Thank you! That was a big help.Lars wrote:My perspective is from someone getting into XCD. There are many experienced individuals who can offer you far more expert opinions on this choice than I can.
It's a little overwhelming as far as choices go. I also believe that min-maxing is great for discussion and theory crafting, but at some point, you just have to get out there. I'm sure I could have chosen differently and been fine. I am not an Olympic athlete looking to shave off thousandths of a second in my races. I have no interest in anything resembling competition. I just want to get out there any enjoy myself with gear that will help me do so.
We have a lot of fields/light hills in my area with mixed woods/rolling terrain in the region between Lake Champlain and the Green mountains. We also have some killer resort areas.
I tried to define what I wanted to do.
- Mostly flats, some hills, occasional groomed resort XC trails (although my recent experiences indicate I'd be better off having a standard classic or skate kit for those. I did not expect amazing groomed performance, but what did surprise me was how pronounced the gear/conditions dynamic was and how much I had to learn about technique).
Definitely an example of the difference between thinking you know something and experiencing it). Room to grow to attempt harder terrain as my skill level improves.
For me researching stuff like this is one of my passions. I almost have a let down when I actually buy something! I probably read that thread over 20 times and many others, searching through these (and the web) for any mention of the Eon, Epoch, 78, and 88.
Fischer skis were very attractive to me based on quality, the waxless pattern, and the easy skin system. For the 88s specifically, I liked that they are wider than the 78s, have more nordic rocker, and sound like they handle the XC climb and glide very well. My girlfriend has Fischer 68s and loves them.
All of that being said, I had some gift cards from Christmas to Outdoor Gear Exchange (plug for great local store) that greatly reduced the sale price of my package and they don't stock the 78 If I'm honest, that may have been one of the biggest factors.
So to summarize: XC performance with some D capabilities, price (unique with GCs), availability, quality, stability, grip/climb ability, easy skins.
And yeah, I’ve had every sage-hand on deck here offer advice. I was actually interested in your take specifically because you’re also a Newbie like me! Sounds like we are in a very similar places as far as our needs and desired and even the factors motivating our purchase. I have the 88s + NNNBC manuals in my cart on outdoor gear exchange as we speak lol. BUT. They are significantly more expensive than the 78s I saw at my local for 30% off.
I feel like ultimately the deciding factor may be along the lines of what Woods said to me via PM: “Just get a deal and get out there” lol. If Rock & Snow has the bindings in stock and is willing to drill and mount em for me on the 78s, that’s prolly what I’ll do. Otherwise I’ll likely go with the 88s from GearX or some close-out 2015 Madshus at The Mountaineer.
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