Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Also Woody....love the old time picture....Think those skis had rocker?.....Love seeing the old time tele pictures....More?....TM

Hey man,

I love my current E109- I have a long-term review on the review board:
http://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1278

I don't think that the E109 is poorly constructed. I do not think it is as heavily built as earlier models- I have no idea how it will hold up in terms of durability. I am no expert on ski construction and engineering!

I also don't know what to think about the "Easy-Skin" slot cut into the Fischer skis...My intuition tells me that it is a point of weakness...

Perhaps Fischer has it all figured out and the E109 xtralite is bomb proof? But- I have read fairly recent reports of the Fischer xtralites failing on long-distance expeditions. The E99/E109 was always famous for its extreme durability...

Asnes is expensive- though in Canada about the same as Fischer...

If initial cost is a barrier- have you considered the Madshus Eon? My family has multiple pairs of the Eon- a few have which have more than a decade of high-mileage per season skiing in the forested hills and mountains. The Eon is light and incredibly durable. I have both the waxable and the waxless version of the Eon. These are a good deal:
https://www.gearx.com/madshus-eon-62-wax-ski-f16

In terms of performance, I don't think the E109 is a "better" ski than the Eon. The two skis have the same camber profile- though the E109 is stiffer underfoot, and therefore a bit better of a XC ski.

greatgt wrote:Also Woody....love the old time picture....Think those skis had rocker?.....Love seeing the old time tele pictures....More?....TM

YES! Love that photo!

greatgt wrote:ThanKs lc appreciate the piling on........ on the rock pile...

Hey your first new joke and it's a good one gt, keep em coming.

No hard feelings on my end.

All's well that ends well...We are all members of the Tele Tribe.....Snowshoe Donny's son Telemark's near Anchorage? He too is an engineer and has worked, I think, on Attu cleaning up WW2 debris....Mountain biking and skiing....I suspect he is pretty good at it....Woody keep skiing the steeps and anything else...Looks like your on it....If you ever want to ski some dynamite hardwoods, we have the goods.....Like everything else here today gone tomorrow.....LC Don at Mtn. Opp's in Stowe will add a 109 to his order.....Think he said he could get the waxable no hole in the bottom for a skin.....Have to say wax has been excellent around here....Two years ago it was in the polar and green range while this winter past everything.....Last winter was going to be a total bummer but March and April were fantastic.....At some point we were on 30 inches of powder on a glacial ice crust.....Got a storm, 14 inches of new....Figure this out.....measured on our previous day in our up trail....14 inches of new very heavy powder...not mashed potatoes....and then measured out of the track and we had 30 inches....THAT was amazing!....The under surface lite powder consolidated under the heavy and left us with the same amount from the day before....Never saw that before...Stay in the trees when the sun gets hot and very soon the snow clock starts ticking in our favor...TM

Good technique does not necessarily equal good backcountry skills. I would rather ski with someone in the backcountry who can only snowplows down a slope if they have good route finding and decision making skills (e.g., ability to assess snow stability, capable of reading topography and navigating, cautious and thoughtful in temperament, focused on safe travel not the ultimate turn, prepared with proper clothing and tech gear). Just a few thoughts.

STG,
Well said and very true.
Safety in the wilderness is job #1.
It is amazingly easy to die in the backcountry- especially when you add winter weather conditions to the mix.

STG wrote:Good technique does not necessarily equal good backcountry skills. I would rather ski with someone in the backcountry who can only snowplows down a slope if they have good route finding and decision making skills (e.g., ability to assess snow stability, capable of reading topography and navigating, cautious and thoughtful in temperament, focused on safe travel not the ultimate turn, prepared with proper clothing and tech gear). Just a few thoughts.

I would think most people that have all those bc skills are also good skiers of one type or another. Good skiers also have a better chance to ski out of a bad situation. They are probably less likely to trigger a slide than someone floundering their way down the hill.