dave52 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 08, 2022 11:01 am
When you're breaking in a new trail what does your experience look like and with what ski?
Hi Dave,
Been loosely following this thread-
I have a number of BC-XC skis (i.e. fjellskis) that are excellent to very good breaking trail in deep soft snow- in order of most effective:
210 Asnes Combat NATO
210 Asnes MT65 (USGI Combat ski)*
205 Asnes Ingstad BC
208 Asnes Amundsen BC
210 Asnes Gamme 54 BC
199 Fischer 88
All of these skis have a longitudinally-stable flex, have traditional raised Nordic touring tips and not too much sidecut.
* I list the MT65 with a bit of hesitation for what is already mentioned- it is very heavy- so while it is remarkably stable in deep soft snow- it is not something I am going to pick up and do striding/step/jump turns in deep snow!
For reference I am 5'10" and 180lbs. From late Fall through Spring, we get almost continuous precipitation in the Central Hills. I am almost always breaking trail and many of my regular tours are loops, therefore I rarely get to ski on a broken out track (my wife and tur partners benefit from that!).
Breaking trail through 10-30cm of fresh snow on top of a consolidate base is the norm here- and there are at least several 40+cm dumps per season.
The Combat NATO is by far the most effective and efficient deep snow XC ski in that list above.
There have been at least two turs this winter in ~40+cm of fresh snow, where I have regretted taking the Ingstad over the NATO ski.
The Ingstad BC is remarkably stable in deep soft snow- making it perfectly acceptable as a deep snow XC ski- but the pressured-rockered profile of the ski in 3D snow make it less efficient than the NATO ski-
AND- I don't know that I have ever seen a XC carve a track through deep soft snow like the NATO ski.
The Ingstad is truly wonderous when you point them downhill- the rockered shovel encourages planing and facilitated turn initiation, making the Ingstad waaay more fun downhill skiing than the NATO ski.
That being said- the NATO absolutely crushes these other skis when it comes to striding and climbing in very deep soft snow- and it is still pretty good downhill (though it has a very wide turn radius).
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On a recent post storm 40+cm tour, I took the NATO ski, because are planned ~25km tour included an extended ski out a spectacular ravine-stream valley. The storm (Noreaster) had significant wind- there was ~60cm of powder blown into that ravine floor!!! There were several skiers (including two on Ingstad) on the tur and I led the way with the NATO ski. I traded off with the Ingstad a couple of times just to validate for myself and others that the NATO was the trail-breaking king! A couple of people commented that we might never have gotten out of there without it!
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The Amundsen and the Gamme 54 are remarkable stable in deep soft snow- the Amundsen with an edge, due to less sidecut.
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The Fischer 88 is also pretty good- though slower than the others. DISCLAIMER- I grip-wax the base of our 88- otherwise I cannot get enough grip in cold, deep soft snow....
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Which brings me to another question- how are you prepping/waxing your MT65(USGI) and your Ingstad WL?
In our local context- most skiers that are struggling in very deep snow first and foremost don't have enough grip.
(short, soft skis are a secondary problem)
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Beyond the list above→ the next level is a Finnish forest touring ski (i.e. ~70mm, no sidecut, 270cm+ long),
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On the subject of considering a wide short downhill touring ski-
There is no question that the Kom you are considering (I have one) will float higher in the snow column than any of these skis above. I grip-wax my Kom in order to get enough grip in deep soft cold snow as well as icy refrozen snow.
However, the Kom is short, rockered and surfy- it wants to turn- it does not track like a XC ski.
The Kom is also heavy.
I only use the Kom when I am out doing laps- looking for downhill lines- and I avoid taking them if I have an extended XC approach. They are very slow and heavyu.
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**As another note my 188 Storetind is remarkably stable in deep soft snow and offers as much flotation as my Kom (despite its much narrower waist). The Storetind is a much more efficient XC ski than the Kom.
However the Storetind does not offer the short-radius surfy, slarvy turns that the Kom does. The Storetind is best a downhill ski when you can point them down the fall line and open them right up and charge- they are VERY fast.
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As I don't know the terrain, cover and snow you are skiing in- it is hard for me to give you any "advice"...
I would suggest you try the Kom-
If you are moving slowly anyway in soft snow, then the heavy slow Kom might not be an issue for you...
Some people, REALLY want to float on top of the snow when they are XC skiing- the Kom would definitely give you that vs the Ingstad/USGI
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Personally, I am not very concerned about "float" when it comes to striding and climbing through deep soft snow- I am more concerned with stability, tip initiation, and grip-glide.
As an example- my 195 Annum floats higher in the snow column than my 210 NATO, but the NATO is by FAR the more efficient XC ski in deep soft snow.
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Hope I am being helpful!
Gareth