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Karhu skis for alpine touring and skiing?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Karhu used to be THE brand... for cross-country in my childhood. Now it is more directed towards free-heel skiing (read telemark) and touring. I asked already from their US team about the usefulness of their Storm and Storm BC models for touring - and also for alpine. Apparently, so they tell me, the skis are fine for alpine touring bindings, not only for telemark.

I just wanted to know if there are any snowheads who would have come across Karhu skis in the past years and would have tried alpine bindings or alpine tour bindings on them. Are they any good?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I skied alpine on the Line Mothership which was the same ski as the Karhu Jak. seen plenty of Jaks mounted AT or alpine. Thought I read somewhere that the brand was being mothballed as the owners K2 focused on their tele/backcountry lines though on reflection this might have been about K2 axing their tele specific line.
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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?
fatbob, made me fuming mad when K2 bought Karhu/Line.



demos, depends on the model, some of the Karhu telemodels should never be mounted alpine. Good skis tho.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
I use a pair of Line Darkside Carbons mounted with Fritschi Freerides. Not sure if there ever was a Karhu equivalent but they're excellent.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I am particularly interested in Storm and Storm BC. That's the one that they claim in Karhu offices having been mounted 50-50 tele/alpine by the folks themselves. I suppose Jak is now called Spire but not sure.

As for the brand itself, it's now owned by a Dutch holding called Karhu Holding and they bought the whole line of things. The walking poles and skis are licensed out to K2 and Karhu Sporting Goods. I just remember it as a truly Finnish brand. They also owned the three stripes logo until 50s, when they sold those for a couple of bottles of whisky and an undisclosed amount of money to a certain Adi Dassler.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
demos wrote:
I am particularly interested in Storm and Storm BC. That's the one that they claim in Karhu offices having been mounted 50-50 tele/alpine by the folks themselves. I suppose Jak is now called Spire but not sure.


You're fine with those. Most of the designs wider than 80 can retain heelpiece screws, even if the ones that have a telemark-specific flex zone underfoot (e.g. Kodiak series) are really nasty to ski alpine.

Quote:

The walking poles and skis are licensed out to K2 and Karhu Sporting Goods. I just remember it as a truly Finnish brand.


Well, except for the bits that were built and devised in Canada under the Trak name.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Anyone interested, (and willing to gamble on the import duty etc), should check out Tramdock - they've had some Jaks on sale for VERY low prices over the last two weeks.

Cheers!
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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!
Can I ask more, as you comprex, seem to be in the know... What are actually the differences between a alpine ski that can be used for touring, a touring-specific alpine ski and a telemark-touring ski that can be mounted alpine?
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 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.
demos wrote:
Can I ask more, as you comprex, seem to be in the know... What are actually the differences between a alpine ski that can be used for touring, a touring-specific alpine ski and a telemark-touring ski that can be mounted alpine?


I'll have a stab:

1 Any alpine ski with a flat top can be used for touring though lighter > heavier, freeride type skis> race
2 Touring specific alpine ski likely to be lighter -different materials or construction e.g. foam core or lighter wood/less glass/metal but less durable - most people wouldn't choose a touring ski for intensive inbounds resort use. May have some touring features such as tip & tail holes for skins.
3 Telemark ski may simply be a different graphic on an existing ski e.g. some K2s in the past or have different flex pattern e.g. underfoot or assymetric.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
aint the holes more for hauling the skis up ice climbs and cliffs etc on a rope?! (proper touring that like!)


to the OP, you'll be fine I reckon, i've got "freeride" alpine skis mounted for both tele and AT and both work fine, they're pretty light skis (for "freeride skis") though certainly not as light as touring or maybe tele specific, but then i'm a big lad and need the stiffness that these particular models give, they ski on everything well, inbounds and out. Putting it another way, if i went out today to buy a tele rig and an AT rig I'd get the exact same setup as i have today. You might wel feel differently when it comes down to it and prefer the feel / ride of the more specific skis - only you can decide that though. good luck
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
barry, Re holes I guess plus belay anchors etc.
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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.
the holes in touring skis are to allow you to make an emergency sledge for an injured member of your group
FACT!!
Cool
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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
Guys, very helpful! Thanks.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I were told that holes were first drilled into skis by the Swiss Alpine troops. It were to allow them to rope them up before removing the skis in dodgy areas including slot rescue.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
demos wrote:
Can I ask more, as you comprex, seem to be in the know... What are actually the differences between a alpine ski that can be used for touring,


Will generally be the burliest, heaviest and dampest of the lot. Of course, over 80mm waist, most of these differences disappear as the size of the ski becomes the governing factor for required torsional stiffness.

Quote:

a touring-specific alpine ski


Light weight, less sidecut, generally avoid wood cores, generally avoid metal layers no damping so on the most touring-adapted ones skiing over (or skinning over) frozen crispy crud is an exercise in 'safety' skiing. Meaning huge turns and a hunched stance and very little leg separation, very small edge angles, very little angulation, very little differential weighting of the skis.

Of course, in soft snow, they almost can't make an error.


Quote:

and a telemark-touring ski that can be mounted alpine?


The ones -specifically designed- for telemark as opposed to rebadged alpine ones will require more pressure and more control of the front of the ski. Skiing these alpine + back-seat or even alpine + completely centered at all times is just not fun at all and you have to revert to what I call '1998 skiing' i.e. with a lot of motion of the upper body along the length of the ski. Toe lift under the binding can help but is a guessing game. Heck, the -tele- mounts can have 30+mm toe lift. Forward mounting, +3, +5 can work but is, again, a guessing game.

Mind you there are a lot of rebadged alpine ones. Old alpine tech never dies, it just goes nordic.


Fortunately, none of this applies to the ones you want to buy.
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