for the tail attachment.

The POMOCA Freeride Pro Skins are available to be DYI cut for your current splitboard. These skins offer a nice mix of 70% mohair and 30% nylon. With more of the skin being mohair for nice added carpet like grip.

POMOCA Climb 2.0 Splitboard Skins

POMOCA also offers the Climb 2.0 Splitboard Skin with very similar properties as the Freeride Skins, 70% mohair, 30% nylon blend. The Climb 2.0 skin works best for shorter shaped splitboards as the skins are smaller in length.

Montana International Montamix Orange Splitboard Skins

A blend of 65% mohair and 35% nylon synthetic fibers make these Montana Skins reliable in many different conditions. What’s cool about Montana Mix Skins is they are available to be custom cut to the size of your board in their factory.

Otherwise they have the traditional mail cutter splitboard skin kit you can DYI. If you need skins that can be cut for your board, hit up the Montana International guys and they will get you dialed. Be sure to get the twin tip sliboard clamps for the tip and tail connector, they are burly and really lock the skin in place.

Skin Review – https://mtnweekly.com/reviews/montana-montamix-adrenaline-skins/

Montana Montamix Adrenalin Splitboard Skins

For a glueless splitboard skin option The Montana Montamix Adrenalin is a great skin. The bottom of the skins uses another blend of 65% mohair and 35% synthetic materials with some nylon added in. The glueless material on these skins was strong, I actually ran them without tail clips for the entire test, just to see if I could get the glueless skins to fail.  Happily, the did not.

If you’re planning to tour in wet snow and do more then a couple transitions, In the past I have found that glueless skins will fail more frequently then skins with standard glue.  That being said I spoke to the Montana Skins guys and they mentioned they have a microfiber towel that can be used “like we dry the dishes with a towel” on the glueless skins to get any moisture off the bottom, sweet. Oh and dog hair and dirt can actually be washed off the Montana Montamix Adrenalin Skins, meaning they are going to last longer than traditional skins.

Skin Review – https://mtnweekly.com/reviews/montana-montamix-adrenaline-skins/

Contour Hybrid Splitboard Skins

The most unique skin, the Contour Hybrid is last on this list. Why, well it uses Velcro to hold the nose in place, so far in our test over the past year this has yet to fail.  Even with our guide in B.C. Nate going to town on these. Although we do think at some point this could fail, or maybe Camp is ahead of the Game with their Contour Hybrid Splitboard Skins.

Another skin on the list to feature a combo of 70% mohair for and 30% synthetic that seems to be the most reliable for all conditions we find ourselves testing in.

Skin Review – https://mtnweekly.com/reviews/contour-splitboard-skins/

Kohla Freeride Splitboard Skins

The Kohla Freeride Splitboard Skins seem to be the skin of choice in the Kohla line for board manufactures looking for custom pre cut skins.  Kohla made the Union Skins that can also be cut and custom cut skins for Arbor &  Korua

Kohla uses a splitboard specific tail clip called the Butterfly Clip for their splitboard skins. The traditional Freeride Skins and Alpinist Skins have the stand nose attachment.

Kohla Alpinist Splitboard Skins

For the cold weather splitboard crowd, Austrian based Kohla makes some darn fine splitboard skins.  The Kohla Alpinist skin is 100% mohair skin that gives nice grip on steeps and slick skin tracks. These skins come with the standard splitboard tip attachment you’ve most likely seen or used before.

The Kohla Alpinist Splitboard Skins are available to buy and cut on your own. Or available with Telos Splitboards factory cut Telos Kohla Skins.

Korua took things a step farther and had Kohla add metal hooks that insert into holes on the nose of the Korua Escalator Splitboard.  This is the same POMOCA skins attach to the pre cut boards. This will be the future of splitboard skins!!!!

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