Asnes USGI review
Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 9:16 pm
hey folks. just took the first run on the USGI's and thought i'd post some thoughts about them.
first off, i'm coming at XCD from a mostly cross country perspective, having only skied on skinny track skis and flexy boots. so the USGI's mounted with NNN-BC Magnums and Alpina Alaskas is a heavy-duty rig to me. honestly, i love the added control.
the ski's are pretty similar to my fischer BC country crown 200's in all ways except width and edge. the usgi's are obviously quite a bit wider and have full metal edges. the usgi's are also heavier. no real numbers on these stats cause i am lazy and anyone who really really wants to know that will look it up online.
i took them maybe 10 miles today and the additional weight was not too much of an issue. yes my legs were a bit tired, so the weight might add up on an extended trip, i'm still not totally sold on these for back-to-back distance skiing. this is especially true if the plan contains lots of bushwhacking. picking my way through a mile or so of tight brush made me much more fatigued on these than i normally am after such an excursion. i blame that on the added weight. that being said, for normal conditions it was not really noticable like i thought it might be. the metal edges did take a few miles to adjust to, and on the first couple hills i caught an edge or two when i overwheighted a ski. those edges catch much more easily and reliably than the all plastic skis i am used to!
as far as glide is concerned, i feel like they actually glide better than the waxless fischers. i put a good coat of base binder, then 3 thin coats of swix red (corked in good each time), and squeezy glide on the tips and tails. the temp was in the low 20's with day old snow and the wax worked most excellently. absolutely no problems gripping on the kick or climb and a good smooth glide on each stride. i shoulda filmed myself i think
my forrays off trail into the untouched "powder" in the woods proved that they float (at least in 6 inches of snow). i'm sure it'd be a different story in bottomless fluff but you'll have to find another review for that, sorry.
for $30/pair this was probably the best ski i will every buy. maybe i will buy a better ski one day, but it will most likely cost much, much more money. for now, the usgi's will be my go-to long distance trip ski, and the fischer are becoming my mixed rock/track/groomer ski. the second pair was supposed to go to my bro-in-law for xmas but now i don't wanna give em up. is that bad?? hahahah, anyway, happy trails!
first off, i'm coming at XCD from a mostly cross country perspective, having only skied on skinny track skis and flexy boots. so the USGI's mounted with NNN-BC Magnums and Alpina Alaskas is a heavy-duty rig to me. honestly, i love the added control.
the ski's are pretty similar to my fischer BC country crown 200's in all ways except width and edge. the usgi's are obviously quite a bit wider and have full metal edges. the usgi's are also heavier. no real numbers on these stats cause i am lazy and anyone who really really wants to know that will look it up online.
i took them maybe 10 miles today and the additional weight was not too much of an issue. yes my legs were a bit tired, so the weight might add up on an extended trip, i'm still not totally sold on these for back-to-back distance skiing. this is especially true if the plan contains lots of bushwhacking. picking my way through a mile or so of tight brush made me much more fatigued on these than i normally am after such an excursion. i blame that on the added weight. that being said, for normal conditions it was not really noticable like i thought it might be. the metal edges did take a few miles to adjust to, and on the first couple hills i caught an edge or two when i overwheighted a ski. those edges catch much more easily and reliably than the all plastic skis i am used to!
as far as glide is concerned, i feel like they actually glide better than the waxless fischers. i put a good coat of base binder, then 3 thin coats of swix red (corked in good each time), and squeezy glide on the tips and tails. the temp was in the low 20's with day old snow and the wax worked most excellently. absolutely no problems gripping on the kick or climb and a good smooth glide on each stride. i shoulda filmed myself i think
my forrays off trail into the untouched "powder" in the woods proved that they float (at least in 6 inches of snow). i'm sure it'd be a different story in bottomless fluff but you'll have to find another review for that, sorry.for $30/pair this was probably the best ski i will every buy. maybe i will buy a better ski one day, but it will most likely cost much, much more money. for now, the usgi's will be my go-to long distance trip ski, and the fischer are becoming my mixed rock/track/groomer ski. the second pair was supposed to go to my bro-in-law for xmas but now i don't wanna give em up. is that bad?? hahahah, anyway, happy trails!