How skinny is too skinny for XCD

[fisheater]

@BEVL Yes, skinny doesn’t necessarily help, but as John S stated, it’s about the camber. If it’s a stiff ski it will not bend when you put it on edge. If it doesn’t bend it doesn’t turn. It’s really that simple.
There is another factor in turning, which is rotation. Rotation is definitely a key tool in the tool box, but if the ski doesn’t bend with just half your weight, turning is difficult. I said half your weight because the Telemark turn is a two footed turn. Properly executed Telemark turns utilize both feet weighting the skis.

[Rodbelan]

There is an important aspect in all this; where do you ski? What kind of snow do you ski? If you are in a place where snow is rather shallow, that could fit the ticket... If you are in the rockies, and want to go full fledge off-piste, than that might not get you going...

Cambered skis can be pushed to turn, but like Fish sayin', it's much harder...

I would add: what is that ski actually? Brand and model?

[Lhartley]

"Where you do you ski", AND what conditions. Right tool for the job, right? A certain Japanse skier summed it up well in a recent video where he felt he had too much ski for conditions

"There's no fun in over-speccing".

With golf you carry around a bag full of clubs for each individual job. Skiing you choose one and there's going to be compromises. Do you ski 30 kms of flats and rolling terrains on 110 mm waist skis with skins to ski one low angle spring corn slope? Some might might take endeavors, some might take Nansens. Different philosophies, but there's something to be said for challenging yourself and getting out of your comfort zone. Unless you find yourself double pole planting on beginner slopes at the resorts and blaming it on the conditions, then maybe just stick with the wide stuff and get your ski instructor gf to teach you how to ski

[Musk Ox]

Yes! In good conditions, my wife can make fairly elegant (to me!) turns on MR48s (48mm waist). She can edge down very steep inclines and do fast stops in a Telemark stance.

My congratulations to your wife. I use my MT 51 for thin cover and tracks only. To my mind those noodle tips are for tracks. Give me Gamme for making turns on a mile eating ski. I can use Gamme’s stiff tip and rocker to make the ski bend and actually turn. I would not think of taking the MT 51 out in ideal conditions

I should definitely clarify that this isn't something she regularly does, by any means. She doesn't use her MR48s much at all, unless she's on the tracks when we have visitors, I'd probably say.

There are a few nice four- or five-hour-ish tours which are groomed/ tracks all the way, and totally made for the MR48s because they go from carpark to bare 'wild' plateau above the tree-line back down to the valley and then the bus stop via a hut or two for hot chocolate. If it's snowing or there's cover on a firm surface after a few days, that was really fun with the MR48s.

On the way down you can leave the machined bits and have some fun practicing your turns every now and then. Unless I'm mistaken, she can do turns with a dropped knee on those skis if there's a lot of nice snow but it wouldn't be the principal aim of the exercise, and we'd definitely take other skis for our little 'peaks' (she will clip in to topptur gear with her friends to do the wild stuff, which I don't do). I'm making it sound like she's a ski genius, which she is, but only compared to me.

She can definitely edge down steep icy sections in the same stance with some control, where I'll prefer to walk.

[Lhartley]

Playing devils advocate here and I'll accept no liability but if you want your light touring skis to turn better you can store them clamped together like this guy and remove some camber.

[Lhartley]

While back Bardini a skier out West died in an accident while Cliff and rock climbing. "you know it is a NORDIC turn." Turns out he saw it but his acolytes went to Parallel and modified telemark turns. Some didn't. Telemark is a NORDIC turn of wonder. Best served in the raw, not on Alpine trails. You learn if out there watching others do the deed. You practice it as much as you can and a few at a "closed" ski areas is not too bad. Telemark is more go with the flow and each of us will have a different take and different styles. Remember, Free the heel free the mind. TM

Had never heard of Bardini. Thanks for sharing. A fascinating story

https://earnyourturns.com/17796/profile ... d-bardini/

" I know that he’s totally committed to imparting the soul of backcountry skiing with all its ups and downs, open minded enough to ride a snowboard when that’s a better tool, and questions everything but the passion that goes into earning your turns." Interesting bit of ski journalism there

https://backcountrymagazine.com/stories ... llan-bard/

Reading this stuff, it feels like "XCD" is really bad marketing for this corner of skiing. It could be so much more.

"One need not travel to the North Pole or the Himalaya or the Andes or any of the high, hidden places of the world to know these things. Outback might simply mean skiing out back—out in the quiet woods behind the barn or perhaps skiing through Central Park when the fist of winter grips the city in an icy gridlock. It could be skiing down a New England hillside or across the great expanse of a
Heartland cornfield."

Allan Bard, The Backside of Beyond

[fisheater]

I do think XCD is bad marketing, because you say XCD. Try Cross Country Downhill, it has a different ring. My local stuff has been good for two weekends in a row, I’m really enjoying it. Cross Country Downhill is the only way for me to earn my turns. I count what I do on my Gamme’s too. I’ve had ice klister days where flying downhill on steep, twisty, trails, I wasn’t making the turn, end up sliding into third, offer the skis to the saplings.

[Rodbelan]

Playing devils advocate here and I'll accept no liability but if you want your light touring skis to turn better you can store them clamped together like this guy and remove some camber.

It could be a good idea if you are dedicated to the turn... But, again, like you were saying earlier, it's all about compromise; the camber is not a bad thing when you need that energy for kick n' glide...

Back to the OP question: will a 60mm waist ski good for BC skiing? Well I am afraid the answer is yes and no.

Sure, we need different tools for different jobs, but we all have a go-to ski in our quiver... But the choice is dependent upon experience ( skills, area, singular preferences, etc).

So, the guy needs to pick his 60mm skis and... ski! Time and experience will tell him what he actually needs (maybe a couple pairs of skis).

Ultimately it's about following our own path and not listen too much to others...

«L'enfer, c'est les autres» as would say Jean-Paul Sartre...

[BEVL]

I would add: what is that ski actually? Brand and model?

I'm not 100% certain so I attached some photos to see if anyone can identify them. They are older Asnes skis but I can't seem to find these exact ones online