Military surplus skis?

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rongon
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Military surplus skis?

Post by rongon » Mon Apr 24, 2017 12:28 pm

You know, those white Karhu skis on ebay for cheap... Are they stiff like I-beams, heavy like lead? Is that why they get no love?

I like skis with an approximately 90-70-80 profile. They're good jack-of-all-trades, but yes, masters of none. I understand. With those caveats in mind, how much worse is one of these Karhu military beasts than the old Fischer Outtabounds or similar?

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phoenix
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Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by phoenix » Mon Apr 24, 2017 5:58 pm

They're pretty bad. That's why they're (still) for sale everywhere, and I, for one,have never seen anyone skiing 'em. I never even bothered trying the couple up pair up in the rafters when I moved into my current place.
I did use one pair for runers a sled (that didn't work well either).

I am not really a fan of the Outtabounds series, but I'd wager those surplus skis are actually significantly worse.



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fisheater
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Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by fisheater » Mon Apr 24, 2017 9:15 pm

I have a pair of the Anses Surplus skis from Colemans Military Surplus. I like them as a trail ski, they are pretty fast when I get the wax right. Lilcliffy posted a nice review of them in the gear section. I know they are different than the Karhu military ski, which I have no experience with.
FWIW, the Anses is an excellent trail ski, with lots of camber and pretty good snap. They are much faster than my S-112 on the trail as they should be. However they have not made turns on backcountry powder because that is why I have s-112's. They have made turns at the resort in my leather boots. I could make decent turns on black diamond hard pack. They have great edge hold, I think noticeably better than the s-112. I also provided much amusment for my son skiing 6" of refrozen, granular,snowcone resort snow over boiler plate on some blues and greens. any attempted edging or turning sent them straight into the boiler plate, where the double camber was very grabby. I did a lot of flipping onto my backside! I would roll right back onto my skis, but that didn't stop my son's laughter at all of dad's falls. He was not buying for one second, that it didn't count as falling when you end up on your skis! Any way, it is a completely different ski, but a really nice ski. Check out Lilcliffy's much more professional and complete review in the gear section. To the best of my knowledge there has not been a review of the Karhu military ski.



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phoenix
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Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by phoenix » Tue Apr 25, 2017 5:32 pm

Good input fisheater. I've only seen the Karhu surplus version.



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rongon
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Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by rongon » Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:39 pm

Thanks for the comparison, fisheater. I actually have a pair of those Asnes mil-surplus skis from Coleman's. I bought them years ago. I slapped a basic pair of 3-pin bindings on 'em. I've skied them a bunch of times, and I agree they are great trail skis for getting from point A to point B. I remember taking them to the Tug Hill once, in deep snow. Give them a down-slope and they do like to take off and GO! I have a really hard time getting them into a telemark, but they're really good at stem-christies and the like. I find they have a really stiff double-camber but the tip and tail are nice and soft, so they do well in deep, soft snow. They have mysteriously good edge hold too. I just can't seem to make a decent tele-turn on them.

You guys have convinced me to pass on those Karhu surplus skis. I guess they must be awful. Oh well...



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lilcliffy
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Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by lilcliffy » Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:39 pm

I have two pairs of the Karhu Combat skis that you describe (one pair just sits in my office- cause they make me feel good when I have to chain myself to the desk!).

They are totally different than the Asnes Combat skis from Coleman's.

The Karhu skis were made in Quebec in the old Karhu factory- they are well made- with full wrap-around, steel edges. They have foam cores. I don't have a lot of hours on mine, so I cannot speak to their durability.

These skis have a full-length, alpine, single camber- with no rocker in the tip. They have a smooth, full-length round flex. I would describe their flex as "moderate"- they are not stiff flexing, but they are stiffer than a "powder" downhill ski.

I have Voile 3-pin-cable bindings on them. I am currently using them to fart around at the local lift-serve with my T4 boot- which is plenty of support for these skis.

What can I say- I like them- and for me- they make 300m verticals more fun than high-performance stuff.

They are certainly not the backcountry distance-oriented XCD ski that the Asnes Combat USGIs are.
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



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fisheater
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Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by fisheater » Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:00 pm

I found out why I am able to turn my Anses USGI skis pretty easily on hard pack. First they are only 200cm as I was planning on having my son on a pair and Coleman's only sold two pair of equal sizes. Secondly I have not weighed myself in quite a long time, many years. Even though I wear the same size pants as I did when I worked physically as a concrete contractor. It appears I weigh a few more pounds than I estimated, as I am now weighing in at 190 lbs., or 87 kg. for my friends north. That poor ski has no choice but to arc under that load. Funny thing is I still think it is fast on the trail.



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lowangle al
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Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by lowangle al » Sat Apr 29, 2017 10:50 am

fisheater wrote: Even though I wear the same size pants as I did when I worked physically as a concrete contractor. It appears I weigh a few more pounds than I estimated, as I am now
Are you retired now Fisheater? I just got my first pension check from the finishers union, but unfortunately I still have to work a couple seasons if I can. There's nothing like pulling a rod board all day to get your legs in shape. :(



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fisheater
Posts: 2509
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:06 pm
Location: Oakland County, MI
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Favorite Skis: Gamme 54, Falketind 62, I hope to add a third soon
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska, Alico Ski March
Occupation: Construction Manager

Re: Military surplus skis?

Post by fisheater » Tue May 02, 2017 10:20 pm

Al, I never had a nice union job. I closed my business when I was offered a job as a superintendent supervising commercial building projects. I worked with mostly union trades for five years, those men worked hard, but had good pay and benefit programs. That job ended after Sept 2008. I am now an estimator/project manager and when I bid something too complicated, I put my tool belt on and help the guys form it. Our pouring crew is top shelf, I have been out of pouring for too long, I help best by staying out of the way :roll:
As for retired, hopefully I will have my health, because I will probably need to work until at least 70. Maybe building a few houses a year would be a good semi-retirement, if there is a housing market at that time.
Best wishes for a full retirement soon. Anybody that put enough time with the finishers union deserves every benefit they receive.



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