Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Touring equipment

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Having been partly converted to the idea of touring (or at least walking for a bit to get away from the crowds to find some good snow) by a friend I am looking at getting some kit. I have a set of B3s which I don't use a great deal so was thinking of getting some touring bindings for them. Questions - Does anyone have any experience with the Marker Duke binding? Seems to get a good press for the sort of thing I am looking at, ie occasional forays as oppose to full on backcountry touring. Also how easy is it to use touring bindings with normal alpine boots? I know some bindings only work with specific touring boots and that lightweight is better but at this stage I'm only looking at 1-2hour walks just to get into it so want to keep things simple and cheap. Thoughts / advice appreciated
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
BGA, Don't disguard the Fritschis! Ideal for your use and tried and tested snowHead
latest report
 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?
BGA, The Duke is a great option for "Sidecountry" outings, however heavy and at 349EUROS NOT CHEAP. I'm expecting to see a flood of Fritchi on Ebay as people transfer over to Duke.
latest report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
BGA, echoing the others, i'd look out for some cheap fritschi freerides. i'd be a little dubious of buying them from the sort of person who is upgrading to the Duke though. they'll probably have been flogged to within an inch of their life. i'm interested to see how the duke does, but generally i prefer to buy things a season or two after they first come out so that there has been time for initial flaws to be ironed out

fritschis work fine with alpine boots. in fact, i think only dynafit bindings will cause a problem in this respect (not sure about silvrettas so stand to be corrected)
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
You might want to buy some BCA Alpine Trekkers, I really like them for "sidecountry" use.
No need to change your boots or standard alpine bindings for the going down bits.
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
I'm about to buy some touring gear and am leaning heavily towards Dynafit... Does anyone have any info/advice/inside knowledge on their skis? The new Zzero range of boots looks and feels the business but the ski range is more of a mystery to me. I have decided against the "ski running" end of the stick but cant decide between the ski touring and free touring range. The "ski touring" ST7s look to have a sensible shape, not to wide in the waist for ease of turning but are they going to be as much fun as the ST10 or FT Mustagh Ata? All horses for courses I expect but any ideas for an all-round touring (not racing) ski with ease of use in decent being as important as wieght on the climb (as these are all fairly light designs anyway)?


Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 2-04-07 14:41; edited 1 time in total
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
BGA,

Recently tried the Fritschi plus and they were ok, very light as you'd expect. You might need to get used to an elevated position which wasn't a problem in deep snow...couldn't try them on a packed down surface. I'd take Arno's point about heavier freestylers on them though. Also, I had to jack them up by a 1 DIN at least in deep stuff as they didn't feel 'connected' to the ski. Others in our group did the same, IIRCC.
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
rungsp, just looked up a few sites on the Trekkers - they look like a good option. Do they fit any alpine binding? My B3s have Salomon 914 bindings. If they do then this would seem to be a fairly painless and inexpensive way to get into 'sidecountry' skiing. Any recommendations for skins?
ski holidays
 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.
Yep, they fit any alpine binding.
I really don't know enough to suggest specific skins though.
snow report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
BGA, I have a pair Trekkers. Would not recommed them. Yes they'll fit any alpine binding - you do finish up a long way above the ski - which I didn't find comfortable.
latest report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I have used Colltex, Pomoca and Black Diamond skins. I liked Colltex the most
snow report
 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.
BGA, Yes trekkers work in all alpine, especially Sally. They do have the effect of raising you up 9 feet off the ski, so limited climbing, however downhill is well, Normal. Best skins by a seals whisker, BLACK DIAMOND mixed STS.

in garbure we trust, The zZero has been designed by the team responsable for the Adrenaline and Garmont Rando Range. I have a pair of zZero Carbons, great, as you said good looking, however i have put Scarpa Tornado tongues to get them remotely skiable. Dynafit are rightly proud of the advancements they've(Mario has made) to their range for next year. It would have been hard to do worse. However they are still lightyears behind Scarpa and Garmont. Big question is as to when Black Diamond and Dalbello will finally enter the fray.
Interestingly, Lange popped by early this winter, bought a pair of each Rando boot we stock in size 26. As for the skis, they're so so. Nothing more. BUY BLACK DIAMOND! Toofy Grin
ski holidays
 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
SMALLZOOKEEPER, presumably being raised nine feet in the air is not a problem unless you are trekking up steeps or exposed ridges? At this stage I'm just looking to give the simpler stuff a go to see if my CV system is up to it and also to see if it does indeed offer a new dimension to my skiing. If this is the case I will probably look at getting more of a dedicated setup. My concern with AT kit, having read through various forums and the comments of Arno and JT is that as quite a large chap (17st+) who normally skis with a DIN setting of 11 I might destroy or keep coming out of the lighter bindings.

As for skins - Black Diamond it is then.
latest report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Hmm bummer, I was reading a Pistehors.com review and they seemed to think that this years revisions (yeah by Mr Sartor) made the Dynafit boots completely uncomparable with last years: http://pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/0719-reboot-for-dynafit/ I think I am just going to have to go and try them out for real and see which fits best. But you are saying Black Diamond then... Arnt Trab still top of the tree for skis though?
latest report
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I would worry about buying used Fritschis. Earlier this winter one of our group had the square section of tube under the foot break. A temporary fix was managed and he skied very cautiously off of the mountain.

The heel piece of his bindings wrapped around the square tube. The break was inside the heel piece. The tube had a hole through it at the place of the break. He said the hole looked as if it were part of the original manufacture, not part of the fitting to the skis and boots. Holes are one form of a stress concentrator . The only way of finding the break before it happened would have required disassembly of the bindings.
snow conditions
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
BGA, I have the perfect solution for you... a pair of Naxo 21s, used 10 days total, DIN 13, bomber, great for uphill, secure on the way down... send me a PM with your details if you're interested...
latest report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
parlor, But then you never ski and when you do it's like watching Bambi. Toofy Grin
snow report
 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?
parlor, after such a great reference from SMALLZOOKEEPER I would be a fool not to be interested. One question - will the holes drilled to mount the existing bindings cause a problem when mounting a new binding? (have PM'd you as well)
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
BGA, no problem with the remount I would have thought, the holes on the Naxos will be further apart than the 914s... have the skis only been drilled once? If yes, I can't see there being an issue... I'lll reply to your PM...
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
JT wrote:
...I had to jack them up by a 1 DIN at least in deep stuff as they didn't feel 'connected' to the ski...

I've had to do the same with mine after having a pre-release too many. (I'm not the best skier in the world, but am good enough to know when I would have expected the ski to stay on or come off.)

Putting it up 1 DIN now results in that happy place of it staying on when I want it to and coming off when it needs to.
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote:
Big question is as to when Black Diamond and Dalbello will finally enter the fray.

SMALLZOOKEEPER - it may be my mind playing tricks on me, but I remember looking in a Dalbello brochure at your place and them having some rando boots in the brochure. But there's nothing on their web site. Have I had a Genepe too many this season...?
latest report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy