Page 1 of 3

Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 5:51 pm
by Desmo
Joined last week, and have been reading quite a bit here...lots to learn!

I live in NH, and have only been XC skiing for a few years now(never been alpine skiing at all). Up until recently, we've been doing a fair amount of skiing on groomed trails, but have hit the woods a few times on hiking trails. Things have changed though....as we now have access to a fair amount of woods very close to house, so we won't be spending as much time at the groomed places.

I have a set of skinny (45mm) Salomon wax skis for the groomed stuff, a pair of Fischer BC country wax skis(205's), and I just picked up a pair of Fischer Europa 99's - 210's waxless with Asolo 75mm bindings....got those for very cheap off Facebook. I'm waiting on a pair of cheapo boots to arrive before I can try out these skis, but I hope they'll work well out in the woods for now.

Had a great day out back today....got the wax pocket just right on my wife's skis....mine was a bit too long so my glide suffered a bit....no issues with climbing though!

I've been thinking about adding a wider ski so I can start turning a bit....but I really have no skills in that dept yet! I'm considering Fischer 78's or 88's, or maybe Eon's, but I think I want a shorter ski than the Eons.

Anyhow....great forum here!

Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:25 pm
by Lars
Welcome! I’m new to the forum as well.

There’s a great thread on the T78 vs E88 that helped me a lot deciding between the two skis (I chose the 88).

viewtopic.php?t=1521


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 9:38 pm
by Woodserson
Where in NH?

Re: Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:37 pm
by Young Satchel
I’m a new guy and also on the fence between the T78/E88 as well. Leaning towards the 78s currently as I believe I found a solid deal on some at a shop I’d like to support, but that could change tomorrow and I could be leaning back towards the 88s yet again [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 6:46 am
by Desmo
Lars wrote:Welcome! I’m new to the forum as well.

There’s a great thread on the T78 vs E88 that helped me a lot deciding between the two skis (I chose the 88).

viewtopic.php?t=1521


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the link Lars. I read your post on the 78/88's too.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Re: Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 6:49 am
by Desmo
Woodserson wrote:Where in NH?
Barrington.... between Northwood and Rochester.
I see you're a fan of the 88's in some of the other posts I've been reading. I'd be on some wide trails, some narrow single track, some snowshoe trodden, a few snowmobile trails, changing snow in NH.... you know how it is here .

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Re: Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 6:51 am
by Desmo
Young Satchel wrote:I’m a new guy and also on the fence between the T78/E88 as well. Leaning towards the 78s currently as I believe I found a solid deal on some at a shop I’d like to support, but that could change tomorrow and I could be leaning back towards the 88s yet again [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've read your thread a few times too. Best of luck in your decision.... I'm in no hurry, and waiting on a decent deal too.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 7:50 am
by Lars
Desmo wrote:
Young Satchel wrote:I’m a new guy and also on the fence between the T78/E88 as well. Leaning towards the 78s currently as I believe I found a solid deal on some at a shop I’d like to support, but that could change tomorrow and I could be leaning back towards the 88s yet again [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've read your thread a few times too. Best of luck in your decision.... I'm in no hurry, and waiting on a decent deal too.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I tried to be very deliberate and demo what I wanted to buy, but I couldn’t find anything near me (Vermont) that had 78s or 88s to play with.

With my experience on the Eon, keep in mind that it was far from ideal conditions and my experience is limited at best. A lot of people love them.

Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 7:55 am
by Young Satchel
Lars wrote:
Desmo wrote:
Young Satchel wrote:I’m a new guy and also on the fence between the T78/E88 as well. Leaning towards the 78s currently as I believe I found a solid deal on some at a shop I’d like to support, but that could change tomorrow and I could be leaning back towards the 88s yet again [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've read your thread a few times too. Best of luck in your decision.... I'm in no hurry, and waiting on a decent deal too.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Keep in mind I barely know what I’m taking about, but I am amazing at linking threads.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sames [emoji23].

I’ve literally read the T78 Vs. E88 thread over 5x and still can’t decide! What drove you to the 88 in the end if I might ask? Currently facing intense decision paralysis lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Another new guy saying hi!

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 8:25 am
by Lars
My perspective is from someone getting into XCD. There are many experienced individuals who can offer you far more expert opinions on this choice than I can.

It's a little overwhelming as far as choices go. I also believe that min-maxing is great for discussion and theory crafting, but at some point, you just have to get out there. I'm sure I could have chosen differently and been fine. I am not an Olympic athlete looking to shave off thousandths of a second in my races. I have no interest in anything resembling competition. I just want to get out there any enjoy myself with gear that will help me do so.

We have a lot of fields/light hills in my area with mixed woods/rolling terrain in the region between Lake Champlain and the Green mountains. We also have some killer resort areas.

I tried to define what I wanted to do.

- Mostly flats, some hills, occasional groomed resort XC trails (although my recent experiences indicate I'd be better off having a standard classic or skate kit for those. I did not expect amazing groomed performance, but what did surprise me was how pronounced the gear/conditions dynamic was and how much I had to learn about technique).

Definitely an example of the difference between thinking you know something and experiencing it). Room to grow to attempt harder terrain as my skill level improves.

For me researching stuff like this is one of my passions. I almost have a let down when I actually buy something! I probably read that thread over 20 times and many others, searching through these (and the web) for any mention of the Eon, Epoch, 78, and 88.

Fischer skis were very attractive to me based on quality, the waxless pattern, and the easy skin system. For the 88s specifically, I liked that they are wider than the 78s, have more nordic rocker, and sound like they handle the XC climb and glide very well. My girlfriend has Fischer 68s and loves them.

All of that being said, I had some gift cards from Christmas to Outdoor Gear Exchange (plug for great local store) that greatly reduced the sale price of my package and they don't stock the 78 :) If I'm honest, that may have been one of the biggest factors.

So to summarize: XC performance with some D capabilities, price (unique with GCs), availability, quality, stability, grip/climb ability, easy skins.