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New Ski Touring skis and Barons

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Ok - here is my dilemma.

I usually ski mainly off piste and have a pair of 1080 foils and a pair of Nomad Crimsons both with standard bindings.

I have broken both brakes on the 1080s and this sounds like an ideal excuse to stick some touring bindings on them, such as the Barons.

I seem to end up skinning for a few hours a couple of times a year recently - and hate the hassle of hiring kit. Probably will end up doing more.

So I look on conrad and find that as far as the barons are concerned - adding new skis only adds about 30 euros... and nothing given that I would need to pay to have them mounted on the 1080s...

So - sale skis for a bit of touring and off piste/steeps.

Sweet Daddy? Crimsons? (but I have them already...)

Or paying a bit more - Coombas ? Outlaws or Legend Mythic Riders?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
stoatsbrother, ha ha ...

Coombas..?? in the same breath as Outlaws...??

Haven't used the Coombas and missed that chance last year but they are over 100mm wide, I think..... but we dug a guy out who was having great fun on them until he botched his jump and the ski ended up miles down the hill. Everyone loves thembut are they too much a one dimentional ski for you..?

You coud add Mantras to your list..as I did, but I ended up with Gladiators and Dukes.

This is the 1st season for Barons and there is some concern about their strenght, in that they are pretty much the same as Dukes...150g lighter with plastic in the the metal places. What all this adds upto, I am not so sure, but I went Dukes anyway as the weight saving wasn't enough to worry about.

I would expect Mythic Riders and Outlaws to be the same sort of thing so where do you think you want to position these new skis...
I am only going to carry one pr and if the snow is hard and scarce, I'll hire GS skis, otherwise, my thinking is that the Glads will take me everywhere I want to go.

FWIW, I will try my new set-up out at MK on monday.
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JT, fair points...

Just looking at what is available really cheap!

What I really want is something light, soft, small radius for use doing backcountry stuff - no hucking, plenty of trees but hopefully more steep and narrow stuff.

The nomads I have already with normal bindings will do me for 80% of my ski holidays. I would only hire piste skis if I was going to try and take the MSB race more seriously...

I do like how the 1080s work - although I recognise their lifespan is limited, and given the chance to get a pair of skis nearly free with the bindings makes me look at what is around.
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stoatsbrother, Mantras are one of the most fun skis I have been on, rip on piste but excellent in the deep (despite the expected tip dive from a ski that thin). Had a flex at the Coombas and they feel sweet-the lightest skis of that sorta group by far. Thats my 2c worth-may not be of a whole amount of use to you.
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Coombas would also tick the "soft" box, as it were. less overlap with the crimsons than the other possibilities too
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I have a pair of Salomon Scrambler Customs (124-89-114) with Fritchi Freerides on, a very light ski that is good both off and on piste with a radius of 17.5m.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
mark handford, are they the same as the Scrambler Hots but without the daft pilot system?
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
JT, Barons are still going to be far stronger than Freerides...

Let us also not forget that the relatively soft Coombas also have lots of side cut.

Haggis_Trap skied on Coombas, lots last winter. PM him.

I guess it depends on why you end up skining. If it's for powder, then go Coombas / Barons. If it's for uphill action get something gay.
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parlor, Thanks - looking like coombas might be it - I don't head uphill if there is no powder.

Just suspect that having a pair will raise expectations in observers I cannot fulfill...

Thanks everyone else - keep the comments coming...
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stoatsbrother, TGR has had a whole bunch on these might be worth a search over there about the Coombas. Not much but good things said, notably they are very soft.
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arv, so I see.

But I know that all who post on TGR are 7 foot high gods of skiing and applied sarcasm. Mere mortals like me are not worthy.
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 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.
stoatsbrother, truetrue, worth a look though there are a few who seem pretty straight about things, there is loads to sift through. They don't make skis long/stiff enough for mags.
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stoatsbrother, ..... ORANGE skis ... Dynastar Legend Pro Rider, avec Fritchi Freeride .... n'uf said .... Laughing
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
parlor,

agree about the thinking about the Barons...

stoatsbrother,

I didn't really feel as connected as I would like on FR+ which is why I wouldn't rush out and buy them, I preferred the Naxos strangely enough so am prepared to accept that I should not put too much store in my experiences with either...as that appears against conventional wisdom.. and since the Dukes were an option for what I plan to do, I went there instead. I brought Dukes as I can find them locally for £225 but not Barons for when I wanted them, and I guess that is because they are new this year and nobody has them in stock
I think they will retail in the UK for between £180-190..but that is really a guess.

My Glads and Dukes cost me £425...the ski being not this years graphics.

In my research, I found Thunders interesting and the Goliath from Movement at between 89 and 99 mm waists. Mantra is a very good ski and more nimble that you'd think..providing you adapt your technique, which you will as soon as you suss it. Movement and the Mantra are quite light at around 1175gr, I think.

Then you have Stockli XXL types...DP pro, Rossi Scratch somethings, Legend Pro.

If you want a floater with lots of turn, the specs of the Mission and the Enforcer look ok... haven't skied the latter but the former turns too much IMV.

Light skis would be BD Havocs and Kilowatts....

All the above were skis I considered..apart from the Missions, it has to be said...but plenty like them

And..as for turney skis... the Mantra, for example is dead easy to initiate and can do smaller turns but my mission is bigger and faster...which will need a bigger footprint/platform... that is the thinking anyway.
I don't want to work to hard too keep up with tele guys or boarders... Laughing

I probably have plenty of links from the homework I had to do so can point you in direction of a few distributors.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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how much touring you planning doing? if it's only to access some nice untracked stuff for an hour or so rather than day long tours then i reckon you should go for a ski that suits your skiing style rather than something super light. I've got a pair of 1080 foils which are great fun but don't think i'd wan't to go touring on them because they're a bit soft and i've gone over the front of them a couple of times in soft deep stuff. last year i bought a pair of 4frnt vcts (182cm) and fitted a pair of fritschi freeride plus to them and think they're awesome. i've toured in them for over 4 hours using my normal alpine stiff boots without any problems. dunno if this helps you much but i reckon getting a ski that suits you is really important for the varied snow you can get if you go touring. (btw i weigh 78kg and am 180cm tall if that helps)
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Can we stop mentioning Salomon here. By default their skis lend themselves to Ski Touring due to their (awesome) construction. Mind you, the Rocker is on of the best skis in the whole world ever. Toofy Grin
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, the depth of my ignorance is such that I am only guessing you mean the core sucks and they won't last? Thats one reason I want to move on I guess (but one of the sprogs might be able to use my 1080s in 2 years or so).

K2 Mount Bakers? SODOs? or Mount Baker superlight (sounds way too soft for a 87kg lump like me) ?
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Shocked wink Laughing
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The Coomba is a great ski...

Super light weight & progressive flex from tip to tail is what (I think) makes them a little bit different from other wide ski's..
Medium / soft flex overall makes them fun in tress / tight colouirs / bumps / piste.
You do get a little bit of tip chatter at very high speed - though this doesnt bother me.
And most importantly the floatation is phenomenal Cool

Not sure if I would put a pair of touring bindings on them myself.
Unless you really want to do a decent amount of skinning.
Seen alot of Coomba's mounted with Dukes.
However consider this....

1) Dukes are heavy. This set up is noticeably much heavier than with an S12L or S14L salomon binding. Baron will be a little lighter, but is it strong enough for day to day use ?
2) Stiff bar on a touring binding changes the flex of a ski for sure.
3) Your boot is much higher off the ski surface. On wide ski's this make a big difference to edge control (its not like putting a race plate on a GS ski!)
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i've seen a fair few dynafit/coomba setups

i think they get a hard time on TGR because the bias there is towards going very fast and hucking and they all get excited about the fattest stiffest boards - not that there's anything wrong with that Wink this does mean that they maybe slate softer, easier to ski skis a bit more than they deserve. i know they have a deal with K2, but about half the guides at La Grave seem to be on Coombas so they probably don't suck that much and they didn't seem to hold Haggis_Trap back much Cool (think he's overstating the disadvantages of touring bindings a bit though)
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Arno, We only really sell Coomba with Dynatfit and sell it as a package, it's a maaiage made in heaven.

Also agree with ARNO regards HT's explination of binding heights, yes lifting up the boot off the ski works exactly the same no matter what type of ski, simple Trig'. That said i prefer to be as flat to the ski as i can on Fat skis, but have never really felt the comprimise on Dukes.
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Fair point Arno - though personally I think it would be a shame to put a heavy binding, like a Duke, onto the Coomba. As you instantly lose one of its key characteristics.

Arno wrote:
about half the guides at La Grave seem to be on Coombas so they probably don't suck that much


Apparently it was designed as the ideal ski for LG where Coombs worked as a guide.


Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sun 14-09-08 3:54; edited 1 time in total
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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!
Haggis_Trap, don't disagree - dynafit + coomba seems a more logical choice to me
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Sure fat American kids and old blokes who ski 300ft hills and jump off any small bump on the way dow to make it more exciting are gonna find the Coombas soft. Wink

Seriously I think the skiers weight has a lot to do with it, Doug himself was around my weight (67kg). As another example I tried the mantras and didn't like them but other heavier skiers think they're great.
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ski club mag which has arrived today has the coombas in their test and says the are quite stiff...

Anyone tried the Mount Bakers?
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stoatsbrother, I agrre, they aren't overly soft but compared to the range in which they sit, i can understand this reputation.
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 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.
stoatsbrother, Looks like you have found your ski and the Duke/Baron/Coomba combo should be ok for little yomps.

Why are you thinking you would like soft anyway..?

FWIW, I agree that there is a wealth of useful stuff there on TGR but jeez... Some of them are a bit intense Laughing

From what little I know and have seen of the Coombas, I'd be interested in them if I could fit them in..but as I said, I only want to carry one ski
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JT, I am still not sure... The question is whether to go for a fat all mountain thing like the coombas and look a lady's front bottom because I am not going fast enough - or have an all-out AT ski and look a lady's front bottom because my kick turns suck. - But I do like how soft the 1080s are when driven slowly, I know in these freeride days we are meant to be doing big carving arcs at 100kph, but I quite like small turns in trees/bumps/dodgy snow.

Why have I never seen a widely accepted and used comparative measurement of ski flex/softness? I bet manafacturers do have data on this. Something like force to flex the centre 5 or 10cm when supported at either end 10cm in from the running length of a ski.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
stoatsbrother,

I think softness in those terms is a bit misleading... I wouldn't call the Mantra soft but it turns very easily in soft snow and you don't have to wind-up your big turn to do it. ..just a shift of weight and round she goes. I found this relatively recently and so now I am thinking a bigger ski for straighter lines but without thinking that I can't waggle them through trees
or a tight bit. If you try and throw an old skool turn here, you'll use up too much energy..... park and ride has a whole new meaning, IMV

As a compromise, go Mantra/Dukes at 184 for 87kgs. Should be a dream..Laughing

I wonder if I am regretting not doing the same. Laughing
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Isn't the Coomba a but wide for the only touring skis in a quiver?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
DB, another real concern... although I don't plan on ever skinning for more than 3 hours in a day and more than twice a week - I may be trying to look for something too different to my nomads.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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so, Crimson for all round stuff and the Coomba for those new snow days.

I can't see much point getting a Mantra type ski unless you bin the Atomics. That way you may be replacing an all-rounder with a better all-rounder.
If you want to keep the Atomic for hoonin around, then the Coomba should offer you an alternative on a powder day.

If it were me, I'd go for a 90 plus ski and use all over so you only have to cope with.."what skis today..?" " I know, the ones I always use " as they will get you anywhere you want to go.

Unless you drive down, 2 prs of ski are not practical to lump around for week trips , IMO

Still, a good thread...stokes a few fires, unlike most, atm
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stoatsbrother, I was a second away from using the Crimmson as you wish to. At the last momment i picked an old pair of BD Crossbows, as i felt the lesser side cut ski would carry/drag easier on the uphill battles i have when smoking. The new BD range have something for everyone and have been designed with an AT binding in mind. Check them out.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, Thanks... more choices... my brain hurts Sad wink
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'd go for the Coombas/barrons myself if I saw it for a bit more than the binding price.
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MEfree30, The Coombas added a bit more than that. I was really really tempted - but went the Mount Baker and Barons option in the end. UPS tracking says they are in Barking currently.
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stoatsbrother,

Sound good but how will they differ from the Crimsons..??

Dynastar have a new Coomba type ski in the mix, I have heard...maybe the Zoo knows about them.
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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!
JT, shorter, I suspect a bit softer, and a bit lighter... and they have better graphics... but you are right. I felt I should leave the Coombas to the dynafit wearing hardcore.

Perhaps I should have the Coombas instead of the crimsons last year... Toofy Grin

But I got some new brakes on my foils yesterday and I am not allowed any more skis now for at least a year
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