A Review of The Best Skin Skis

Today, the best skin skis perform exceptionally well and suits all types of skiers.

The best skin skis have made a quantum leap lately and sales are literally going through the roof. Today, all ski manufacturers in the Nordic sector have different models of skin skis from beginners to recreational skiers to choose from.  

With so many wax-free options, it has made cross-country skiing so much easier and simpler for recreational skiers.

Nowadays, no-wax is synonymous with mohair and all different ski manufacturers mentioned here produce high quality wax-less cross country skis. These companies are already well-known for fabricating skate skis as well as grip wax classic skis like Atomic, Fischer, Kästle, Madshus, Rossignol and Salomon.

Testing the best Skin skis in December 2021 in Switzerland

Each ski company has two models, of which one was a top model and the other one or two steps below. Only the Kästle manufacturer (or Kaestle written in English) has one single model in the market, but they don’t need to hide behind the other ski companies.  

The different ski brands of course have their own characteristics and behave a little different in the track, according to personal preferences. My intention for this test wasn’t to designate the best skin skis, which would be very tough to decide anyway. But to help you find no-wax cross country skis that equips you best depending on your individual preference.

The best skin skis are also frequently used for very good recreational skiers like Charlotte, who has been classic skiing for years. And in difficult snow conditions at around 0° Celsius, even world class Nordic ski athletes competed with waxless classic cross country skis in races.

Name: Charlotte

XC Ski Experience: Many years, lately more on skate skis

Fitness Level: She is very fit. But over the years with skating on skis, her kick has weakened significantly.

Hi I'm...

Charlotte, I have been cross-country skiing for several years. I would say that I'm physically and technically in top form.

I used to do a lot of classic skiing. But the battle involved with waxing, got me into skate skiing.

Then came the trend with skin skis and that made me curious to try again skiing in the classic style technique. I consider this style to be a much more elegant discipline.

Now I looking for a skin ski that has similar gliding properties to my competition models from a new years ago. I want to be able to start immediately with skiing, but without the previous wax stress.

The advantages of a "Move Switch binding"

A few XC ski companies install a different type of Move Switch binding to be able to carry out a final optimization with the best skin skis for racing. This may be a potentially crucial detail since the grip zone can’t be moved at will.

The Madshus Redline 3.0 Intelligrip ski with the integrated Mohair skin piece (Photo: Courtesy Madshus)

You can leave the binding in the neutral position, or you can move it forward for better grip and backward for more speed. The Rottefella Move Switch binding system used on the Atomic Redster C9 Carbon Skintec or Madshus Redline 3.0 Intelligrip allows you to slide the binding forward or backward without releasing the ski from the boots.

Of course, only the best skin variants are used here. However, they differ a bit in terms of running behavior. For this reason, appropriate fitness is an absolute requirement if you want to have fun with the best skin skis for high-performance on the trails.

The best skin skis are suitable for all types of skiers

Nordic skiing is indeed “more user friendly” than ever before, and a recreational skier can go out for an enjoyable workout without thinking much about the conditions and waxing his/her skis. A good pair of Nordic skin-skis needs practically no maintenance except occasional quick glide waxing.

In general, it can be said that the technically good skier is best suited for the most expensive skis.

But even if you are a beginner, you don’t have to go up to the most expensive model. Sure, the best skin skis are expensive and give you top glide, but at the same time requires you to have a good technique to get a good grip.

The Rossignol X-IUM Premium RSkin with its Mohair stripe integrated well in front of the binding

Nordic skiing is indeed “more user friendly” than ever before, and a recreational skier can go out for an enjoyable workout without thinking much about the conditions and waxing his/her skis. A good pair of Nordic skin-skis needs practically no maintenance except occasional quick glide waxing.

In general, it can be said that the technically good skier is best suited for the most expensive skis.

But even if you are a beginner, you don’t have to go up to the most expensive model. Sure, the best skin skis are expensive and give you top glide, but at the same time requires you to have a good technique to get a good grip.

Finally, is to say that the four or five-star skin skis in this category are close in regard of rating. Nevertheless, there are undeniable variations relating to effort and the requirements on the technology. 

For example, the Kästle RX10 skin ski (Kaestle) didn’t make it to the highest five-star rating because of slight deficiency in insertion and grip. But the Kaestle ski was convincing in terms of price with over 100 Euros / dollars cheaper than its competitors including the binding, like the Salomon S/LAB Carbon eSkin and the Fischer Twin Skin Speedmax 3D.

And a too aggressive mohair prevented a better rating for the Madshus Redline 3.0 Intelligrip. The short strip of mohair has a bit too much grip which makes the ski slower.

Atomic Redster C9 Carbon Skintec

The C9 Carbon Skintec skis are a bit stiff and don’t flex that much vertically. Because of that, they may have a slightly smaller pocket zone for pressure towards the ground from a hard double poling skier and may drag a little bit. But I’m still positively surprised!

Fischer Twin Skin Speedmax 3D

The Twin Skin Speedmax can be characterized as a good allrounder. It’s the only skin ski that has two separate skin stripes in the base. In soft snow, this test model tended to pluck slightly. Overall, a good choice for most skiers who want a top skin ski.

Kaestle RX10 Skin

The RX10 Skin from Kaestle is the lightest and by far the cheapest in this category. Like the Fischer Speedmax, it plucks a bit at insertion and also the grip may not always be optimal. But it’s the best price-performance ratio of all the test skis.  

Madshus Redline 3.0 Intelligrip

The short but rough Mohair piece makes the Redline 3.0 a little sluggish and slow. This affects the gliding ability under certain snow conditions. However, in all the other criteria, the ski receives good grades.  

Rossignol X-IUM Premium r-Skin

In my view, the Rossignol Premium R-Skin receives very good values for push-down behavior and gliding ability.  As usual, you need a little more power and good technique to master this ski. I have been training on Rossignol skin skis when I practice the diagonal and the double pole kick technique and love them.

Salomon S/Lab Carbon eSkin

I evaluate the S/LAB Carbon eSkin as a top racing ski in its category. It’s the most expensive skin ski tested here but offers excellent grip. I’m a little surprised how well I could climb the hills, despite the ski standing out with an extreme mohair position.  This skin ski is perfect for long and hilly classic races like the 50 km long Reistadløpet or Birkebeinerrennet.

So, those are the best skin skis and depending on your requirements, one of these skin ski models should suit you fine.