Ideal ski for a long tour in variable conditions.

[lilcliffy]

If downhill turning performance really isnt an issue- than the MT68 is the best choice- it is a more efficient XC ski than the current Ingstad (ie with a ton of Nordic rocker) in all snow conditions- despite weighing half a ton.

[randoskier]

@randoskier while I respect your touring knowledge, this tour can easily be completed on waxable skis. Some of us don’t care for the glide of waxless skis.
I have recently purchased a couple pair of waxless skis, because waxless skis have their place. Some of us truly enjoy the kick and glide of a waxed ski.

Fair enough, I was just being a smart ass, sorry. : )

[pacificnomad]

Thanks for the recommendations and input folks! I ended up going with the Ingstad for the Crater Lake circling and it went well. I brought both skis with me; the Ingstad and the MT-65, and stopped at a snow park on the way that had a Nordic trail system and spent an hour doing laps on the same trail loop with both skis to get a feel of what seemed to work the best. Like I suspected, the MT-65 was a bit faster in terms of kick and glide than the Ingstad, but dang, for some reason I wasn't liking the kick performance of the Rex Grip Tape! It was slipping a bit on most kicks. The Ingstad was waxed with Polar tip to tail and had Swix Blue Extra which provided better kick and pretty ok glide.

I ended up sleeping in the back of my truck at the snow park that night and it was FREEZING cold, like probably 15F, which was much colder than forecasted. That night my concerns about encountering warm snow (and potential waxing challenges) the next day were quickly dissipated. Because I was planning on doing the tour in one day, I also took into consideration the turning ability and being able to have enhanced control while skiing at night with a headlamp. This was one of the variables of my ski choice that I didn't really think about until the morning I started my ski tour.

On the tour the Ingstad offered excellent control, which was a nice feeling considering that much of the early miles were a bit technical. Swix Blue worked super well until the afternoon when I came across some warm and sticky snow, at which time I crayoned a single layer of Rode Viola Multigrade, corked it in, and then put a very thin layer of Blue on top of that to reduce icing. I think if I had been using a patterned ski, I would've been f'ked unless I brought a can of de-icing spray. So yeah, 13+ hours and 35 miles later (I got lost a few times) I completed the loop and it was awesome! If I find some time this next week I'll do a proper write up with pics of my trip. Thanks everyone and good skiing!

[timpete]

I just love that the USGI is getting some love on this thread. Even though it didn’t get used on the tour. I love that ski. Super stiff camber so I’ve found waxing further than you need is the best recipe and then noting where the wax wears off to find the wax zone.

Yes, they are heavy as hell.

But what other ski can you fairly efficiently xc tour and also take to a lift to bomb down some moderate runs?

[Capercaillie]

So yeah, 13+ hours and 35 miles later (I got lost a few times) I completed the loop and it was awesome! If I find some time this next week I'll do a proper write up with pics of my trip. Thanks everyone and good skiing!

Very cool, that's an epic day. How much of it was at night?

And what boots did you use? Any blister problems?

[fisheater]

35 miles, that’s a big day. I look forward to the photos and congratulations on successfully completing your trip.
How big of a pack?

[pacificnomad]

So yeah, 13+ hours and 35 miles later (I got lost a few times) I completed the loop and it was awesome! If I find some time this next week I'll do a proper write up with pics of my trip. Thanks everyone and good skiing!

Very cool, that's an epic day. How much of it was at night?

And what boots did you use? Any blister problems?

I started at 8:30am, which was about an hour later than I was planning but it was cold out lol. I finished the loop around 10pm, so I used a headlamp for around about five hours and it worked out fine. The descending that I encountered in the last ten miles was pretty safe.

For the boots, I used my Alfa Skarvet Advanced boot. I have low volume feet and these boots are HUGE on me, with some heel slip. These have given me epic blisters in the past. I have to employ multiple modalities to stay blister free. Things like placing a piece of duct tape on my heels, wearing blister socks (a two layered sock), incorporating a velco strap around the lower leg to cinch things up, placing my boots under the floor heater of my truck and then squeezing the heel cup, and placing cut pieces of running shoe insole against the heel counter of the boot are all things that seem to work and kept me blister free for the 13+ hours of skiing for this trip. Think I'm going to get some better fitting boots soon!

[pacificnomad]

35 miles, that’s a big day. I look forward to the photos and congratulations on successfully completing your trip.
How big of a pack?

Thanks! It was a challenging 35 miles! Had to break trail for maybe 30 miles of the loop. Coming from an ultra running background and regularly running and racing distances from 31-50 miles, this was considerably harder in a mental way.

I packed 1.25 gallons of water split up between two reservoirs and one handheld soft flask, like 2000 kcal worth of carb heavy snacks, two headlamps, some wax and tools, electronics and some layer options had my pack weighing around 12ish lbs.

[Capercaillie]

For the boots, I used my Alfa Skarvet Advanced boot. I have low volume feet and these boots are HUGE on me, with some heel slip. These have given me epic blisters in the past. I have to employ multiple modalities to stay blister free. Things like placing a piece of duct tape on my heels, wearing blister socks (a two layered sock), incorporating a velco strap around the lower leg to cinch things up, placing my boots under the floor heater of my truck and then squeezing the heel cup, and placing cut pieces of running shoe insole against the heel counter of the boot are all things that seem to work and kept me blister free for the 13+ hours of skiing for this trip. Think I'm going to get some better fitting boots soon!

This is so triggering.