Here's some of that tedious unrewarding Cat 4 ski-touring stuff
PS Cat 1 & 2 aren't really skitouring.
I think you just proved a point, those videos were very tedious. Number 1 had 4 minutes and 5 seconds of walking climbing with 35 seconds of skiing (15 seconds of snowplough included); video number 2 I turned off after 30 seconds. I agree, very tedious.
PS Cat 4 isn't really skiing
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I suspect few people who have tried mountaineering would have found it tedious.
They might not like it - it can be grueling or scary.
Tedious isn't really the word though
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Andybag, Alternatively you can watch this "Ski Mountaineering" movie using Cat 0.5 gear. Dalbello Lupo HD, CAST touring/Look P18, Armada Declivity X modified. (6kg per foot)
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
jedster wrote:
I suspect few people who have tried mountaineering would have found it tedious.
They might not like it - it can be grueling or scary.
Tedious isn't really the word though
Totally agree, scares the poo-poo outta me, love it and hate it all at the same time, that said, all possible with modern Free Touring kit, or a mix of Free Touring and Ski Mo. Trad' touring kit is nonsense and for the "thrifty". Old tech for tight wads.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Andybag,
Yes in the vids I posted above there is very little skiing but this is a ski-touring thread and that is ski-touring.
In Tof Henry's videos (which are much more exciting to watch, he's a fantastic skier), there are just a few seconds of him on skins.
When you have 15kg+ on your back at 4000m+ & non-hero skis in variable conditions (sometimes in no fall zones) it takes much more effort and skill than a quick day tour on a pair of heavy/wide skis with shift bindings in light powder near a resort. Ok it doesn't look that spectacular but we are doing it for us and not for the camera, face book etc
If you look at the end of the second clip (from 11:30), when I was there a year earlier a skier caught an edge and fell into the stream. It certainly wasn't tedious but we didn't film it for social media brownie points.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Fri 5-02-21 15:52; edited 2 times in total
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
CH2O wrote:
Totally agree, scares the poo-poo outta me, love it and hate it all at the same time, that said, all possible with modern Free Touring kit, or a mix of Free Touring and Ski Mo. Trad' touring kit is nonsense and for the "thrifty". Old tech for tight wads.
All in approx €2000 + bootfitting
3.1 kg / foot (current setups 3.3 to 3.5 kg/foot at the moment)
My current 2 sets of touring skis, bindings & skins plus pair of touring boots probably cost me around €3000.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@DB, thanks for the added explanation. That sounds more like 'getting down' than skiing to me. Like when you see someone 'getting down' a hard packed piste as opposed to skiing down. I'm after the skiing, with a grin on my face as wide as possible, but that is my preference.
@CH2O, great video, thanks for that. Links very well to the above and I think I could split the kit categories you've listed into 'ski-touring' and 'getting down-touring'.
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
Andybag wrote:
@DB, thanks for the added explanation. That sounds more like 'getting down' than skiing to me. Like when you see someone 'getting down' a hard packed piste as opposed to skiing down. I'm after the skiing, with a grin on my face as wide as possible, but that is my preference.
Yes with cat 4 the skiing part is often just about getting down and it doesn't look pretty but that is part of the challenge (there isn't a film crew to catch the best bits but yes there wouldn't be many anyway). When we get back on alpine stuff without the heavy rucksack it looks a lot lot better, a lot better than your average tourist. Sometimes you are the first to a powder field with no one else around, you get to put first tracks in at what feels like the top of the world. Sadly not every day is a powder day, these bigger touring trips are planned months ahead and the weather is a lottery. Tof plans his trips on a daily basis and waits for the right conditions to put the big lines in, but even then he sometimes has to put scrapped short turns in because the snow conditions aren't what he hoped for. Haven't been able to find any pics or video of the serious crashes and injuries he has had (e.g. read something about a tree in Japan 2015). Cat 4 is more about the up than down, my previous setup was 4.5 kg/foot and we went from 800m to 3657m (Großvenediger) in two days with a full rucksack, the other days that week we did other 3000m Peaks (Großer Geiger & Groß Glockner). It's about getting away from the crowds and into the mountains, an escape - not about getting the best pictures or clips for social media. The equipment is a means to an end and it's not lego plastic cr@p as that can be fatal. Trying to sleep in high altitude (3000m+) winter rooms while it's minus 5 (inside) not having a shower or a proper toilet for a week. Roped up climbing ridges (as Tof does in his clip) - it's an adventure but not for everyone.
That doesn't mean to say that's all we do, yes on a powder day it's get the wide skis out and grins from ear to ear in a resort. I'll probably get a side country setup (Cat 1 or 2) later for the days I do in places such as St Anton. Yes there are tourers I see on the smaller hills with plastic cr@ppy 20 year old bindings and beards (sometimes even the men have them) - it's not what's on their feet that's important it's the smile on their faces. It's all good whatever Cat you are/do - I know it was done in jest and had a great comedy value but we don't have to go big mouth sh i tting on each other, esp. if the giver can't take back as good as he gives.
You know what happens to a lot of these 'gung ho' professional freeriders (they actually tediously plan everything very carefully)
They grow a beard and end up doing stuff like this ….
Last edited by 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 on Sat 6-02-21 9:04; edited 3 times in total
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Andybag wrote:
DB wrote:
Here's some of that tedious unrewarding Cat 4 ski-touring stuff
PS Cat 1 & 2 aren't really skitouring.
I think you just proved a point, those videos were very tedious. Number 1 had 4 minutes and 5 seconds of walking climbing with 35 seconds of skiing (15 seconds of snowplough included); video number 2 I turned off after 30 seconds. I agree, very tedious.
PS Cat 4 isn't really skiing
There's something magical about being out there alone in the snow covered mass of granite. Other ski mo video is well edited and glossy don't be under any illusion them dudes aren't going through the same "tedious" process to give you what you're seeing.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
DB wrote:
Someone has a lot of time on his hands.
There's also 'Virtual Touring' - having shifts on your skis because they are "in" but not having any skins.
Not everyone can afford everything at once. You could buy a set of new skis with shifts and still have alpine boots. Thinking to get new boots the following season with skins. I got a pair of skis with frame bindings to allow the option of some lite touring and it was a couple of seasons before I got the skins. Came in handy last week while I sneaked in a quick tour on East Lomand in Fife for probably my only 2021 turns.
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