Black Diamond Glidelite Nylon STS Climbing

My friend Bill is an extreme environmentalist. He goes well beyond your average eco-conscious pragmatist. Bill not only separates his recyclables into paper, plastic, and glass, he actually sorts them by color, weight, and of course the little number inside the triangle that no one else understands. Bill once boycotted a grocery store chain because they used only 50% recycled materials in their reusable cloth shopping bags.

So when it came to Bill's passion, back-country skiing, he absolutely refused to use climbing skins, instead using old fashioned nordic wax (of course recycled wax.) Bill's reasoning was made clear by his statement to me, "I will not use anything that's been taken off the back of a poor defenseless seal. Sure, skins make steep climbs easier than wax, but my friends at Save the Seals would never forgive me if I switched." (Bill even said that he doesn't watch nature videos that feature seals because he feels the cameras are invading the seals' privacy.)

I finally pointed out to Bill that they don't make climbing skins out of sealskins anymore. In fact, they now make them out of nylon, which absorbs less water, ices up less, and has better glide than mohair or plastic skins. I went on to tell him that I recommend the Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS Skins. The Black Diamond Ascension Nylon STS Skins are super-packable, lightweight and durable. They now have improved glide thanks to the redesigned printed plush material. The STS attachment system holds skins firmly in place with a glove-friendly elastomer strap and one-step camming tailpiece for simplicity and security.

Bill felt terrible for going on like that and offered me a free subscription to "Recycle World" magazine. I had to politely decline pointing out that it seemed kind of ironic that "Recycle World" magazine is printed on paper, which is destroying our forests. You could almost see the short-circuit that happened in Bill's brain as he let this information sink in. Bill is currently seeing a therapist for his conflicted conscious.