 Poster: A snowHead
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I’ve never done any touring whatsoever. I will be in Europe for 5 weeks in January and will be doing plenty of piste skiing but also plenty of guided days. I expect I will need touring gear at least some of the guiding days. Are touring boots and bindings always a compromise as far as carving performance is concerned? Or is there such a thing as the best of both worlds.
If a touring set up can deliver really good groomer performance I may go that way.
I only want to take one set of boots and skis.
Thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No real compromise with the latest generation of hybrid boots and a Shift/Duke PT binding on a decent all mountain ski - unless you're comparing them so say a FIS SL ski and very stiff boots - but then they're a bit one trick pony.
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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?
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Your problem will be more in selecting one single pair of skis to serve multiple objectives in an extended period where snow conditions may vary considerably.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@sbooker, wot @spyderjon says. I now use Tecnica Zero-G boots for everything. Mrs U is in Lange XT3s which are a bit heavier but she's skied Lange for-evah and they apparently felt just like her old RS race boots, but a whole load lighter.
We'd (like to think anyway) that we're reasonably strong, demanding skiers. I think most brands now do similar models, anyway, it's all about what your fitter thinks you need.
Ski wise, I think, at the margin, touring oriented skis might be a tiny bit compromised in burliness and robustness, having sacrificed, e.g., layers of metal in pursuit of the light, but I doubt that's really a practical consideration.
So, f'rinstance, I would expect Blizzard's Zero-G range to be intresting and although they don't carry them, my friends at Concept in Cham said last year that the new Dynastar M-Line series are pretty good. Also, Volkl.
I could almost, but not quite, use my Black Diamond Route 95s as an everyday ski, just not quite, at the limit.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| Your problem will be more in selecting one single pair of skis to serve multiple objectives in an extended period where snow conditions may vary considerably. |
I currently ski Blizzard Rustler 9s. As I’m a short back bottom and relative light weight (at 72kg) so even though they are only 92mm under foot they offer me great ‘float’ in fresh snow. They are nice on the groomers too. I get they aren’t light but I’m not envisaging hours and hours of uphill.
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It's really a question of what you're looking to get from your ski-touring. If you're primarily motivated to access backcountry terrain for great skiing with a performance focus then yes, you can. It's relatively easy to find a virtual race boot with touring fittings, but their weight and tightness of fitting will make the uphill stretches much more of an effort.
Similarly skis, you can fit touring bindings to almost any ski, so pick the weapon of your choice and put up with the extra weight on your climbs.
The bindings themselves I'm not so sure about - are the latest generation of pin bindings really strong enough for full-on aggressive freeride use? I've heard people make the claim but remain sceptical. But certainly things like the Marker Duke touring bindings are right up there with the alpine ones, just adding a little more weight for the release mechanism.
This has always been my perspective on ski-touring, and represents one extreme, whereas at the other end of the scale I see, here in Morgins particularly (as it's got a dedicated ski-touring area) folks with dedicated touring kit who really aren't interested in downhill ski performance, so they choose the lightest easiest kit but look like relics from a bygone age when they're doing their stem-christie turns on even the gentlest pistes. 
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| Quote: |
I would expect Blizzard's Zero-G range to be intresting
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Excellent lightweight ski for touring - I use the 95 - but have reservations for piste use since to achieve lightness they are a bit more "fragile" (ie thinner steel edges more susceptible to damage etc)
They perform well on piste, but like any lightweight ski have less inertia so get a bit "chattery" in hard pack
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It’s all all a compromise of downhill performance vs weight/comfort for the uphill eg Tecnica Zero G vs Cochise or Blizzard Zero G vs Rustler. Cochise + Rustler + Shift would be a perfect Piste / All Mountain setup if emphasis was on lift served. Zero G + Zero G better if emphasis on touring.
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