80's range waisted rocker ski

[lowangle al]

^^^ With climbing, conditioning, experience and determination are probably bigger factors than gear. Last season my wife and I were on Vector BCs skiing up a closed road to a pass. We started the same time as two guys on AT gear with skins who I thought we would outdistance, but they kicked our ass on the way up. They were probably half our age and the climb was just steep enough that the benifit of our faster skis was not realized because we weren't getting much glide for most of the climb.

[Woodserson]

The binding question was somewhat hypothetical. I have the Hardwires already in hand, I'm using what I have. I'm a little split between these and a free pivot... I could go either direction.

Completely unrelated, pretty sick skiing today here... woo!

[Woodserson]

They be mounted. Now, we test. Edit: 4lbs 5oz per ski

[lowangle al]

^^^ They look like they will be a lot of fun. Should be good carvers.

[phoenix]

I've skied several K2's as my tele skis for, like, 15 years...maybe a little more. I'm not a brand groupie, they just seem to have what I prefer, and are good for lighter weight skiers. I still have a pair of Shuksans - couldn't ask for a better ski for technical stuff, versatility, and reasonable weight. Those Waybacks oughta be great for you; almost went for a pair myself. (Ended up with Objectice BC's on sale... don't have a decent waxless ski in my outdated quiver.)

[Woodserson]

I've skied several K2's as my tele skis for, like, 15 years...maybe a little more. I'm not a brand groupie, they just seem to have what I prefer, and are good for lighter weight skiers. I still have a pair of Shuksans - couldn't ask for a better ski for technical stuff, versatility, and reasonable weight. Those Waybacks oughta be great for you; almost went for a pair myself. (Ended up with Objectice BC's on sale... don't have a decent waxless ski in my outdated quiver.)

OK bro- so this was dead-nuts-on. I just skied them in heavy mank 3" on top of firming spring base. The mank had been pushed around. They were light, fun, turny and carvey, and made short work of blasting through the pushed up stuff. There were a lot of fun, and I am pleased. I absolutely love the HW's they feel right in all respects for my tastes. This is a great set-up for me! Pleased.

I will say that they are mounted quite forward. I mounted them almost to the recommended mid-sole boot line, I'm about 3-4mm back (almost nothing- they ended up there by happenstance as I mount on a kitchen table haphazardly) but they are far forward to other skis I have that are the same exact length-- about 1.5 to 2cm. (I lined them up on a wall to check). I like the forward mount for swing weight, blasting through crud, and making short turns, but we'll see what they do when it dumps, I am concerned about tip-dive especially since they have very little to no rocker. Pheonix, since you are familiar, the pin line on your Boundless are about 2cm back from these and the skis are physically the same length. I did not move your riser. Additionally, looking forward to your report on the Objectives, I'm thinking of coming up to MC soon I'll holler if you are interested?

Anyway, fun light ski that's predictable and affordable. We'll see how they do in the Presi's in the coming weeks.

[TeleBeaver]

K2s all terrain rocker does surprisingly well. The skis won't show a lot of tip splay but they definitely make turning in soft snow quicker and easier, and makes skiing in chop more forgiving. Everything you want from rocker without the huge turned up tips. If the snow is too deep for the all terrain rocker it is probably too deep for 82 waisted skis...

[phoenix]

That mid sole boot line is most likely for an alpine or A/T binding. Very different for tele. A good rule of thumb for a tele mount on those is (probably) : Measure from mounting line (midsole mark) on ski to toe of your boot (toe, not duckbill). Divide that distance in half. Pin line on that half distance (midway from midsole mark to full toe distance).

Might want to play around with those measurements (not remounting yet) and see where your pin line would end up... I'll bet it'll be damn close to chord center. Which is where K2 always favored their earlier tele/bc skis. And where Voile suggested I mount my Objectives - and it looks just right to me. Within a cm or so of chord center, and also ball of foot on center of running surface.

It would be worth giving K2 a call and talk to someone in tech to confirm whether boot midsole is for alpine.

[Woodserson]

Good points. I went with this mount positions with my recent experience (but I'm just a neophyte in the Tele so what do I know). My V Vectors for instance, use mid-sole point for all types of skiing including tele, and there seems to be a general trend to mount boot center near alpine boot center.

I do know that I have big honking long feet and my light weight makes pins at CC tough to handle. I've had far more success with more forward mounts that take that into effect. My XCD skis are all around BOF on CRS and that works quite well.

I didn't think about giving k2 a call. Good advice.

These skis ski GREAT, but I wonder about their pow capabilities. We will see, I guess, next winter.

EDIT I forgot to mention that my friend has the exact same skis, and the Telemarkdown guys mounted them boot center to boot center marks also. I ran off that, but still surprised at how forward they are.

[Martin O.]

I just bought a pair of Salomon QST 99 and mounted them the "traditional way" (mid point aligned with the pivot point of my bindings) with Rottefella Cobra binding (I'm in Garmont Energy AT boots, circa 2006). I guess I am having second thoughts and wonder if I should re-mount them a bit more forward, as I would with an alpine set up (mid point = mid sole of boot, or split the difference as I think someone has suggested in this thread). I think I get (and feel) the logic of the traditional mount - that when I am in a turn the inside/uphill ski has just that one point of contact with my boot and that it should therefore be at the ski's center - but I can't help but feel like I am not getting the full benefit of the ski's shape with my outside/downhill ski - that I am just a bit too far back to drive the turn. Would welcome others' thoughts before I put the time in to re-mount. Someone else above mentioned diving, but these are rockered too. My hunch is that it depends on style (i.e. which of my skis is doing most of the work). I am pretty equally weighted but perhaps a slight edge to the downhill ski?
*I realize now having read the full thread that I am repeating myself too much above, but its too much effort to edit it down!