 Poster: A snowHead
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I am considering buying a pair of K2 Coombas to set up for touring. I am planning a number of serious trips this coming season, including a late season week long haute route tour.
K2 claim that these skiis are excellent for touring and are specially constructed to provide a lightweight fat ski. I also find the idea of having such a powerful off-pise ski (105m underfoot) very appealling for the descent.
I do however have some lingering doubts about whether such a ski is too much for long climbs. Any feedback from people who have used this ski (or similar fat skis) for tours would be greatly appreciated. Better sugggestions most welcome!
Also I would be interested in feeback on bindings. I have always used Marker Barons - on the basis that they are outstanding for the descent. But will they be too heavy for serious (4 hour+) ascents?
many thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Coomba is an amazingly versatile ski (and not really Fat).
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| lingering doubts about whether such a ski is too much for long climbs. (4 hour+) ascents? |
For touring go dynafit - that is where you make the biggest weight saving.
Dyna + Coomba = almost ideal touring rig.
Baron is not a (proper) touring binding, it is for resort skiing.
...thread over.
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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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Perfect set up
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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i do have a theory that even very light fat skis are more tiring because the increased surface area increases drag when sliding uphill
a lot of people use the dynafit/coomba combination. i'd say that is a little on the heavy side for true hut to hut touring like the haute route but if you only have one set up it's pretty hard to beat for versatility
i have skis with similar dimensions (but lighter weight) for touring. they are great on the way down. they are pretty good on the way up but they are not so great on icey traverses. even with crampons they feel a bit sketchy although i have never actually taken a ride while using them!
coombas with barons would be a nice resort/sidecountry combo but i don't think barons are ideal for longer tours because they are relatively heavy, mainly. people have done the HR on big heavy rigs (eg splitboarders...) but why make it harder than it needs to be?
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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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Indeed. It is a short step now to "what Dynafit compatible boot?"
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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gorilla, The one that fits.
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I toured the last two winters on Whitedot preachers w/ barons. I only got maybe 6 day tours on them last season, but I thought they worked well, although I'm switching to a dynafit rig this year.
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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.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, as if on cue.
For the sake of argument, I'd throw the Mythic Light out there as a mid fat alternative. I'll probably get called names for this but I liked the 8800/Mythic a lot as an all purpose ski. Impressed by the weight on the Movement Jackal, though. I'd be intrigued by how that skis.
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Are these skis going to be purely for touring? I ask as I'm never keen on the idea of using dynafits for general lift accessed skiing due to the compromised safety. I do value whats left of my knees greater than many though!
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i do have a theory that even very light fat skis are more tiring because the increased surface area increases drag when sliding uphill
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From an theoretical engineering standpoint Increased surface area should not make the slightest difference to drag as the force per unit area on the skin is reduced in proportion to the skin size. So it should all balance out. You do have wider heavier skins though which have greater area to absorb water or snow to ball up on. I'm guessing that might make a noticeable difference.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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scottishskier, that just goes to prove i am turning into an old fat barsteward 
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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.
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scottishskier, although you may be permanently cutting the trail if you follow people on narrower skis. 
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I'm on a Rossi S3/Baron set up for touring and used them all last season, mostly 1-2 hours sidecountry business, but also a couple of 3 day trips hiking 6 hours backcountry a day with 20kg on my back and was fine. I'm relatively fit, but no endurofreak by any means.
S3's are kinda light though, and only 98mm, and while obviously nowhere near as light as a bona fide AT rig, it got to the stage of only being able to take a certain number of set ups away at any one time and having to compromise somewhere.
Oh for the 50kg baggage allowance...
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You know it makes sense.
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You do get three course meals at the hut on the HR. Eat more, get down the gym and ski anything you like. Or drop a load of coin on some DPS and be done with it - probably cheaper than a gym membership.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Anybody tried or know anything about the Scott Powdair? I guess it would fall into this category? thanks
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Poster: A snowHead
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sledger, I got the crusairs with Dynafit for longer tours and steeps. Good skis - light, stiff, traditional shape but still easy enough in powder. Powdair gives you extra width at cost of a bit more weight. Haven't skied it but imagine it's very nice.
Sansnom, I did the Haute Route on Mythic Riders and Fritschis. I was a fat git at the time but it was ok. Coombas plus Barons would be lighter so perfectly ok and Coombas get great reviews. However you are doing a hell of a lot more up than down on something like the Haute Route so if you're gonna be doing lots of long tours you'd be better of pairing with Dynafit as the others have said.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| BobinCH wrote: |
sledger, I got the crusairs with Dynafit for longer tours and steeps. Good skis - light, stiff, traditional shape but still easy enough in powder. Powdair gives you extra width at cost of a bit more weight. Haven't skied it but imagine it's very nice.
Sansnom, I did the Haute Route on Mythic Riders and Fritschis. I was a fat git at the time but it was ok. Coombas plus Barons would be lighter so perfectly ok and Coombas get great reviews. However you are doing a hell of a lot more up than down on something like the Haute Route so if you're gonna be doing lots of long tours you'd be better of pairing with Dynafit as the others have said. |
sledger, I've tried the Scott Powd'air but only with a downhill binding so far. I'm planning to use them with Dynafit this season. Compared to the Scott Crus'air (which is 10mm narrower) it's obviously a bit more ski, so even better for the deep stuff, though I find the Crus'air great, once you get used to its almost auto-turn characteristics - you really have to do very little to move them. What they share, along with the skinniest in the range - the Explor'air - are carbon, and that they cost an arm and a leg.
I skied some of the biggest days last season on Scott Pures, Stunts and Crus'airs and never regretted the days I was on the Crus'airs even when I didn't need to skin. I also did a week's tour on a pair of Explor'air/Fritschis which were fine, though not as skiable as the Crus'air (they're another 10mm narrower again). They obviously want a Dynafit binding, but I've got all these Scott skis as test pairs for visitors to use here in Zinal, so an adjustable binding such as the Fritschi is essential...
Until recently I skied a lot on a Rossi B2 (was that 78 underfoot?), with Fritschis. I never broke either the skis or bindings, though I used them for everything, including seasons of Fall Line backcountry reports. I always loved them and lots of guides I skied with regarded them as one of the best for the job, though I know people sneer about them cos they're not cool, or something. You'd struggle to find anything that narrow now, but I'd have another pair like a shot if I had space in the ski room. Regardless of how good a skier you are - and whether you really need a truly fat ski to get down deep pitches enjoyably - you've got to remember that anything beyond short day touring is so much more uphill than anything else that it must be weight and skin-width that you worry about first. Plus, even if you like doing big turns, if you've climbed all day for them and you hit powder, you might just want to get a few more turns out of the descent, in which case skinnier is good.
All that said, I reckon Coombas/Dynafit would be great as an all rounder.
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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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Thanks everybody - very helpful
I remain tempted by the Coombas
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Sansnom, If you are thinking of the Dynafit bindings then consider the Dynafit Stoke! Skiied it last year and it was great and light.
The coombas are awesome tho, but for 4 hour + tours I wouldn't use anything but Dynafit binding. I have some Duke's on my Scott Punishers and toured for 5 hours last year and I had to chill out for about an hour before I could even contemplate the ski back down!
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