Pomoca’s new Tour Pro Expedition skin. This new skin features grippier plush along the edges and better glide down skin-center.
Pomoca introduces a new model in the Tour Pro Expedition and some small tweaks to its hardware and skin glue.
In my (admitted time-limited) worldview, Pomoca skins are representative of a shift toward performance in the American climbing skin market. In my shop tech days, I remember when we first switched from carrying only Black Diamond Ascension skins to offering some variety of Pomoca mohair. It wasn’t easy to convince customers to opt for less grippy, less durable skin despite the obvious glide, weight, and packed-size benefits.
Jumping forward five years or so, Pomoca seems to have taken the throne as the most common skins I see in the wild. Along with this widespread adoption have come some issues and complaints with things like durability and, most notably, glue sticking to ski bases. Plush durability is directly related to weight and plush thickness—anyone purchasing a set of the super svelte Free Pro 2.0 skins should plan to accept the reality that hitting rocks will cut these. Similarly, with hardware durability, user error is often the culprit; too tight of tail straps and pulling skins apart from the hardware rather than grabbing the plush are the main culprits. Glue, on the other hand, is a less forgivable issue. I’ve had mixed bag results with Pomoca glue over the past few years, with some Blizzard branded skins leaving glue on my skis from day one, and otherwise having great luck with the glue on Pomoca and 4FRNT branded skins. It seems like some bad glue batches are out there, or perhaps some batches endure a hot shipping container somewhere along the way—just a theory.
Pomocą introduces a small but important change to their tail clips. The tail clips are available for purchase separately (two for ~$20) to retrofit older models.
After a few years without major updates, Pomoca seems to have listened to consumers’ quips and comes to the table with some updates and an entirely new skin model. Perhaps the biggest update is the hardware: the new tips have a two-piece construction that seems constructed from more flexible (read: less brittle in the cold) plastic. The tail straps remain the same, but Pomoca replaces the plastic clips that frequently broke and were challenging to adjust with an easy-to-adjust metal clip tapered to fit various tail thicknesses and appears effectively unbreakable. Note that by using the same strap attachment, these tail clips are backward compatible with older Pomoca skins.
On the glue front, these new skins (coming from the Pomoca warehouse in Boulder, CO.), are labeled with a “Cold Formula Glue” specific to the North American market. While I’m not always convinced we need special glue on this side of the Atlantic, this seems to signal that something has changed with the glue and I am hopeful for better results. I will report on these findings once I have more time to test, but so far, there is no glue on my bases.
In addition to my powder ski go-to, the Free Pro 2.0, I am trying out the Tour Pro Expedition model skin. This new model features what Pomoca calls “Edge-Grip.” Essentially, the 3 cm or so on the skin’s edges have a grippier plush and a faster (lower-grip) plush in the center. This new skin model is only available in 120mm width so far, so for a skinnier ski, you may trim off much of the grippy plush. I have mine cut for my Black Crows Solis, with the idea that those are frequently my ski of choice for days that often feature firm early morning skinning. Between the straight sidecut, multiple riser options of the Slatnar ST bindings (as opposed to my usual race bindings), and edge grip skins, I’m hoping for some ninja-level skinning grip with this setup.
We will report on how these updates from Pomoca perform throughout the winter. For now, we always appreciate companies listening to our grievances and making the necessary changes.
The new Tour Pro Expedition comes in varying lengths, but, for now, only in 120mm widths. Note the tip is compatible with different style tips.
Seems like a sensible design, and according to their own tests it offers both best glide and best grip.
It does complicate production, having to manufacture specific widths.
I have a set to trim and try.