Pure Mohair Skins Questions

I am about to purchase the recently made available in the U.S. BD pure mohair skins.  What are your thoughts on this decision in relation to skinning in the the Cascades?  I know that at least one local ski shop in the Seattle area is not planning on carrying BD pure mohair because they feel they are not as durable, and instead are carrying the mohair/synthetic mix, and pure synthetic varieties.

Lee Lau's experiments intrigue me:

"Using mohair skins.  Better glide.  I measured 4% lower heart rate on a particular gentle climb with mohair skins vs synthetic skins."

Can anyone offer any insight or advice with this decision?

I only have one set of all-mohair skins. They are straight and skinny and have superior glide, but I haven't used them much so can't comment on their durability. I have several European friends who have owned Colltex 100% mohair skins for years and swear by them, so the longevity can't be that bad.

I've heard (and my limited experience seems to bear this out) that nylon gives slightly more grip in wet snow conditions. There are times, especially on steep and icy skin tracks, when it's definitely faster to err on the side of grip vs. glide . . . A couple of experienced rando racers made this comment to me at last year's Alpental race.

I went with the BD mohair/synthetic mix for this year's new skis, FWIW.

Mohair skins glide better than synthetic for me, tho I have not measured my exact reduced heart rate with them. Also, mine are 20% lighter than the synthetic skins for the same skis, that I have measured. FWIW.

Colltex offers two weights of 100% mohair skin material; "Extreme" is red and seems almost as heavy as standard BD Ascenscion material, and "Special" which is pale blue and much thinner and lighter. The plush fibers also seem shorter on the blue skins (or maybe it's just that the racers who showed me the blue skins had tons of vertical on them and wore them down).

I don't know that BD will offer a choice of weights for their mohair skins.

Mo' mohair discussion here:
theseskisarewings.blogspot.com/2009/11/m...t-2-of-buy-your.html

Also a bit here:
www.wildsnow.com/2220/blogomania/#comment-20900

Thanks, Jonathan. There are some others, too - I have a pair of Kohla skins in my basement (not mine) that seem very similar to Pomoca. I do have a feeling that many Euro manufacturers buy their skin material from either Colltex or Pomoca and put on their own tip/tail hardware.

Might be 'mo bettah to include a discussion of hot waxing/brushing skins (which I do) and skiing icy groomers with skins on to wear down the plush (which I haven't tried yet). Both seem to have a positive effect on glide.