MR48- what is it really like on a groomed track?

[athabascae]

Thank you Mr. Muskox. Helpful information for those of us interested in these skis, but with no opportunity to check their camber before buying online. I'm still focusing on the waxable version. Would love to hear from others also using these skis.

[lilcliffy]

Well my research would suggest that these "track-friendly" BC-XC (fjellskis) may "work" in the track, but that doesn't mean they perform in the track.

I am going to mount NNNBC on the Atomic Motions or buy a replacement NNN boot.

[lilcliffy]

So- after I watched this video enough times so that I could focus on the ski and not the skier...



The MR48 is obviously not a track ski-
it is a BC touring ski that is track friendly-
it "works" in the track- it does not perform in a track-
that skier is not heavy and I see zero effective track wax pocket.

I only see the need for a MR48 if one must have a distance-oriented BC Nordic touring ski that MUST "work" in a track.
Otherwise- for me- the E99/Gamme 54 or even Amundsen-
That MR48 does not appear to have any more XC "double camber" than the Gamme 54- and perhaps less than the E99...

Am I missing something?

[Woodserson]

The MR48 is obviously not a track ski-
it is a BC touring ski that is track friendly-
it "works" in the track- it does not perform in a track-
that skier is not heavy and I see zero effective track wax pocket.

I only see the need for a MR48 if one must have a distance-oriented BC Nordic touring ski that MUST "work" in a track.

Am I missing something?

No, I don't think you are missing anything. I've always interpreted it this way. It's a fast narrow BC ski that works in the tracks. I never have had a dedicated track ski until this year. It's a-m-a-z-i-n-g in the track. I can't believe the performance change. But the ski is absolutely useless off the track with a super noodle tail. The Woodserson Theory of Ski Selection: What are you going to be doing 90% of the time with the ski? If you're buying the M48 as an exclusive track ski, you should get a track ski.

[athabascae]

Just mounted bindings on mine tonight. I'll let you know in a week or so what I think of them in the track.

I plan to use mine about 75% or more in ungroomed snow (lakes, snowmobile trails, alpine plateaus), or tracks to access other areas. I'll use them in the track for some relaxed family skiing with my young daughter and older boys. If I like them on the track, then maybe more. I have Fischer race skis for when I want to get some fast laps on groomed tracks, so that isn't my main motivation for this ski.

They sure are light and svelte. I'll take them around a groomed hilly trail tomorrow.

[riel]

I have the MR48 SKIN version in 210cm and the camber is lower and softer than my e99 Xtralite 200cm.

In fact, this ski in its skin version is not working for me at all. I weight 165 pounds and in groomed tracks I easily squash the camber. The skins witch are sticking out 1/2 mm of the base are always dragging, even when my weight is distributed equally on my 2 skis.
Off track, its a constant catch and release with the skin trowing me off balance.

Similar observations in the reviews here: https://www.fjellsport.no/asnes-mountai ... e-211.html

So I can't say more until I remove that integrated skin and fill the void with Ptex... should be a lot better with kick wax.

Disappointing, but not entirely surprising if they have not changed the camber of the ski to make it work with skins. Having just enough camber to keep kick wax off the snow means not having enough to lift skins out of the snow.

I wonder which Asnes skis besides the Amundsen Fram have enough camber (both height and stiffness) to be effective skin skis. The Ingstad, maybe?

Or would the skins still work fine if they were recessed into the ski a little further, and only stood out 1/4 of a mm?