I'm looking at getting a pair of the 4frnt glueless/silicone skins and was wondering if anyone on here had any experience with them. I like the idea of being able to wash off dog hair and dust instead of re-glueing, but not if the skin leaves a residue on my bases like I've heard some of the Geckos do.
4Frnt skins - anyone tried them?
- Thread starter ColdSmoker
- Start date
I've heard decent things about them. Some people complain that these type of skins (silicone based adhesive) will leave a residue on your bases, but it doesn't seem to be a universal complaint.
You do need to have a very shallow "taper" at the tips, or else they get snow underneath
(Taper = the part where the skin goes from the width of your ski to the width of the tip loop. Basically, you want to see quite a bit of base on each side of the ski for a while.
You do need to have a very shallow "taper" at the tips, or else they get snow underneath
(Taper = the part where the skin goes from the width of your ski to the width of the tip loop. Basically, you want to see quite a bit of base on each side of the ski for a while.
PowderPanda
Staff member
Interesting.. Are they like the Gecko Skins (which are pretty spendy)?
idsnowghost
Staff member
I own a pair of the 4Frnt skins. First skins 2 yrs ago. No residue issues. They tend to work well on first ascent. A little less well in second lap. I have had them slip off the ski a few times. But so easy to care for.
Because of the skin failures, I bought a backup pair of G3 alpinist and they are great, reliable. They are more secure on the ski and I've had no failures. But the grip on snow is probably better on the 4frnt, may be due to the way they are cut. The G3 may glide a little better.
In the end, I use the 4Frnt if I'm doing a single lap at Mt Spokane, and the G3 if I'm going multiple laps and into true backcountry where a skin failure would have consequences.