Steep Line Blues
There was a time I preferred that strategy until a quiet Swiss touring partner showed me how, three weekends in a row, skinning slow and steady with a meandering line wins the long distance race, not sprinting straight up. A few of those incidents at altitude is what convinced me the steep line was not worth it just to prove I could. Better to maintain momentum over the long track than loose it and waste energy on the short. Age has confirmed his strategy.
Straight lining
Nonetheless there is a time and a place for steep skin lines, and Skeats would certainly add a few degrees of climbing angle plus an extra measure of confidence to your skins grip because the Skeats won’t let go and let you slide backwards with a free heel. Now I can’t in good conscience recommend a steep skinning line for anything other than a short pitch. Even so, when you need to, it’s a good idea to have ski crampons, or Skeats™ in your pack, ready to rally for a dose of steep, high traction skinning. I have no axe to grind with the extra traction Skeats™ provide. It is their lack of glide that annoys me. For that I’d rather use traditional ski crampons with a Dynafit style attachment that pivots to allow glide. However, there is a time and place for every tool and this may strike a chord with you.
No Fuss Traction
The main reason to carry a set of Skeats™ is because they’re easier to stash in your pack and they don’t require a special attachment. They’ll work on any ski with any binding. But, you must lift your ski with every step. Again, for a short steep pitch this is no big deal. You just wouldn’t keep them on any longer than you needed them. As it is with any set of crampons.
Feel like you need chain style traction occasionally to deal with ice on the white road? Skeats™ are a simple solution.
Skeats™
MSRP: $30 – $40 depending on width
© 2018
If you are skinning a fairly steep section for a long stretch in hard snow or icy conditions, the Skeats™ work wonders. When it is too far to boot, and just steep enough to cause a bit off slipping with skins alone; the skin cleats are the perfect solution.
I prefer ski crampons over booting long distances on the hard stuff. Example: Skining up a Cascade peak in the late spring or summer.
Fun idea. Not really diverse enough in application to make worth carrying around though, in my opinion. If I’m climbing something steep I’d probably just boot the short section.