Contour Hybrid Mohair Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product
Contour Hybrid Mohair | |||||
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Awards | Best Overall Ski Climbing Skins | Best High-Performance Skin | Best Bang for the Buck | ||
Price | $230 List Check Price at REI | $156.83 at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $99.43 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $229.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $177.75 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | If you like your skins to glide well and can handle a few minutes, periodically, of maintenance, these are the skins for you | Climbing skins inherently strike compromises; winner of our top award, it balances competing demands better than any other | All skin performance is balanced; given our experience with skiing and with reviewing, we find this skin strikes an ideal balance of a variety of factors | For skilled skinners and efficiency hounds on cold snow there are no better skins available | Budget-oriented skiers that want something reliable and widely available will do well with this product |
Rating Categories | Contour Hybrid Mohair | Pomoca Climb Pro S... | Contour Hybrid Mix | Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 | Black Diamond Glide... |
Glide (30%) | |||||
Portability (20%) | |||||
Glue Integrity (20%) | |||||
Grip (15%) | |||||
Icing/Glopping Resistance (10%) | |||||
Compatibility (5%) | |||||
Specs | Contour Hybrid Mohair | Pomoca Climb Pro S... | Contour Hybrid Mix | Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 | Black Diamond Glide... |
Measured Weight | 1.36 lbs | 1.23 lbs | 1.21 lbs | 1.09 lbs | 1.25 lbs |
Material | 100% Mohair | 70% Mohair, 30% Nylon | 70% Mohair, 30% Synthetic | 100% Mohair | 65% Mohair, 35% Nylon |
Weight per Pair (Based on Ski Tested) | 619 g for Elan Ripstick 106, 180 cm | 587 g for Black Crows Corvus Freebird, 183 cm | 551 g for Blizzard Zero G 105, 180 cm | 496 g for Kastle TX 103, 180 cm | 595 g for Black Crows Navis Freebird, 179 cm |
Weight per Ski Width (grams/mm) | 5.8 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 5.8 |
Glue | Hybrid glue technology | Traditional | Hybrid glue technology | Traditional | Traditional |
Tip Attachment | Rigid tip loop | Rigid tip loop | Rigid tip loop | Rigid tip loop | Rigid tip loop |
Tail Attachment | Vinyl strap and cam hook | Rubber strap and cam hook | Vinyl strap and cam hook | Rubber strap and cam hook | Rubber strap and metal hook |
Ski Compatibility | Universal | Universal | Universal | Universal | Universal |
Precut Option? | Order for length and approximate width, cut to lateral shape | Order for length and approximate width, cut to lateral shape | Order for length and approximate width, cut to lateral shape | Order for length and approximate width, cut to lateral shape | Order for approximate width, cut to length and lateral shape |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Contour Hybrid Mohair skins have full mohair plush and Contour's unique “hybrid” glue technology. This is a good combination for cold-climate skiers that are willing to do some skin maintenance in exchange for easy-peeling skin performance.
Performance Comparison
Glide
Full mohair skins glide the best, all else equal. The orange nap of the Contour Hybrid Mohair is entirely made of goat fur and glides very well. We like easy gliding skins and you will too. Contour's all-around mohair skins aren't quite as slippy as skimo race formulations, but they are close enough. These won't hold you back, except where you want them to.
Portability
Maybe it is the “Hybrid” glue, but these don't feel as light and compact as we'd expect from full mohair skins. They are fairly pliable, but certainly not super thin. In terms of weight, they sit just on the heavy side of the average portion of the range.
Glue Integrity
The internet is full of conflicting reports on the integrity of Contour's Hybrid glue. We contributed to that mucky mess of information at one point. If you treat these skins like others (using them with little to no care for dozens of tours) the glue will degrade faster than others. If, though, you complete the recommended maintenance along the way, they will remain more functional for longer than other options.
Look at it a different way. You can usually use “normal” hot melt skin glue for a full season with no maintenance. At the end of that season, you will have to perform a 2-3 hour full glue replacement to return to near-new performance. With Contour's Hybrid glue, over that same full season rotation, you will perform 3-4 sessions of 8-10 minutes of maintenance, retaining near-new performance the entire time. Yes, Contour Hybrid skins lose their stick faster than others. But they regain it way faster.
Grip
Our whole test team found the Contour Hybrid Mohair skins to have perfect grip. Enough for the steepest skin tracks, provided you execute with balance and confidence. Get sloppy, and something with greater grip might help. But those grippier skins will glide much more poorly.
Icing/Glopping Resistance
It seems that skins, over recent years, have consolidated in terms of glopping resistance. We notice less and less distinction between them. All are pretty good until conditions and application gets especially sloppy. The Contour Hybrid Mohair is totally fine, as it pertains to glopping. Even in direct comparison with nylon/mohair blended skins (which convention suggests should be better), the Hybrid Mohair showed little to no difference.
Compatibility
You buy the Contour Hybrid Mohair for length and approximate width and then trim for exact shape of your skis. The tip loop is rigid wire. These things combine to make a skin that is widely, if not universally, compatible. We can't think of a ski shape that wouldn't work for these.
Should You Buy the Contour Hybrid Mohair?
We recommend these skins. Nylon blended in with the mohair would make them more durable with compromised glide. For optimum glide, these are great. Before you buy, be sure that you are willing to sign up for the occasional, short maintenance (sometimes in the field) required of this glue format. Others will require less frequent (but more involved and not doable in the field) glue maintenance.
What Other Climbing Skins Should You Consider?
The Contour Hybrid Mohair is near the top of the heap. Its overall performance puts it in contention with the big dogs, nearly justifying one of our awards. Any alternatives are going to only improve your experience by very tiny amounts. If you like this sort of performance but don't want to execute the periodic maintenance, the Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 is great. If you seek greater plush durability with the same unique glue the Contour Hybrid Mix is the choice.