Can you please help me out with some ski touring gear options?
I'm interested in buying a pattern-based ski touring set for backcountry trips. It'll be for something approximating:
- 70% lightweight 'easy miles' touring over mild terrain
- 30% freeheel turning down green and blue slopes
So what sort of setup would be good for distance, but with enough precision for some turning, for a person who doesn't know how to telemark, please?
(This touring set won't be used for any serious downhill terrain. My current alpine ski set is very old and outdated, so I'm planning on replacing it all with an AT one-ski quiver set in a year or two.)
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Ski touring plans:
- Covering mostly longer distances on flatter terrain, sometimes on but mostly off trails
- Day and multi-day tours out Perisher, Guthega, or Charlottes, as well as full weeks (or longer) on the Bogong High Plains
- Sometimes carrying a 15-20kg pack, but otherwise just a day pack
My background:
- I'm an alpine skier and snowboarder. I can get around alright on cross country skis, but I've not tried telemarking. While it would be nice to learn to telemark properly, this will probably be my only freeheel setup, so I'm not sure how far I could take my tele skills with gear like this...
- When I've skied on the BHP previously, my main setup was a borrowed AT set with full skins, which was a pain on all the flats. When I spent a day on someone else's hire skis (Madshus Glittertind skis, NNN BC bindings, and lightweight boots), I found them too soft to have any fun on the downhills... But maybe this was because the hire gear was overly sloppy?
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Questions:
Skills:
What kinds of freeheel turning should I be aiming for for these kinds of trips? I'm wanting to do more than snowplow! Should I be simply approximating alpine parallel turns, or spending some time to learn the foundations of telemarking?
Boots:
- Will leather boots be too soft for turning? Will plastic Scarpa T4s or Scott Excursions be too hefty for longer distances? I'm currently thinking that a leather boot with some extra structure would be good? Perhaps something like the Crispi Svartisen - but don't see this boot or similar alternatives available in Sydney / NSW / Regional VIC shops?
Bindings:
- NNN BC for distances or 75mm for turning? Or something else? I really don't know my way around all the tele binding options! Voile Switchbacks seem like a good middle-ground option, as long as I can find a good 75mm boot?
Skis:
- I'm currently thinking something like the Madshus Epoch or Rossi BC90, or similar? Would this be a good option, or something thinner or thicker? What length should I go for for Australian BC conditions, given that I'm 85kg and 185cm?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
I'm interested in buying a pattern-based ski touring set for backcountry trips. It'll be for something approximating:
- 70% lightweight 'easy miles' touring over mild terrain
- 30% freeheel turning down green and blue slopes
So what sort of setup would be good for distance, but with enough precision for some turning, for a person who doesn't know how to telemark, please?
(This touring set won't be used for any serious downhill terrain. My current alpine ski set is very old and outdated, so I'm planning on replacing it all with an AT one-ski quiver set in a year or two.)
------
Ski touring plans:
- Covering mostly longer distances on flatter terrain, sometimes on but mostly off trails
- Day and multi-day tours out Perisher, Guthega, or Charlottes, as well as full weeks (or longer) on the Bogong High Plains
- Sometimes carrying a 15-20kg pack, but otherwise just a day pack
My background:
- I'm an alpine skier and snowboarder. I can get around alright on cross country skis, but I've not tried telemarking. While it would be nice to learn to telemark properly, this will probably be my only freeheel setup, so I'm not sure how far I could take my tele skills with gear like this...
- When I've skied on the BHP previously, my main setup was a borrowed AT set with full skins, which was a pain on all the flats. When I spent a day on someone else's hire skis (Madshus Glittertind skis, NNN BC bindings, and lightweight boots), I found them too soft to have any fun on the downhills... But maybe this was because the hire gear was overly sloppy?
------
Questions:
Skills:
What kinds of freeheel turning should I be aiming for for these kinds of trips? I'm wanting to do more than snowplow! Should I be simply approximating alpine parallel turns, or spending some time to learn the foundations of telemarking?
Boots:
- Will leather boots be too soft for turning? Will plastic Scarpa T4s or Scott Excursions be too hefty for longer distances? I'm currently thinking that a leather boot with some extra structure would be good? Perhaps something like the Crispi Svartisen - but don't see this boot or similar alternatives available in Sydney / NSW / Regional VIC shops?
Bindings:
- NNN BC for distances or 75mm for turning? Or something else? I really don't know my way around all the tele binding options! Voile Switchbacks seem like a good middle-ground option, as long as I can find a good 75mm boot?
Skis:
- I'm currently thinking something like the Madshus Epoch or Rossi BC90, or similar? Would this be a good option, or something thinner or thicker? What length should I go for for Australian BC conditions, given that I'm 85kg and 185cm?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!