Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

lilcliffy wrote:CR- did you get the 210s?

Although they are relatively stiff for a Nordic ski with that profile- I don't find I have any problems compressing the camber to engage the wax pocket.

And although they are stiffly cambered, I find them reasonable to control on the downhill- but certainly not as easy to turn as a modern XCD/Tele ski.

yep, I got the 210s. I like these skis but on hard base with a little fluff on top, these skis require attention for both K+G as well as turns, at least for me. Compressing the wax pocket is fine as long as I pay attention to ski placement. I ski off-trail (bushwacking) most of the time, so undulations in the snow surface require... planning...Vector BCs make me lazy and complacent in that context I suspect.

I think that my Combats are different from others only in that my "sidewall" is the same plastic material as the topsheets: no sign of wood-grain at all. These skis are getting chewed up pretty good, but I still don't see any wood peeking out from under the plastic...yet...

Yeah I ski off-trail as well- and that's where I am getting the wear- abrasion from small trees- mostly small hardwood trees in the understory.

I find my pair very smooth and stable. I find the flex pattern very even and smooth.

There is quite a bit of variability in them though.

I was in on a group order of 12 pairs of these- we had multiple pairs of 190, 200, and 210cm. As I went to pick them up in Houlton, ME- I was able to pick a pair of 200 & 210cm from the bunch.

No two pairs had the same flex pattern and camber.

As I wanted the 210cm for myself- I picked a pair that had a perfect flex for my weight.

Very interesting about the variability of those skis, although given the chance, I'm not sure I'd be able to select a flex that's good for me....I wonder if the variability comes from the type of wood they use for those skis? I tried to figure out what type of wood they were from the swarf that resulted from drilling them, but I got nuthin. Hickory? Any guesses, educated or otherwise?

I ordered two pair. I will put three pin cables on one pair for myself. I think I will do the same for my son, but I will contemplate it a bit. The kick and glide will be easier on NNN-BC's, but any downhill control is easier with cables. He will eventually end up on T -4's, so then the three pins will still work.

No idea about the wood- though they are heavy aren't they?....

I think you are on the right track by suggesting hardwood. They were made in Norway...

I don't know- something heavier than white birch (no equivalent "hard" birch (e.g. yellow birch) in Europe) or aspen/poplar...

European beech maybe? The grain I can see reminds me of beech...

fisheater wrote:I ordered two pair. I will put three pin cables on one pair for myself. I think I will do the same for my son, but I will contemplate it a bit. The kick and glide will be easier on NNN-BC's, but any downhill control is easier with cables. He will eventually end up on T -4's, so then the three pins will still work.

Sounds smart and practical. There are times that I wish I hadn't even tried NNNBC. As much as I love it for touring-focused XCD skiing- 75mm is a much more versatile binding platform.

My problem is that I started testing current BC-XC boots about a decade ago, and found I preferred the NNNBC versions over their 75mm-3pin counterparts.

It's actually OK- NNNBC is really all I need for most of the BC skiing I do these days. (I don't get out much at the moment)

The 3 pin cable is an incredibly versatile binding- especially with the climbing wires. It has always been my favourite Telemark binding- giving the "flexibility" of everything from XC K&G to downhill power. I still have a couple of skis with that binding- mated to the T4.

I have a hankering for trying out more advanced Telemark tech at some point- but for now I am content with equipment that better matches my everyday skiing context.

I put pins on and the skis work well with them. I honestly might have liked them better with NNN though... they really are more XC than D IMHO.

connyro wrote:Very interesting about the variability of those skis,

If you talk to truly "old timer" Nordic skiers, they will tell us that at one time all manufactured Nordic skis were intentionally highly variable- so that the skier could select a pair that best suited both their weight and skiing style/context.

Asnes seems to be one of few manufacturers that is still doing this...

It is cool- but it produces some uncertainty and anxiety when mail-ordering skis!

lilcliffy wrote:No idea about the wood- though they are heavy aren't they?....

I think you are on the right track by suggesting hardwood. They were made in Norway...

I don't know- something heavier than white birch (no equivalent "hard" birch (e.g. yellow birch) in Europe) or aspen/poplar...

Maybe black birch? It's in the same range as hickory as far as density and weight and also a European species...

lilcliffy wrote:European beech maybe? The grain I can see reminds me of beech...

That is interesting...

MikeK wrote:... they really are more XC than D IMHO.

This is very true- they really are a straight forward (in a literal sense) backcountry-xcountry ski.