Asnes MT65 (USGI) Combat Skis

[jooleyen]

I'm really liking these in 200cm so far. Haven't gotten to use them in more than 6" of snow yet, but they do have that pop that makes them glide nicely. They turn good enough for me...I'm more of a touring kind of guy anyways- I just turn because I have to. White is an awesome ski color too.

[connyro]

I've put about 15 miles on these skis in some downright crappy conditions but also some pretty good but not deep powder. These are very stable and lively skis with stiff camber. The bases hold wax very well and they ski lighter than they are. They love to track perfectly straight: quite a welcome change from skis like Vector BCs or Guides. They can be turned but it takes a different technique than modern skis and some patience. NNN-BC/Alaskas are a perfect fit for the Combats IMO.

For me, going back to waxable skis after several years away from them is a bit of a learning curve. The Combats get GREAT glide, but climbing steep hills is not the forte of waxable (and double-camber) skis. The best climbing skis (without skins) I've been on are the Vector BCs and it's like night and day when compared to the Combats. Not sure what Teleman means when he claims Vector BCs are terrible for climbing. I had to adjust my kick+glide technique quite a bit before finally getting the kick I needed to go fast on the flats and climb hills efficiently.

Yes, white skis are pretty cool looking. IMO, these skis are perfect for backcountry touring that includes reasonably moderate ups and downs, high speeds, and long distances. They are not the ideal ski for doing laps on your favorite BC slope, but the Combats are all-stars for going fast and far in the woods.

[MikeK]

Well IIRC with wax skis it was always a tradeoff between glide and grip. You could go sticky on the wax and climb like a goat or go hard and glide like mad. It was really hard to get both... sometimes you would if the snow was just right or maybe if you have your PhD in waxology (look through some of those xc race wax documents if you want to take a nice nap).

I don't know if you recall this from old school xc technique but one trick to really get skis like this to stick is point your belly toward the sky (arch your back) and trot up the hill. The body position helps maximize the load transfer to the wax pocket and the trotting helps really impact the wax into the snow.

I will admit though, the problem with that technique is that when and if the skis do let go, and slip back, it's usually hard to keep your balance. You might take a few tumbles of you haven't done it in a while.

[bgregoire]

point your belly toward the sky (arch your back) and trot up the hill

I'd love to see a video demonstration of that in action!

[MikeK]

point your belly toward the sky (arch your back) and trot up the hill

I'd love to see a video demonstration of that in action!

http://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0121/012136.html

So keep your back erect, use small quick strides, and concentrate on pressing down through the snow, not backwards, as you push off onto your forward ski.

Keeping your back erect (or as I've heard instructors say, point your belly button toward the ski) keeps you more perpendicular to the slope. Leaning forward too much pushes the ski backward without enough weight on it. The trot really impacts it into the snow.

This is what I was trying to describe... it seems impossible to find a video of it because everyone is related to racing and making running strides uphill. Those guys/gals still keep their weight relatively forward, but they are running, not walking/stomping.

[MikeK]

I'm ready to go to war!



Got one pair prepped and ready to ski, temps went up... might be another week or two before I get a chance to try these.

I knew about these skis for a couple years, but I never would have bought them without the lilcliffy stamp of approval

[lilcliffy]

More thoughts on these skis- in a backcountry-xcountry context...

These skis have completely changed my BC-XC quiver...

They have made my Eons almost obsolete...The Eon is still a much better downhill ski. And my waxless Eons are still excellent in warm, wet snow...The Combat is vastly superior to the Eon in a xcountry context. It tracks better; has a more effective "kick"; and due to it's extra width underfoot- has better flotation and traction.

The Combat has also pushed my "powder" skis (Annum) even further out into the pow...

See the thing is that the Eon kinda sucks in deep snow- it is only 62mm underfoot...so for years I have been grabbing my Annums/Guides when the snow is too deep for the Eon.

Having the Combat has caused me to use my Annums in only truly deep snow...

We got another 18 inches of cold soft snow on Monday night- there's about 3 feet of condensed, hard, dense snow beneath it. On my first ski after the snowfall I instinctively grabbed my Annums- thinking I would need the flotation...After about about 1/2 a km I found the Annums to kind of be all over the place, and came back for the Eon. The Eon sank straight down to the base- so I grabbed the Combat. The Combat didn't float as much as the Annum, but it gave me enough flotation to efficiently break trail, and it tracked, kicked and glided beautifully. In that 18 inches of fresh, soft snow, the Combat outperformed both the Eon and the Annum...

[Cannatonic]

those are some nice-looking skis! I'd be tempted to rock a white jumpsuit when skiing them (remember "Captain Powder" from the magazine?) So they've replaced them with white Ingstads today? I wonder when these were made.

210's with a 67 waist is serious flotation for cruising! So basically the only downside is heavy weight? I have an older pair of Kharu XC skis that are fatter in the middle, I'm not aware of anyone selling a straight-up XC ski that wide anymore.

[MikeK]

Does anyone know if there is even any glass in these? Might just be wood with a Ptex base.

Metal plate is there for binding reinforcement but the top looks just to be a plastic sheet.

[lilcliffy]

those are some nice-looking skis! I'd be tempted to rock a white jumpsuit when skiing them (remember "Captain Powder" from the magazine?) So they've replaced them with white Ingstads today? I wonder when these were made.

210's with a 67 waist is serious flotation for cruising! So basically the only downside is heavy weight? I have an older pair of Kharu XC skis that are fatter in the middle, I'm not aware of anyone selling a straight-up XC ski that wide anymore.

Whoa- which model of Karhu is that?

The Orions were 85-70-80mm- and I believe (I have no personal experience) that they had more camber and a stiffer flex than the current Karhu/Madshus XCDs (i.e. Eon).

I had an old, hand-me-down pair of wood-cored, Karhu BC-XC skis that had a very similar profile and flex to the Combats. They were my fresh snow BC-XC ski for more than 20 years. I have no idea what model they were- the decals were worn off and/or faded away- long before I cared to think about it...

You are correct- a mid-width straight-up "old school" BC-XC ski seems to be currently unavailable. The Ingstad and the E-109 have the flex pattern and camber of a mid-width BC-XC ski- but they have an aggressive sidecut....

Karhu is still making straight-up mid-width BC-XC skis for the local Finnish market.

My oldest son and I have been pretending to be Finnish ski-commandos of the "Winter War" for years (we even have a trail on our woodlot called the "Finnish Commando Trail"). Rowan was extremely excited about having white combat skis in our quiver. He has mentioned a number of times that now all we need is white commando ski suits...