Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

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lilcliffy
Posts: 4112
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:20 pm
Location: Stanley, New Brunswick, Canada
Ski style: backcountry Nordic ski touring
Favorite Skis: Asnes Ingstad, Combat Nato, Amundsen, Rabb 68; Altai Kom
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska BC; Lundhags Expedition; Alfa Skaget XP; Scarpa T4
Occupation: Forestry Professional
Instructor at Maritime College of Forest Technology
Husband, father, farmer and logger

Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by lilcliffy » Sun Nov 05, 2017 8:04 pm

I am getting very excited about snow- only a few flurries yet...

Rather than praying for endless stable, cold fresh snow- I have decided to do everything I can to enjoy the inevitable results of the "Chinese Hoax"- ICY, REFROZEN FRACKIN SNOW!

Way back I used to stick to the groomed track and klister when the snow was icy and refrozen.

Using kicker skins in an everyday touring application (as opposed to in the past, only using kicker skins when hauling weight on a trek) has allowed me to keep going in the backcountry, even when the snow is an icy shit show.

The other thing I did last season was I forced myself to give klister a real go in the forested hills. You know what? I discovered that my fear of klister in the woods was a lot worse than the reality. Did shit stick to the klister? Yeah- some stuff did- but the grip and glide was still excellent- probably due to the stiff second camber on my Ingstads and E99/E109....

Going forward my strategy for icy refrozen snow?
1) Camber-and-a-half, or double camber.
2) Kicker skins man.
3) Klister baby.

What is your strategy in the backcountry for icy refrozen snow?
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.

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Verskis
Posts: 179
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:14 am
Location: Tampere, Finland
Ski style: XCD touring on small hills. Heavy tele at resort
Favorite Skis: Åsnes Rabb 68
Favorite boots: Alico Ski March
Occupation: Hydraulics engineer

Re: Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by Verskis » Mon Nov 06, 2017 3:17 am

I will use kicker skins, either Madshus Intelligrip skins on skinny Merrel XCD GT skis or integrated skins on the OAC KAR147 "skishoes" (stupid name btw, to me they are much more ski than snowshoe). Both work fine on icy snow.



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Johnny
Site Admin
Posts: 2256
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Location: Quebec / Vermont
Ski style: Dancing with God with leathers / Racing against the machine with plastics
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Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska XP, Alfa Guards, Scarpa TX Comp
Occupation: Full-time ski bum

Re: Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by Johnny » Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:30 am

My strategy is simple: go ski elsewhere and find some real snow... 8-)

Or if I really feel for icy snow, the SkinLock / Xskins are my best weapons... You don't have the drag of kickers, it really feels like a normal wax ski, with grip on ice... It's actually really fun...!
/...\ Peace, Love, Telemark and Tofu /...\
"And if you like to risk your neck, we'll boom down Sutton in old Quebec..."



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lilcliffy
Posts: 4112
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:20 pm
Location: Stanley, New Brunswick, Canada
Ski style: backcountry Nordic ski touring
Favorite Skis: Asnes Ingstad, Combat Nato, Amundsen, Rabb 68; Altai Kom
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska BC; Lundhags Expedition; Alfa Skaget XP; Scarpa T4
Occupation: Forestry Professional
Instructor at Maritime College of Forest Technology
Husband, father, farmer and logger

Re: Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by lilcliffy » Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:43 am

LoveJohnny wrote:My strategy is simple: go ski elsewhere and find some real snow... 8-)
HA! I wish I could do that every day! At some point in the future, I intend to be in a position where I can travel at any time to fresh soft snow. At this point in my life- work and family keep me pretty close to home- to enjoy the winter backcountry skiing I have to accept whatever snow presents itself. I live in a snowbelt- so I always have enough snow- but, erratic weather- which we are getting more and more of- leads to freeze-thaw-freeze mixed with a lot of precipitation. Icy, refrozen snow is simply something I cannot avoid at this point in my life! :( :D
Or if I really feel for icy snow, the SkinLock / Xskins are my best weapons... You don't have the drag of kickers, it really feels like a normal wax ski, with grip on ice... It's actually really fun...!
Yeah- they are just incredible- difficult snow, steep climbs, very deep snow- and then you have a smooth base for downhill skiing. I have to say that my waxless-scaled are beginning to feel a little obsolete...
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



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Cannatonic
Posts: 983
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 9:07 pm

Re: Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by Cannatonic » Mon Nov 06, 2017 12:42 pm

LoveJohnny wrote:My strategy is simple: go ski elsewhere and find some real snow... 8-)
yes, or wait for it to warm up and/or snow again! Or go swim some laps. Seriously, the Asnes skins did work on ice a couple times last year for me, but the whole experience was pretty miserable, just the grating sounds of my edges and poles against the ice gets annoying fast. I start thinking "why am I out here?" :lol:
"All wisdom is to be gained through suffering"
-Will Lange (quoting Inuit chieftan)



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satsuma
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Location: Walla Walla, WA
Occupation: retired(?) chemical engineer

Re: Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by satsuma » Mon Nov 06, 2017 6:27 pm

lilcliffy wrote:I am getting very excited about snow- only a few flurries yet...

Rather than praying for endless stable, cold fresh snow- I have decided to do everything I can to enjoy the inevitable results of the "Chinese Hoax"- ICY, REFROZEN FRACKIN SNOW!

Way back I used to stick to the groomed track and klister when the snow was icy and refrozen.

Using kicker skins in an everyday touring application (as opposed to in the past, only using kicker skins when hauling weight on a trek) has allowed me to keep going in the backcountry, even when the snow is an icy shit show.

The other thing I did last season was I forced myself to give klister a real go in the forested hills. You know what? I discovered that my fear of klister in the woods was a lot worse than the reality. Did shit stick to the klister? Yeah- some stuff did- but the grip and glide was still excellent- probably due to the stiff second camber on my Ingstads and E99/E109....

Going forward my strategy for icy refrozen snow?
1) Camber-and-a-half, or double camber.
2) Kicker skins man.
3) Klister baby.

What is your strategy in the backcountry for icy refrozen snow?
Don't ski in the northeast--we don't have snow like that near here (but maybe in the Cascades). Seriously, waxless skis don't work on ice, I think the best is ice klister.



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Woodserson
Posts: 2967
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:25 am
Location: New Hampshire
Ski style: Bumps, trees, steeps and long woodsy XC tours
Occupation: Confused Turn Farmer

Re: Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by Woodserson » Tue Nov 07, 2017 4:45 pm

Scales.

Sorry.



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lowangle al
Posts: 2731
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 3:36 pm
Location: Pocono Mts / Chugach Mts
Ski style: BC with focus on downhill perfection
Favorite Skis: powder skis
Favorite boots: Scarpa T4
Occupation: Retired cement mason. Current job is to take my recreation as serious as I did my past employment.

Re: Dealing with FRACKIN icy refrozen snow in the backcountry!

Post by lowangle al » Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:32 am

It's good to know that the integrated skin system works well on the icy refrozen snow, but when my local trails freeze over they are so rutted up by bikers and hikers that they aren't worth skiing anyway.



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