Madshus Panorama 68 mounting

[lowangle al]

I just picked up some M68s and plan to mount them with Voile HW toe pieces without the risers. First, did anyone ever mount a HW toe piece directly to the ski and have an issue? Second, did you mount these with the pins on the recommended line?

I got these in the 182 length, I weigh 185 lbs. Anyone with experience with the ski think I should have gotten the 192?

[lilcliffy]

Assuming that the current M68 is the same ski as the old Madshus/Karhu Epoch/XCD 10th Mtn-

It has a very soft, round flex-

You and I are of a similar weight- I find this ski unstable in deep snow- even at 195cm.
If you are not using it in deep snow- it is sublime.

I have mounted this ski at the recommended pin line- directly on the ski without a riser- no issues.

[connyro]

My experience is with the old karhu 10th mtn 195s. Cliffy's observations match mine regarding this ski. I also mounted 3pins directly to the ski without risers and on the marked pin line on the skis. No problems or complaints with this setup.

[lowangle al]

Thanks for the responses. I got them mounted yesterday. I did use an ancient low riser from an old pair of skis so I wouldn’t have to cut the screws down.

They are very light with that smooth soft flex you guys mentioned. They will be my no wax trail ski to use with my Fischer transnordics. I look forward to using them.

[lowangle al]

I took the skis out on their maiden voyage yesterday. The conditions went to crap, the trails were covered with windblown hard packed snow. Luckily a snowmobile had passed through softening it up a bit. I started out with my Fischer Transnordics. While it was enough boot for the ski, it wasn't enough boot for the conditions for my liking. I covered 4.5 miles, climbed 650' and averaged 3.5 mph. I was able to do long radius turns while staying within the snowmachine track but for anything off trail the boots didn't cut it.

I switched to my T4s and went back out, skiing the same route I had skied earlier. I appreciated the extra stability from the T4s and was happy with how they paired with the ski and conditions. I skied a little extra, covering 5.75 miles, climbing 850' and again averaged exactly 3.5 mph.

I would say the ski is a great example of a true XCD ski. It's side cut and soft flex make it a good turner, yet it still retains enough camber under foot to give better glide than a ski with alpine camber. I don't think it will be that much faster than my Voile Hyper vectors though, probably due to not having as good of a kick, but the narrow waist makes for more comfortable touring. They don't climb as well as the Voiles and if I were skiing the same meadows that I do now, I would probably want skins or have to do a lot more herring bone and sidestepping.

[Stephen]

@lowangle al, are you happy with the 182 length or would you have preferred the 192?

[lowangle al]

Hi Stephen, I haven't been on those skis since that day so I don't have much experience on them. For the icy conditions that day they were long enough. I will be using them next month, hopefully in good conditions, so I will know more then. My gut feeling is that they will be long enough. I'm more of a tour for turns guy then a long distance speed oriented skier.