Poster: A snowHead
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Looking at a few options for day-trip skiing regarding getting up ze hill. Not looking at a full on touring solution, just want the option of getting some untracked snow in the mountains next to the resorts.
Does anyone use snowshoes with their chunky downhill boots, and skis on their pack? I originally hired some alpine touring gear to see what it was about, and I am not happy enough with their downhill performance to want to buy another set of gear. Much prefer to be able to use my piste/big-mountain gear.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Alpine Trekkers. They fit in alpine bindings and give 'touring' capability to your alpine kit. Still pretty horrible mind you but infinitely preferrable to struggling up in snowshoes only to have to ski down with them. I'd also find somewhere that is renting better kit or give the guys in the rental shop more info about what performance you are after. Not all touring kit is equal.
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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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zarb, I have toured with snowboarders who use snowshoes on short accents very successfully. If it gets very steep then crampons might be needed also snowshoes are poor on steeper traverses. They can be nearly a quick as skins on short accents. Care is needed on glaciers. The cheap plastic ones are not very good on steeper ground or on descents.
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get trekkers if you really are too rad to use Dukes (or similar) on your favourite big skis
another option would be MFD All Time plates which give touring capability to your favourite alpine bindings. seem expensive for what they are though
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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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I'd look into Dukes or similar if I were you.
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"Using snowshoes for off piste skiing." |
Err.................I wouldn't think they slide well enough to ski in
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Snow shoes are massively slow compared to skis. Better off in Dukes or something.
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I found them quite awkward on anything between what you might describe as a red/black piste type gradient, as they tend to slip quite a bit. In a group if you had someone fit enough to break a trail in front you might be better off simply trudging up in ski boots, as long as the climb was no more than say thirty or forty minutes.
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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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zarb, I don't know, but skiboots + snowshoes seems to me to = very slooow painful way to get up the hill. Snowboarders will have soft boots that are better (faster) to walk in than alpine boots. Alpine Trekkers + skins will be a much pleasanter way of going up hill. If you do want to walk (with snow shoes are without), touring boots with a walk mode, and rockered (touring binding only ) sole will be easier than regular alpine.
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Snowshoes with Boarding, Telemark and AT boots are fine . . . not so much with alpine downhill boots. Trad' s'shoes are easier than the modern plastic short ones. They're narrower and better to traverse with.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Just get some Dukes or Barons, no compromise on the way down (unless you normally rock a DIN of 20 or something silly/huck [really] big). No issues with normal resort skiing on them either.
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MTFU and wear flip flops
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Mosha Marc, I'm from NZ. Bare feet for me. None of this nancyboy footwear stuff.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Dot., yeah but . . . you've got Hobbit DNA.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I trialled the Dynafit TLT 5 boots with Dynafit bindings, and touring was an absolute dream in them. Uphill was brilliant.
However on the downhill, it felt incredibly difficult to get forward in the boots. My legs were in agony from the descent. Is this because of the relative flatness of the Dynafit binding? Or is it the low cuff and flexibility of the boot? Is it something that you would get used to?
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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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If you're not looking for a "full on touring solution" why go Dynafit? Just get Dukes or Barons and continue to use your alpine boots.
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Where did your legs hurt?
TLT 5's are a pretty well regarded boot. Are you sure you had the boot in ski mode and not walk mode? That would definitely make you feel like it was hard to get forward. It's also easy to forget in all the faff of changing over. I've done it a couple of times particularly when concentrating on something else. You can get away with it if you ski well balanced on simple terrain but the basic symptoms are not feeling forward enough because the boot isn't offering the resistance and washing out of the tails if you try to shift your CoG a bit backwards as you'll go much further than you are used too.
It might also just be technique, if you're used to skiing a burly boot you might have become overly reliant on it. If that's the case then adjusting to a less stiff boot might actually be improving.
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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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clarky999, It's been said many ways, many times
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Quote: |
Are you sure you had the boot in ski mode and not walk mode? That would definitely make you feel like it was hard to get forward. It's also easy to forget in all the faff of changing over. I've done it a couple of times particularly when concentrating on something else. You can get away with it if you ski well balanced on simple terrain but the basic symptoms are not feeling forward enough because the boot isn't offering the resistance and washing out of the tails if you try to shift your CoG a bit backwards as you'll go much further than you are used too. |
If you had TLT5s in walk mode on the way down you would know about it as you would literally end up on your *rse... the 'debattement' (opening/stride length) gives a huge range of movement (great for the up) but there is no way you would even get as far as the first turn on the way down without noticing...
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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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meh, if you have the TLT5 buckled and strapped it will be in ski mode as fastening the top buckle locks the boot cuff. There's no separate ski/walk mechanism on this boot.
zarb, did you have the stiffening tongue in the boot? Also, were the boots the softish Mountain version (green) or the stiffer Performance (yellow) boot?
I have the Mountain boot and they are quite soft without the tongue.
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meh, as Kelskii says, if they are buckled then you are in ski mode...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Fair enough.
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