This is the World Famous TelemarkTalk / TelemarkTips / Telemark Francais Forum, by far the most dynamic telemark and backcountry skiing discussion board on the world wide web since 1998. East, West, North, South, Canada, US or Europe, Backcountry or not.
This is the World Famous TelemarkTalk / TelemarkTips / Telemark Francais Forum, by far the most dynamic telemark and backcountry skiing discussion board on the world wide web since 1998. East, West, North, South, Canada, US or Europe, Backcountry or not.
This is the World Famous TelemarkTalk / TelemarkTips Forum, by far the most dynamic telemark and backcountry skiing discussion board on the world wide web. We have fun here, come on in and be a part of it.
It's undeniable that military is responsible for most advances in technology, even though they have to advance most things in a "one size fits all" manner.
Thinking about this a bit… yeah, it is good. Enterprising ski companies get to develop good general purpose skis instead of ones suited to a very narrow range of conditions… cover the development cost with a large contract. Drives unit prices down… we don’t get the sweet bulk buy deals, but it keeps pricing this side of “real”.
Later, we get a crack at unused mil surplus, or a few bangers at 1/10th the price…. Unlikely to find a new, old stock of Kastle TX 93s from the Austrians laying in some bin with a $50 sticker on them though. LOL.
Here in CH our military don’t use Nordic skiing equipment. The special mountain troops (Gebirgsinfanterie) use alpine skis by Stöckli and alpine-touring bindings by Fritschi.
Our “hills” are, generally speaking, a bit different from the Scandinavian ones.
Is that ski the Laser AX? Asking because saw one oblique reference to it on a retail site talking about another Stöckli ski.
What color are the military versions of the Stöcklis?
The Swedes don’t need a military deterrent. All they need to do is open up a few cans of Surströmming and nobody will want to come near the place.
Do you prefer it whole, or fileted?
I would prefer all of it to be sunk in the depths of the ocean, together with some other “culinary delights”, such as the Scottish deep-fried Mars bar (which at least doesn’t stink).
Here in CH our military don’t use Nordic skiing equipment. The special mountain troops (Gebirgsinfanterie) use alpine skis by Stöckli and alpine-touring bindings by Fritschi.
Our “hills” are, generally speaking, a bit different from the Scandinavian ones.
Is that ski the Laser AX? Asking because saw one oblique reference to it on a retail site talking about another Stöckli ski.
What color are the military versions of the Stöcklis?
The civilian equivalent is the freeride Stöckli Stormrider 95 (and they’re not cheap!). The Swiss military renew their skis every 10 years and their requirements are very modest in comparison with other militaries. Two years ago they took delivery of 650 pairs, which is no problem for Stöckli to crank out, as they sell between 60 – 70,000 pairs of skis in a year (or so I’m told).
The skiing equipment is white.
Apropos Italian Military: The Alpini are currently experimenting with a folding ski (seriously!!!) made by Elan of Slovenia:
A foldable ski might make some sense logistically or tactically but, personally speaking, I think I’ll pass. This piece of ingenious engineering is also available in a civilian variant, namely the Elan Ibex Tactix, and they’re also not cheap. 1600 Euros is a lot to pay for a pair of broken skis.
The next thing will be inflatable skis which can be stowed away in the rucksack. If you’re under fire you can prick them with a pin and get instant jet-propulsion.
Apropos Italian Military: The Alpini are currently experimenting with a folding ski (seriously!!!) made by Elan of Slovenia:
Elan 1.png
Elan 2.png
A foldable ski might make some sense logistically or tactically but, personally speaking, I think I’ll pass. This piece of ingenious engineering is also available in a civilian variant, namely the Elan Ibex Tactix, and they’re also not cheap. 1600 Euros is a lot to pay for a pair of broken skis.
The next thing will be inflatable skis which can be stowed away in the rucksack. If you’re under fire you can prick them with a pin and get instant jet-propulsion.
That's pretty clever. The swivelling binding plate probably helps to maintain sufficient stiffness. Im curious to see if this system gets adopted.
My first ever touring skis were loaner government issue "Jeunesse et Sport" skis in 1996, which were blue logoless skis identical to some former Swiss Army skis (with the exception of the color). The bindings were Fritschi FT88, heavy and clunky, but they worked. I did some nice tours on them. I think they were mostly without sidecut. They were heavy and were terrible to turn. I think the skis were manufactured by Atomic. 4-5 years later I got surplus swiss army skis- with glueless skins which were held on by 3 lengthwise metal brackets which fit around the edges. They served me well for a couple of years, until I got a used plastic boot telemark setup which was both lighter and better.
Its good to see that technology has evolved since then.
Thanks for this guys. List updated and some key gaps filled. Pretty substantial list now (13 skis, 10 national military or paramilitary forces) … all contemporary use too, which is nice.
Sure are some beautiful skis out there for military use, with most of the alpine patterns in the “top tier” price range.
Here in CH our military don’t use Nordic skiing equipment. The special mountain troops (Gebirgsinfanterie) use alpine skis by Stöckli and alpine-touring bindings by Fritschi.
Our “hills” are, generally speaking, a bit different from the Scandinavian ones.
Is that ski the Laser AX? Asking because saw one oblique reference to it on a retail site talking about another Stöckli ski.
What color are the military versions of the Stöcklis?
The civilian equivalent is the freeride Stöckli Stormrider 95 (and they’re not cheap!). The Swiss military renew their skis every 10 years and their requirements are very modest in comparison with other militaries. Two years ago they took delivery of 650 pairs, which is no problem for Stöckli to crank out, as they sell between 60 – 70,000 pairs of skis in a year (or so I’m told).
The skiing equipment is white.
CH Ski Troops.png
Apropos Italian Military: The Alpini are currently experimenting with a folding ski (seriously!!!) made by Elan of Slovenia:
Elan 1.png
Elan 2.png
A foldable ski might make some sense logistically or tactically but, personally speaking, I think I’ll pass. This piece of ingenious engineering is also available in a civilian variant, namely the Elan Ibex Tactix, and they’re also not cheap. 1600 Euros is a lot to pay for a pair of broken skis.
The next thing will be inflatable skis which can be stowed away in the rucksack. If you’re under fire you can prick them with a pin and get instant jet-propulsion.
This is what the Alpini is currently equipped with. Seen that ski before but can’t place it…. Thoughts?
Without knowing the dates of the events at which those photos were taken, it is impossible to say if this same equipment is currently in use with the Alpini. The linked YouTube video appears to be very recent, and at position 1:26 – 1:29 the soldier steps into what is quite clearly a Tyrolia binding. This impression is further reinforced later in the video, at 18:58 – 19:00, and between 19:46 and 20:17. Since the same company in Kennelbach, Austria, also produce skis it would have been advantageous for the Italian military to procure skis and bindings from the same source. My best guess is that the Alpini currently use bindings by Tyrolia and skis by Head.
