Backcountry x G3 Climbing Skin for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

Full disclosure, I decided to return the G3 skins and stick with my tried and true BD Ascension skins.. That said, the G3 trim tool should be enshrined in the hall of "superior and elegant devices". It is a thing of beautifully functional simplicity. Now your thinking...chill dude, you're scaring me... As a partial justification for my passion about this little gizmo, I am a device product engineer for a very large tech company in the Seattle area. The holy grail of product design is known as Occam's razor... In my own words... it implies that the simplest true solution to a problem is the best solution. The G3 trim tool is SIMPLE. It has no moving parts, is clearly inexpensive to make, and does the intended job to perfection. Very hard to screw up using this tool...and it takes like 10 minutes to trim both skins....perfectly.. Okay, okay I'm done.... But I do love that G3 trim tool :-)

Stop now. Click "Back" on your browser. Buy something else. Had these for just 2 seasons - maybe a dozen days in the backcountry and the glue is coming off in globs onto my skis (and has been since last season). As you can imagine, this doesn't make for a very good skiing surface. Yes, I treat them well, always use the skin savers, dry out after every use, etc etc. Speaking with my local ski shop, this seems to be a frequent issue for G3 skins and they advised me to "throw them away and start over." Backcountry directs me to G3 for warranty issues and G3 does not respond at all. Disappointing and not a fantastic reflection of a product that Backcountry puts their name on. Make better use of your money and go with anything else.

This is my first experience with skins, but so far I have no complaints! They were extremely easy to trim to fit my skis. I was in between sizes for length and went a size up for more coverage. They glide and grip well going uphill. Glue is insanely sticky, but I think this is normal.

These skins were far too long to fit a 153 cm ski, necessitating a return process that should never have needed to happen.

I just started doing backcountry this season and this is the first pair of skins I got. It came with a skin cutter which is super convenient, just watch a Youtube video on how to do it and you are set. It fits my skis pretty well, I have two pairs of skis, a Rossignol Sky 7HD and Faction Prodigy 2.0 (twin-tip park oriented ski) and both of my skins fit both nicely. I've used it on slushy snow in August on Rainier and in early November on some early season deep powder and both times it provided nice grip. Also used it on ice in Rainier in October and it did pretty well as well. The only downside is you need to get a skin saver.

I really do like these skins. They do exactly what they're supposed to do, glide well, and they stick. They come with a G3 tool to cut them to the shape of your skis, which is super helpful. The only thing that is a little odd with them (and this is based on my skis) is that the clips fit a little funny on the tops of my skis. With that being said, they do stay put and don't slip! I'd recommend these as a great universal climbing skin. Not too grippy, not too slick.

pretty buzzed, but basically these skins do super well mid to late spring (wet stuff) and also super well in pow but if you get on some super crusty /icy stuff then it'll go to shiznit. the fibers will not grab and you will slide. maybe that's just how skins are in general and maybe I need some ski crampons but if you are in highly windy conditions and you ski crusty stuff all the time then just know that you'll slide all day.

I bought these after experiencing a glue failure on the previous year's the Backcountry x G3 Alpinist Climbing Skin. I got about one season of use before the wet July snow of the high cascades seemed to do a number on that pair. Should have heeded that warning. I've had these for less than one season, ordered in October and the glue just began failing on me starting to stick to my ski bases (freshly waxed ski bases I might add). I take great care of my skins. Try my best not to let shit get on the glue in the field, air dry at home (not near a heat source) and store with skin savers in a cool dry place. I ski in the PNW. I ski year round, harvesting spring corn is a favorite. I don't think G3's glue formula is designed for spring/summer use as this is the second failure I've had within one-two season's of moderate use (weekend warrior). I've always heard BD's gold label glue is the standard, guess it's time for re-glue to find out. Until G3 can get their shit together avoid at all costs unless may you only ski December - March in cold powder conditions. See the reviews on the Backcountry x G3 Alpinist Climbing Skin for more on G3's glue issues.

I purchased these skins a year ago but have really had the chance to use them this year with all of the mountains closing early. First off they were easy to trim and fit excellent! I have had no issues with the toe clips and the back connection. I don't use a skin saver, just keep the glue side together and sealed in a back when I am not using them. They pull apart nicely and they pull off the skis nicely when I am done using them. They grip nicely even when on quite steep slopes. No complaints.

Easy to trim, a little grabbier than I like (that's to be expected for first few uses). But I was bummed to find (at 11pm on the night before first use) that there's no skin saver included. I missed this in the product description apparently.... it's written clearly in the bullet points. But that's crazy!!! That's a standard thing included on all other skins I've ever owned. The literature included in the package strongly urge use of skin saver and says they're included. So kinda inconsistent, and bummed that I'll have to buy separately on store poorly.

Easy to cut to fit. Excellent traction on the uphill my first times out. Would recommend!

I've seen some reviews here on durability being an issue, but I haven't seen any issues so far. I'm more of a casual user, and these seem to fit my need just fine. Fits my ski well. On a bit of a downhill pitch I'm able to get a good glide in (think traditional CC skis, not speed skates), and it feels efficient. Maybe there's better out there, but I haven't used them and these do the job well for me.

I have 158cm skis, and ordered the short version of these which says it works for 153-169cm, but I took them to get trimmed and they were too long. Backcountry was super helpful in helping me return and re-order the extra short size, which say sit works for 153-163cm. Just wanted to call out that the short size does not work for 158 or shorter sks.

Trimming these skins was a breeze. The G3 tool is probably the simplest system you can use, and it creates a perfect fit. The clips are also really nice because they fit all tips and there's less going on overall than the metal bar. The back clip is also adjustable which really isn't a huge deal since you'll only be using these on a single set of skis. They also fold onto themselves nicely. I haven't had any issues with the glue or savers, storing them in an unfinished basement is probably the best way to keep their life, since the glue was made to adhere in colder conditions.

this skin was so easy to set up . and i could climb straight up a 90 degree ice wall. but could slide forward a centimeter on downhill or flat. it felt like i wasted so much energy while my newbie friends on orange BD SKINS glided forward and up the same stuff.!! would not reccomend a really bad Gearhead recommendation

Got about 2 years of heavy use out of these. Great skins, do the job in cold and warm temps. Steep slopes and long traverses. Only problem, like most people mention, is after a season or two they glue gets bad. Gloppy and sticks to skis (and everything) and re-gluing only buys you some time. Looking into other options to replace them, but happy they did such a great job getting me into the sport!! Also to mention: I prefer the metal clips over the metal bar. I never had issues with these as a lot of friends would always have the BD style skins popping off, asking for people to clip them back on.

These are your typical skins but get the job done day in and day out. The traction is great and they're super easy to use. The cutting tool is really nice too. As other have said, the durability could be better and you do start to notice it over time. Still, a great skin.

I have had 2 sets of G3 skins in which the glue failed and globbed up into a mess after a bit of use. The skin design (material, tip/tail attachments) works well. The skin is reasonably flexible and light. Compared to my BD ascension skins, they do not grip as well on some types of snow/ice, but they are adequate. The main problem I have had is the glue failing. It turns into a overly, sticky mess and is unusable. I'll be sticking to BD or others.

These skins are great when the glue is in good shape. Just broke these out for the third season and the glue has almost entirely gotten gnarly. It sticks to everything and leaves a residue on the base of the ski. The first two seasons skiing with them was fantastic.