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Powder Skis - Touring Bindings or Not?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I recently got a good deal on some big 124mm-waisted powder skis (2020 Blizzard Spurs), and am now going in circles on whether to put touring binding (Shifts) on them or not. The alternative would probably be Look Pivots which I've never skied on, but seem to get a lot of hype. I already have some 97mm touring skis so they wouldn't be my main touring skis.

Part of me thinks why not, as Shifts aren't that much more expensive, but then I'm not really sure if I'd ever want to go on even a short day tour with such a big ski. Maybe I'd spontaneously end up hiking for an hour here and there, but in reality I find on a given day I'm either going touring with a partner and taking all the gear, or I'm not, particularly if I'm solo.

Has anyone put a touring binding on a big not-light-but-not-that-heavy powder ski and found they toured on it a lot, or do you just have a massive pair of skins gathering dust?

I ski mostly in Chamonix if that makes any difference.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Never a bad thing to have the flexibility IMO. Don’t forget you’ll need skins though. Touring on too narrow skins is do-able for a short skin in powder but rapidly gets impractical
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Arno wrote:
Touring on too narrow skins is do-able for a short skin in powder but rapidly gets impractical


Indeed. Traverse across even a very slight incline and you'll be on your @rse
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I'm not sure when I'd ever be touring on 124mm waist. If its a real powder day (which is what that ski needs I'd guess) then I'm going to be using lifts to maximise vertical. If I'm skinning for powder in the days after the resort has been tracked then I'd not want that much ski. Skins for those things are going to be expensive and heavy.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Touring bindings. Mainly as it gives you options. A typical ski day for me will involve a half hour - hour long skin from a lift. As I am travelling to ski and need to book holidays ahead of time, I am often scratching around for good snow. So a heavier ski with a Shift on it makes sense. It also gives the opportunity to ascend in case of an accident.
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As you allude to being more of a Freerider than genuine Tourer why not go for the Fritschi Scout or Marker F10. Both great robust bindings, interchangable with Alpine/Touring boots and as @gorilla, says, gets you out of jail when it goes wrong. Both retail at less than £250.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@hold_my_biere, i've done exactly that.

Picked up a good deal on a pair of Volkl Revolt 121's and stuck shifts on them. I was supposed to be going to Canada last winter to see friends and the idea was that we'd mainly be skiing using lifts, but if there was a bit of a hike/skin at the end of the lift the option was there.

Still haven't used them yet, so let's hope for lots of snow in Meribel in January!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I often do shorter tours on my Bents at 120mm. Usually 20 to 40 minutes to access valleys away from the lift tops, but I've done 800m vert on them with no problem and that is with heavier frame bindings.
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@hold_my_biere, I've got touring capable bindings on all my skis which are 100, 112, 124, 138 and 148 underfoot, the biggest two skis have Shifts, and yes I have skinned on them. I use the 124mm skis skins on the 138/148 skis, and as mentioned narrow skins work fine in soft snow where you would typically be using them.

Obviously full coverage skins on a 124mm ski aren't going to be light, but neither are the skis you are putting them, so that shouldn't be an issue. In any case I would advise getting ski crampons if you think you will be regularly traversing exposed hard snow sections.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
TBF traversing exposed hard snow on 124mm skis isn’t on my list of top fun things even with perfectly fitting skins
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
If it’s these, not sure how you’d attach the skin clips to them?
https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2017-2018-blizzard-spur

Contrary to the others I wouldn’t do it.

I put Shifts on some 2000g 112mm waisted skis and don’t really like the way they ski. They’re also heavy bindings for touring. I can’t see you touring much on Spurs as it wouldn’t be much fun trying to drag them uphill and you’ll be in trouble anywhere technical.

As a consequence have put Alpine bindings on my newer powder skis and prefer them.

Go for the Pivots and boot pack if you need too - should be fine for Chamonix steeps
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Stick some F12's or similar on them. Not for touring so much as a Get out of Jail card when you screw up and drop into the wrong place, or get crevassd out on the VB. In this situation a shitty pair of skins and heavy bindings is 10-100x faster than trying to walk out. Even if its 10m vertical, if the snow is deep its a 10 min faff (2 if you are quick and orgonised) or 20-30 min of very very hard work.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
^^^ a very good point
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Arno wrote:
TBF traversing exposed hard snow on 124mm skis isn’t on my list of top fun things even with perfectly fitting skins


Exactly and I take the view that the terrain in the Alps is such that you often end up with sections like that on a ski tour so I'd only ever be skinning on something more adaptable.
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