Let $\mathscr{X}$ be an snc model of $X$, and assume there exists a projective snc model $\mathscr{X}^{\prime}$ and $h:\mathscr{X}^{\prime}\longrightarrow\mathscr{X}$. We define the skeleton $\Sk(\mathscr{X})\subset X^{\an}$ as the image of $A_{\mathscr{X}^{\prime}\mathscr{X}}$ by the embedding $\mathcal{D}(\mathscr{X}^{\prime}_{0})\hookrightarrow X^{\an}$, and the Berkovich retraction $\rho_{\mathscr{X}}:X^{\an}\longrightarrow\Sk(\mathscr{X})$ as the composition $r_{\mathscr{X}^{\prime}\mathscr{X}}\circ\rho_{\mathscr{X}^{\prime}}$ (after identifying $\mathcal{D}(\mathscr{X}^{\prime}_{0})$ with $\Sk(\mathscr{X}^{\prime})$).