Voile Hardwire 3-Pin for touring/resort ?

[connyro]

We observe how slow the vectors and SB's are on the up....and my short 109's blow them away on the down.....BUT....you have to be in a tele stance for them to really go.

WE observe the exact opposite here, but I suspect our terrain is generally steeper and our snowpack is considerably deeper than yours. Vector BCs out-climb/descend any other scaled or waxable skis that we've seen around these parts.

[lilcliffy]

With you man- sans skins- I have yet to test a ski that will out-climb a Vector BC (unless the V6 BC or Charger BC will do it?).

Will be interesting to read comparisons between the S-125 and the Vector BC.

Doubt I'll personally get a chance to test the S-125 any time soon.

BTW- Mountaingear had the S-125 at a promotional price of $250 last time I checked!

[teledance]

Forgot to reclip the heel many a,time on good powder days. It has never been a problem unless I just clipped one side, don't like the lopsided feel.

[Teleman]

Ha, you guys are funny....Vectors are dogs on the flats and on the up....Wax totally kicks their plastic patterened bottoms, but do give oldies who can't keep up on the down a boost, no doubt....Course the Kingdom Tele Boys only ski low angle and we are real scared to ski powder....Like I said the 109's blew them away......As do the Rossie 90's....Believe what you like....TM

[Johnny]

The 3p cup is very easy to rip out of the ski, even with the best epoxy around. But if you use the Voile risers, the four-screw pattern is very reliable... And the cup itself screwed into the plastic riser is very strong.

You could totally rip on any kind of terrain with those and your T1s... Even without the cables, you can carve like crazy or ski the deepest spring moguls with just pins...

[connyro]

Ha, you guys are funny....Vectors are dogs on the flats and on the up....Wax totally kicks their plastic patterened bottoms, but do give oldies who can't keep up on the down a boost, no doubt....Course the Kingdom Tele Boys only ski low angle and we are real scared to ski powder....Like I said the 109's blew them away......As do the Rossie 90's....Believe what you like....TM

It has nothing to do with what I believe. It has to do with facts. Maybe your boy on the Vectors is a poor skier? Last season, my buddy had a friend from somewhere in Alaska come out for a day of touring for turns with us. He had e-109's and 3-pins on. He was a pretty good skier but could not keep up with the rest of us on Guides, Vectors, BC-125's on the up or the down. He was able to keep up on the tour out to the hills though. My 'beliefs' did not make this occur. Simple physics did.

[MikeK]

I'm pretty sure I know what the discrepancy in data is here...

I could see if I were climbing something shallow or on a flat where I'd definitely want a skinnier ski... except maybe if it were really deep pow, in which case a double camber with soft tips and tails just bounces you backward.

If you are going to climb steep angles, there's no doubt that width under foot is king and single camber does better than double. Wax, waxless, skins... it doesn't matter. For grip, this is what is needed.

If weight is a concern, then most skinny skis tend to be lighter. For a guy at 200lb, a few grams here or there isn't a big deal - I'd rather have what grips better, floats better and keeps me flailing less... I'll use less energy that way. For a small woman or child near 100lb, it might matter a bit more. Or if you are covering huge vert at high altitude... but I suspect conditioning could help overcome that.

[dnt_upton]

I think this discussion shows that, 90% of the equation depends on the skier and not the skis, and you cannot convince the other of the folly of his views.

[MikeK]

I was just joking about the Rotte ST's earlier on. It's a little joke we had going on here last year.

I could care less what and how you ski.

[lilcliffy]

Ha, you guys are funny....Vectors are dogs on the flats and on the up....Wax totally kicks their plastic patterened bottoms, but do give oldies who can't keep up on the down a boost, no doubt....Course the Kingdom Tele Boys only ski low angle and we are real scared to ski powder....Like I said the 109's blew them away......As do the Rossie 90's....Believe what you like....TM

I am certainly with you in general and in principle about the flats- Vectors are NOT xcountry skis- they were never intended to be.

However, if the snow is soft and deep- my experience is that single-cambered skis perform better than double-cambered skis- even in trad K&G touring. And single-cambered skis definitely climb very steep slopes more effectively than double-cambered skis...not that I am ever opposed to finding a more gradual way up the mountain!

Regardless- the Vector is a climbing/turning machine. IME- I need quite a powerful boot/binding to control a ski as fat as the Vector on the downhill. For this reason alone I would not choose a ski like the Vector for a long distance tour...not that I am suggesting that other skiers typically do..I personally, do not enjoy long-distance backcountry touring in heavy plastic boots.

That being said- in the past, I have been on some big-mountain tours out West, where I would want something as fat, strong and stable as the Vector.