Rat Tail

After a few season back-country skiing I've found that even though your skins might be brand spanking new, they can still become detached from you ski. This is especially true in the spring corn months, where pine needles, dirt, and other adhesive malfunctions occur regularly. As always though, there is a simple solution to this minor problem where you will no longer have any issues with your skins coming unexpectedly unadhered to your ski.

The solution for preventing the unplanned departure of your skins from your skis is actually a fairly easy and logical one. The only requirement is that your skins be the full length type with some sort of tail attachment, like the Black Diamond™ Ascension with the ClipFix system. This type of skin has a camming Lever on the end, which attaches to the tail of your ski. It is this attachment point which tends to become uncammed and then eventually your skin becomes unattached causing all sorts of other problems.

Screws and Washers

To get started in remedying this problem, a quick stop by your local hardware store to get a few items is in order. Some small washers, two larger washers, a length of bungie cord and some self tapping screws are all you need to buy, though a screwdriver and/or a power drill comes in handy when it's time to put everything together. The key to this method is the sizing of the washers that will be placed on the tail of your ski. When stacked, these washers should form a 'T' so that when you add the 'rat tail', you will have something to prevent it from popping off the ski.

Once you have made it back from the hardware store, get out the drill and screwdriver and sit yourself down in a well lit area. Put the skins on your ski's just like you would before going on a tour and place them on a sturdy table. You are about to make a permanent hole in the top of your, so you only really have one chance to get it right. Finding a good place to work at is critical to ensuring that you get everything where it needs to be, so be sure to choose wisely.

Select your placement

In the first step, you will need to visually gauge how long your 'rat tail' is going to be by looking at how much space you have from the end of you ski to the back of your binding. I chose to place my attachment point a little less than halfway between these two reference points, using part of the ski's graphics as a locater. This will be where you place the self-tapping screw and the stack of washers you got from the hardware store.

Once you have selected a spot for your screw it is time to get the power drill out. To get the screw into the ski perpendicular to the top surface with the least amount of damage to the ski, it is best to drill a hole with a drill. This starting hole makes the screw go in more true, not to mention much easier. Make sure that you use a bit significantly smaller than your screw, that way you don't risk having the screw strip out of your ski. Make sure not to go too deep into the ski, otherwise you will risk punching through the base and ruining your board.

Drill Carefully

Now that you have your starting hole, stack your washers up into a 'T' and screw them down your ski tightly. Again, make sure that the screw you use is not longer that the thickness of the ski once you have the washers on, otherwise it will go through the ski completely and ruin your base. One trick to help, is to keep a finger on the base as you twist the screw into place so you can feel the protrusion that usually precedes a base puncture. Stop if you are not sure whether or not you are about to puncture your base. Having ski's with holes in the bases is far less appealing than having 'rat tails' keeping your skins on your skis.

Once you have your washers and screws in place, all that is left to do is to cut the bungee cord to length so that it flips over your attachment point. I will usually burn the cut ends so that the sheathing will not become unraveled and get fouled in your gear. This only takes a moment and then you are all done with your new 'rat tail' attachment system. All that is left to do is to get out and test it on some gnarly corn-fed plab.

Finished Product