First BC setup, seeks advice

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MicahE
Posts: 41
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2019 1:43 pm

First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by MicahE » Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:57 pm

First time poster, thanks for having me. I've been reading and learning.

Me: 210 lbs, 5' 8". I live in rural eastern Oregon, mostly ski in the Blue Mountains where we tend to get a lot of snow.

I picked up xc skiing last season and love it. I'm a snowboarder of 27 years and xc skiing is my first two plank activity. I'm hefty but active, coordinated, and feel like I have a short learning curve.

My setup is a yard sale kit that works surprisingly well, for $15. It's all I know so far. They are Trak Trail, skinny, and 210cm long. Old version SNS bindings, boots fit like a slipper. Seems to hold my weight well and I feel comfortable shuffling for miles in them, though unstable on anything that's not flat. Pics attached.

All my skiing has been ungroomed forest roads and hiking trails and I don't expect to be doing groomed trails...or if I do, I'd use the skinny skis I have now.

I really enjoy the "adventuring" aspect of xc skiing and desire to do longer treks over mostly, if not all, unbroken snow. Maybe some ski in camping on occasion. I want a setup that isn't a dog for shuffling along on broken trail but also handles deep unbroken snow well. I really don't expect to be telemarking but enjoy the thought of skiing up then sliding down through the powder here and there. I really look forward to having metal edges so that I can control my descents on the trails.

My current research has lead me to Fischer Travers 78 or Excursion 88, both likely in their longest version at 199cm. Would use NNNBC manual bindings and whatever boot that feels best that's on the supportive side of things.

I see that I can find these skis at reasonable discounts, which I don't find with some of the slightly more boutique brands. This is part of why I've come to the Fischer brand.

If you have any insights into this or reasons to steer me one way or another, I appreciate any thoughts.
old skiz.jpg
old bootz.jpg
Last edited by MicahE on Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Smitty
Posts: 148
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:37 am
Location: Alberta, Canada
Ski style: Bushwhacking
Favorite Skis: Asnes Nansen
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska

Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by Smitty » Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:36 pm

Welcome!

I'd say you're on the right track with ski selection. I'd suggest the Excursion 88's (at 199 cm you mentioned) as giving you more support in deeper snow. Especially being a stockier guy. In the review section LilCliffy has reviews on both the 78's and 88's that contrast their relative performance pretty comprehensively.

Definitely nothing wrong with the quality of Fishers. If you can find a decent price on them that's great - they may not be boutique but they're a high end ski in their own right. My wife has a pair of e99's and they are very well built. Perhaps a bit of longevity concern with where/how they've chosen to cut weight in that model, but still high end. And the OTX line have a beefier structure than the e99 that I have direct experience with.

Good call keeping an open mind on boots, pending fit. Lots of reviews and discussion here to help steer you. The Alpina Alaskas are very popular if you're looking at leather - good mix of affordability, stability and longevity.

Have fun!!

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MicahE
Posts: 41
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Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by MicahE » Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:03 pm

Smitty wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:36 pm
Welcome!

I'd say you're on the right track with ski selection. I'd suggest the Excursion 88's (at 199 cm you mentioned) as giving you more support in deeper snow. Especially being a stockier guy. In the review section LilCliffy has reviews on both the 78's and 88's that contrast their relative performance pretty comprehensively.

Definitely nothing wrong with the quality of Fishers. If you can find a decent price on them that's great - they may not be boutique but they're a high end ski in their own right. My wife has a pair of e99's and they are very well built. Perhaps a bit of longevity concern with where/how they've chosen to cut weight in that model, but still high end. And the OTX line have a beefier structure than the e99 that I have direct experience with.

Good call keeping an open mind on boots, pending fit. Lots of reviews and discussion here to help steer you. The Alpina Alaskas are very popular if you're looking at leather - good mix of affordability, stability and longevity.

Have fun!!

Sent from my BBE100-2 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the input. Yes I've read LilCliffy's reviews on these skis, very helpful. I guess it's kind of splitting hairs choosing between the two skis and maybe smarter to go with the wider ones since I've got skinny skis already. The 88's are about a 1/4 lb heavier per ski than the 78's, which is another factor but surely not a big deal in reality...for my situation. Hard to imagine they would perform markedly different on the flats.

I've read that everyone likes the Alpina Alaskas, I was also eyeballing the Alpina Snowfield, which seems to be a good share less expensive. I guess it depends on what I'll be able to try on, I'm hours away from any shop that carries xc ski gear. Likely comes down to fronting $600+ in boots to try on over the mail, could be worse I guess.

I found a pair of old e99's with Rota 3 pin bindings at the local thrift shop that can be had for whatever anyone wants to pay. They're too short for me at 190 but was neat to see them there, since I'd read that they are good skis.

Thanks again!



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Tom M
Posts: 333
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:01 pm
Location: Northwest Wyoming USA
Ski style: Skate on Groomed, XCD Off, Backcountry Tele
Favorite Skis: Fischer S-Bound 98 Off Trail, Voile V6 BC for Tele
Favorite boots: Currently skiing Alfa Vista, Alfa Free, Scarpa T2
Occupation: Retired
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCam0VG ... shelf_id=1

Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by Tom M » Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:25 pm

The NNNBC binding is a great binding for the type of skiing that you describe. I have a set of Fischer Traverse 78's and my wife has a set of Excursion 88's, both are mounted with the NNNBC Binding (Manual Version). I also ski the Nordic Norm 3 pin on wider skis. I recently posted a youtube video with my thoughts on the NNNBC vs the 3 pin Nordic Norm. Fischer skis are popular in my area (Northwest Wyoming) and the crown pattern works well on everything but ice. The 78's work great for the typical forest roads. I haven't skied all the other similar skis that many on this forum use, so I can't say how they compare. As others have mentioned, the boot is probably the most important part of the decision.



I'm trying out a new NNNBC boot this season (Alfa Skarvet) for use with my Traverse 78's. My hope is that this sturdier boot will give me more turn control over the 78's when the snow is less than ideal. Here is my initial review of this boot if you are curious.

Last edited by Tom M on Fri Dec 06, 2019 10:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.



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MicahE
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Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by MicahE » Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:49 pm

Tom M wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:25 pm
The NNNBC binding is a great binding for the type of skiing that you describe. I have a set of Fischer Traverse 78's and my wife has a set of Excursion 88's, both are mounted with the NNNBC Binding (Manual Version). I also ski the Nordic Norm 3 pin on wider skis. I recently posted a youtube video with my thoughts on the NNNBC vs the 3 pin Nordic Norm. Fischer skis are popular in my area (Northwest Wyoming) and the crown pattern works well on everything but ice. The 78's work great for the typical forest roads. I haven't skied all the other similar skis that many on this forum use, so I can't say how they compare. As others have mentioned, the boot is probably the most important part of the decision.



I'm trying out a new NNNBC boot this season (Alfa Skarvet) for use with my Traverse 78's. My hope is that this sturdier boot will give me more turn control over the 78's when the snow is less than ideal. Here is my initial review of this boot if you are curious.



If you haven't seen enough of an old fart skiing the Traverse 78's, here is my playlist for these skis. In the older videos, I'm skiing the Fischer OCX 5 boots.

Tom, I love your videos! I just subscribed to your channel a couple of days ago and your videos have both been informative and soothing as I view the beautiful landscapes you ski in. I've also shared your channel with my brother. He said this morning that it seems like you'd be fun to hike with. Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

I really don't think I'll be doing much in the way of downhill on a XC setup so I'm more focused on getting "out there and up there". Certainly will enjoy the inevitable descents but not currently interested in the steeper downhill. I was actually interested in gearing up to split-board but decided that those steeper BC trips would be too few and far between. I have a 9 yr old who really enjoys downhill skiing so I'm going to provide that as well as xc skiing (which I just geared her up for). This will mean that I'll do my steep downhill stuff on snowboard with aid of a ski lift.

Would your gut point me toward one over the other, between the 78's and the 88's?

Thanks again



User avatar
Tom M
Posts: 333
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:01 pm
Location: Northwest Wyoming USA
Ski style: Skate on Groomed, XCD Off, Backcountry Tele
Favorite Skis: Fischer S-Bound 98 Off Trail, Voile V6 BC for Tele
Favorite boots: Currently skiing Alfa Vista, Alfa Free, Scarpa T2
Occupation: Retired
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCam0VG ... shelf_id=1

Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by Tom M » Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:15 pm

I have only skied a few miles on my wife's 88's, just to try them out. They are shorter than my 78's, so its not an ideal comparison between the two. The flex and camber is similar. If you pick a light weight boot, I'd go with the 78's. If you pick a sturdier boot, I'd probably go with the 88's. If you see yourself breaking trail most of the time, I'd pick the 88's. If you ski with others who have narrow skis and share breaking duty, I'd pick the 78's. I do like my 78's. The extra camber makes them more difficult to turn as compared to my wider, softer skis, but they move right along as an off trail, forest service road ski. I look forward to hearing about your choice and how well they work for you this season.



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MicahE
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Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2019 1:43 pm

Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by MicahE » Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:28 pm

Tom M wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:15 pm
I have only skied a few miles on my wife's 88's, just to try them out. They are shorter than my 78's, so its not an ideal comparison between the two. The flex and camber is similar. If you pick a light weight boot, I'd go with the 78's. If you pick a sturdier boot, I'd probably go with the 88's. If you see yourself breaking trail most of the time, I'd pick the 88's. If you ski with others who have narrow skis and share breaking duty, I'd pick the 78's. I do like my 78's. The extra camber makes them more difficult to turn as compared to my wider, softer skis, but they move right along as an off trail, forest service road ski. I look forward to hearing about your choice and how well they work for you this season.
Good idea, letting the boot steer my ski choice to some degree. We're going to a ski swap tomorrow so this may all become mute if I find something that'll work as a step in the right direction for a low price. I likely won't be able to handle the skis before buying so trying to sus as much out as I can via the webs.



User avatar
Smitty
Posts: 148
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:37 am
Location: Alberta, Canada
Ski style: Bushwhacking
Favorite Skis: Asnes Nansen
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska

Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by Smitty » Sun Dec 08, 2019 7:43 pm

Being hours away from a well-stocked shop does make boots more challenging. But if you can wait until you can get to a store in person, or do the multiple mail-order and return, boot fit is probably the most important piece.

I haven't seen the Alpina Snowfields in person, and agree they have a tempting price point. But be careful of buying anything too soft / unsupportive. I started with a pair of Alfa Kikut boots (way softer than Tom's Skarvet model) and although they are very high quality, they don't provide much support in heavy or challenging snow. They fit like a glove and are slipper comfortable for long, flat tours. But I have a hell of a time pushing myself with them terrain-wise. I love the boots, but I'll likely end up buying a more supportive boot. If you only want to buy one boot, might want to save up and go heavier.

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fisheater
Posts: 2510
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:06 pm
Location: Oakland County, MI
Ski style: All my own, and age doesn't help
Favorite Skis: Gamme 54, Falketind 62, I hope to add a third soon
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska, Alico Ski March
Occupation: Construction Manager

Re: First BC setup, seeks advice

Post by fisheater » Sun Dec 08, 2019 8:59 pm

Micah, although I live near a large metropolitan area, I am not in Nordic backcountry area. I have to mail order almost everything. When I travel north to ski, I stop at a shop to buy kick wax. The only kick wax I can buy local are blue and red. I wanted to let you know that even though we live in different types of places, we share the same problem as far as equipment availability.
As far as buying boots by mail, I have been fortunate. I have a kind of average foot, not high volume or wide. I go to buy work boots, and an 11 M fits.My Scarpa T-4’s fit. I was lucky, my mail order British Army surplus Alico March fit. My Alaska BC feel like they were custom made for me.
Now, you didn’t reveal much about your foot, so I wrote about mine for a frame of reference.
Back when I was your age, my cash was a little tight. Especially in winter, since I work in the construction industry. I was an alpine skier then, and I found top of the line discontinued skis from a place that had a little add in the Powder Magazine classifieds. There was no internet. I paid full freight for my boots, but I bought them in spring. We alpine ski in my area, so boots were available. The point is, EBay skis slide pretty nice, a quality pair of bootsyou break in, to your foot, is a pleasure to ski in.
Now, I don’t have your wallet, or your stack of bills, but the Alaska BC is a real nice boot. Yes, the E-88 is a real nice ski as well. My advice is buy the new boot, and see if you can’t find a ski 200cm - 210cm with some “rocker”, “Nordic rocker”, or “early rise”. Find a ski like that, 54-70 mm underfoot and you’ll be golden.
Good luck no matter how you choose.



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