Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

So I sold a couple of pairs of skis that purchased last year that were clearly too small for me - TN 66 200 cm and Rossi BC 80 186 cm. Both served me well as my first sets of skis but they were clearly too small as they were generally slow in most snow conditions.

My 2022 quiver includes the following:

1. TN 66 205 Crown - great ski that is fast with very good K&G - novice tele turns as well.
2. E99 205 Tour Wax base - still learning to wax. I will apply gripe wax tip to tail.
3. Excursion 88 199 cm - very nice ski that is appropriate for my weight

Obviously more time is needed on all three. This quiver should serve me well for most, if not all, of the skiing that I will do in UP of Michigan. Although I do not need to purchase another ski this year I would like to consider adding a third ski type to my quiver since I have the green backs in my pocket. After a number of sleep deprived evenings reading TT ski reviews and postings I am leaning towards the Falketind Xplore 62 or Fischer
Sbound 98. Both skis are in a different class of ski than what is in my 2022 quiver. Specifically, this third ski type should be a decent XC ski that will provide some good float in deeper snow (300+ inches annually here) and provide controlled turns in the densely forested rolling hills in the back country of the UP.

The two that I am considering are:
Fischer SBound 98 189 cm
Ansnes FT Xplore 62 - leaning towards 188cm.

I will use NNN BC Magnum manual bindings.

I am also considering the Asnes Otto Sverdrup 200 cm - maybe too much overlap with my current quiver.

Lastly - why is the Gamme 54 BC so gosh darn appealing when I already have two skis in this class? The E99's are from the early 2000's with some waves in the base of one ski and minor delamination of the base tips on both that I fixed.

Inventories are low and I would like be ready to purchase the right ski when I find them. My weight is 175 lbs with no gear and 5' 10". Still a novice at this sport as well.

Suggestions would be appreciated.

I would expect- especially with reports on the flex of the current Fischer 98 (see Tom M's video)- that the 98 offers better downhill performance than the Asnes FTX-
and that- with current reports- that the current FTX is perhaps a more efficient XC ski than the Fischer 98...

I would suggest that the Asnes Rabb 68 is a more comparable ski to the Fischer 98.

What are the snow conditions like where you would be using this ski?

Looking at dimensions alone- the 98- at 68mm- should offer more float in deep soft snow than the FTX- at 62mm...
unless the current 98 is very soft and round...

As a comparison- consider the similar-to-98-dimensioned Madshus Epoch/68- it is very soft and round flexing and completely unstable in deep soft snow (unless you are very light skier- my daughter loves it, but she is a feather weight)

For example- based on Fish's reports- it seems that the new FTX would be more stable in deep soft snow than the wider Madshus Epoch/68-

Tom M's video of the new 98 clearly shows that is less cambered than it has been in recent years (i.e. less cambered than the Fischer 88)- but I have no idea what the flex is like.

I have the S98 from a few years back.... and just ordered the falketind on sale from varuste -envisioning the falketind will replace much of what I currently use the S98 for (touring for turns on nnnbc). Either ski would complement your current options well. There is some ongoing discussion of the falketind in deep(er) snow but I suspect it will be comparable to S98 (which generally handles fresh snow great but in the occasional really deep and dry/cold storm in utah I can sink to my thigh). I think the falketind will just be a better all around ski of the two. Main advantage of the S98 being the very grippy fischer waxless pattern if you are looking for that.

John_XCD wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 01, 2022 8:28 am

Main advantage of the S98 being the very grippy fischer waxless pattern if you are looking for that.

YES- good point- perhaps the most important one.
Grip wax or scales?

Snow conditions are highly variable due to lake effect and air temps ranging from -0F to >30F. Can get some lingering polar vortexes that will drop temps to <0F for extended periods. I would say snow conditions are typical of the northern Great Lakes. Dry fluffy snow to wet heavy snow with dumps of 6 to 18 inches weekly, often >12 inches. Trails that I ski on are rarely groomed which is really nice and are challenging even to the experienced XC skiers that I know in the area. Lots of snowmobile trials and seasonal roads in the area as well.

I did not have too much trouble last year in the back country with TN 66's excluding turning and avoiding trees when going off trails in deeper snow (>12 inches).

I can either go with the waxless or wax. I did start xc skiing on a borrowed pair of 44 mm wax base skis that worked OK, but the waxless is certainly easier. I do find that I need to herringbone up the steeper hills on the waxless skis.

In regards to my preference of wax base vs waxless, I will probably end up with both, just like I will end up a Gamme sometime in the future.

The Sbound 98 sure does seem like a logical choice for me as I really like the TN 66 and Excursion 88's. Plus I will be able to use the skins on both the E88 and S98. I should follow Tom M's lead on going waxless....as he stated in one of his YouTube videos that he will not be going back to wax as the waxless is better at handling variable snow conditions.

Are the Asnes FTX 62/Rabb 68 a much better ski than the S98? Both the FTX 62's and Rabb 68's look like they are a blast in the right conditions.

Thanks for the feed back

Yes, the FT X is a much better ski than the S-98. From an XC perspective, I can get much better grip and glide with wax. I had an S-112, i herring bone much less on was. As I said I had an S-112, the Nordic rocker on these skis doesn’t flex evenly when in k&g. The tip kind of bends up instead of an even flex, it isn’t as pleasant as other skis breaking trails. The skis flat out suck on consolidated scales.
On the downhill both skis are nice in soft snow. I think both are okay on backcountry snow. However if you ever take these skis on piste, the laminated air core of the S-bound skis are easily over powered with a stiff leather boot. The poplar core of the FT X is far superior torsionally. They are not comparable. The edges on the S-bound series are very thin. I never dared put a file on them. When I sold them, I hoped the buyer didn’t think I filed them that thin.
It is my belief the FT X is a far superior ski. Asnes had had three versions of this ski in the past 6 seasons or so, with the Xplore being a substantial redesign. Fischer has added an easy skin over the past 20 years.
I guess the already have the design perfected!

YooperXC wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 01, 2022 7:24 pm

I can either go with the waxless or wax. I did start xc skiing on a borrowed pair of 44 mm wax base skis that worked OK, but the waxless is certainly easier. I do find that I need to herringbone up the steeper hills on the waxless skis.

In regards to my preference of wax base vs waxless, I will probably end up with both, just like I will end up a Gamme sometime in the future.

The Sbound 98 sure does seem like a logical choice for me as I really like the TN 66 and Excursion 88's. Plus I will be able to use the skins on both the E88 and S98. I should follow Tom M's lead on going waxless....as he stated in one of his YouTube videos that he will not be going back to wax as the waxless is better at handling variable snow conditions.

I didn’t see the video in which Tom said this and i don’t know where he’s located (California?) but it really depends on your typical snow conditions. Sounds like up in the Great Lakes it varies quite a bit. I think of it as usually be very COLD up in Michigan - that’s where you are right? I’m in Colorado, where snow is usually (but not always) cold and often powdery. So for those conditions, wax is almost always better. I have three BC skis and two are waxable. I’m thinking of adding a fourth pair, which will also be waxable. One of the old guys I learned from was fond of saying, “you usually need Swix green, sometimes blue, and if it’s a klister day in the mountains, go for a bike ride down at lower elevations.” And that usually rings true. But I do like having some waxless skis for those warm, sunny days later in the season.

The review of the FTX ski on TT is why I am strongly considering it. Asnes sizing for the ski is really not that helpful. The scale would put me at 180 cm, which seems small. I am leaning towards the 188 cm, but cannot find any. I did find a number of the 196 cm ready to ship, but reluctant due to my novice xc capabilities and no real knowledge of waxing. White Polar grip wax tip to tail, Blue & Green grip wax in the pocket? Scrape the polar when temps get colder.

Is the FTX a better xc ski than the Rabb 68? It looks like the Rabb 68 would be a better downhill ski than the FTX due to more side cut. Is that correct?

Turkey day did bring my weight up to 179 lbs. After skiing a lot last year I was down to 168 lbs, which may be a little light for the 196 cm.


Kroppslengde Skilengde
168-177 cm 172 cm
175-185 cm 180 cm
183-192 cm 188 cm
188+ cm 196 cm

Ingstad, Otto, Gamme, Amundsen, Nansen, Rabb.....OMG!!...they all look fun.

I did notice that the Fischer scales have great grip on warmer days...I would say almost outstanding.

I was looking for the video where I thought Tom said he preferred waxless, could not find it... perhaps i was wrong ..apologies to Tom M if am wrong. BTW thanks for the great videos.

YooperXC wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 01, 2022 7:24 pm

The Sbound 98 sure does seem like a logical choice for me as I really like the TN 66 and Excursion 88's. Plus I will be able to use the skins on both the E88 and S98. I should follow Tom M's lead on going waxless....as he stated in one of his YouTube videos that he will not be going back to wax as the waxless is better at handling variable snow conditions.

If you are happy with the Excursion 88's traction pattern (off trail grip and glide performance) you will be happy with the S-Bound 98. They are very similar and have the same advantages and disadvantages. A properly waxed ski is amazing and when skiing in cold consistent snow, there is nothing better. My track skis are wax, but all my off trail skis are traction pattern skis. I call them that because skis like the Excursion 88 and S-Bound 98 need glide wax for best performance. I was out skiing today testing the Alfa Vista / Xplore / S-Bound 98. The starting temperature was 28 degrees F, but by the time the ski ended it was 34 degrees F and snowing very wet and heavy snow. Not the best day for a waxible ski. That being said, the Xplore 62 is a very sexy looking ski and would have been fun on the downhill, but it would have needed a skin today whereas I just used the traction pattern.

Winter of 2020/21 I skied with @Tom M quite a bit, him always on waxless and me on wax.
He often had an easier time on the way up, and I would usually out glide him on the way down.
Where it got more nuanced was on the way down, with some ups and downs.
He often did better on those.
Some days wax was clearly the winner, and other days I would be VERY envious of his waxless skis!
Me having the Asnes X-Skins helped, but that was not as seamless as his waxless.

Tom has nothing against wax, and skied that for decades.

I think waxless is a very practical solution.
I think it comes down to what compromises one wants to make.
Do you want something that just works in a broad range of situations, with the known limitations?
Or, do you want something that works really well sometimes, with the tradeoff being that it works less well other times, and sometimes takes some fiddling around to get right?

I bet the answer says something about one’s personality type…