What boots to buy??

[Love the Sierra]

@fisheater would LOVE to learn tele turns, cannot find a teacher! Frustrating to say the least. I just know the very basics of tele stance and I am pretty stable in it, but I do not know how to string those turns together.
I use 3 pin 75mm and will return those T4’s . They are are jsut too stiff for what I need. Hah, lots of snow in the Sierra still, but melting fast and quite dangerous now. Also COVERED in sun cups!
@Manney Yes, with daypack my weight is about 145 and have no problems. I would like to be able to do multi day backpacks which would then bring me to about 180. My snow camping pack is heavy, I need and use all of the gear if I am camping in freezing conditions on snow.
@lilcliffy I will definitely let you know how the Svartisens are. They are arriving tomorrow. I so not have a big volume heel. Ah oh, now I wonder f I will be slipping and sliding.

[Love the Sierra]

@mca80 THANK YOU for the video!
@lilcliffy Yes, I have thought a lot about a pulk especially since I skijor. However, most of our trails are so very rugged with more than one fall line, I really am not sure how much I could use it. Also, the downhill really concerns me.

[Love the Sierra]

@Manney You know, it is a bit of a chicken and egg thing.
The instructor who taught us 80% of what we know about BCD and dealing with varying snow conditions did a great job recommending our kit. Was it a bit more advanced for our skill at the time perhaps. However, without the extra assistance of those steel edges, longer, scaled skis and, at the time compared to the little NNN boots that we had used to ski in tracks, beefy boots enabled us to push our limits every time we went out and get better. OMG, it is impossible to recount the varying snow we have skied through not to mention, at the time, I skijored with TWO very powerful dogs. So buying a kit that is just a little over your skill, so long as you can control it, is a good thing. Hence my question about the T4. However, not knowing for sue if it is past my skill level and needs, I asked this group.
Thanks to all of you for so graciously sharing your vast knowledge.
Sadly, that instructor has moved and over the past 4-5 years, despite my best efforts, I cannot find anyone to teach us BCD and tele and take us to the next level. However, we still push ourselves and enjoy our days out. (Our bring me, my dog and my daughter or jsut my dog and I.)
I am thinking about a different ski since there have been times when my Fischer 88’s have been buried in “Sierra Cement” on a switchback traverse. SIGH, that is always a hard one to get out of. Also, often, on the way down, kick turning and switchbacking, I feel like I am battling to use my edges. We have HEAVY maritime snow that develops a thick crust after just a couple of days. When it is fresh, it is HEAVY. When it is a few days old, break deeply through that crust and you are doomed. Then of course we have intermittent ice around the trees and, of course sun patches creating suddenly sticky snow. We ski challenging, terrain. Our usual days out will be about 6-8 miles with 1000’- 1500’ elevation gain/ loss.
…But I am rambling… I love it SO MUCH out there!!
Finally, in regards to my heavy pack, I bring emergency gear and lots of outerwear. Since we start before the sun is fully up, it is COLD, in the afternoons, we get delicious sunshine and then, at dusk, literally below freezing again. I need several sets of gloves since, towards evening, when my gloves are wet, I have had it when my hands totally stopped working. (I don’t know, arthritis?) anyway, the solution is easy enough, ALWAYS have dry gloves on hand. (HAH, made a pun and didn’t even notice!)
My big thrills and excitement do not come from a fast downhill run, but rather from climbing and “OMG!! We must have visibility over 300 miles!!! Is that Half Dome! And look at the Whites over in NV, feels like you could just reach out and get there within a few hours. WOW, Look at that cornice over the Mammoth crest!!. Etc.”. But then UGGG now we have to get down. SIGH. “ I am hoping that better gear will help take the SIGH out of that last statement while still enabling me to get up to the view I long to see.

[lilcliffy]

I am thinking about a different ski since there have been times when my Fischer 88’s have been buried in “Sierra Cement” on a switchback traverse.

Ok- (not personally farmiliar with the term "cement snow")- so the "cement" is not consolidated- it is deep wet snow that the 88 sinks into? (I had this all wrong- thinking for some reason that what was meant by cement was consolidated snow!)
Would you prefer to be higher in the snow column (i.e. more flotation)?

We have HEAVY maritime snow that develops a thick crust after just a couple of days. When it is fresh, it is HEAVY. When it is a few days old, break deeply through that crust and you are doomed. Then of course we have intermittent ice around the trees and, of course sun patches creating suddenly sticky snow. We ski challenging, terrain. Our usual days out will be about 6-8 miles with 1000’- 1500’ elevation gain/ loss.

If the 68mm Fischer 88 is not "floating your boat", you would need a much wider ski to stay on top of that heavy fresh snow and/or crust. And if you go any wider- you are going to need a much stiffer Telemark boot to drive the ski. Even the 68mm Fischer 88 is probably too wide for a soft Nordic touring boot in very difficult snow...

And- floating higher in the snow column is one thing-
staying on top of crust is another-
and creeping-skidding along on top of crust doesn't work downhill.

And a ski that breaks through crust at the waist- leaving the shovel and/or tail on top of the crust (i.e. round/rockered + lots of sidecut) is miserable.

The last two winters I had to deal with more crust than has been typical in my local skiing (heavy wet snow and crust are typical in southern New Brunswick and Nova Scotia). Even my widest touring ski- Altai Kom- will break through crust the minute I try to bend/carve it into a turn...

My current strategy with crust (which thankfully tends to be very temporary here) is to bust it- and stick to gentle lines- using kick turns (and occasional jump turns) downhill.

Curious- what drove your decision to get the Fischer 88?
If you are not going to float on top of the "cement" and/or crust- I wonder if you might get better results with a narrower ski...
We have the Fischer 88- I personally have not seen much use for it, other than a couple of large, heavy men in our clan- which is the only reason I keep it in the shed. For reference, I weigh 185lbs, and I don't see any real advantage to the 88 versus the narrower 78, for example...

…But I am rambling… I love it SO MUCH out there!!

This is the greatest and most important thing!
(And I don't think you are rambling! Thank you for sharing!)

[spopepro]

I think the “Sierra Cement” and “Cascade Concrete” nicknames are a little exaggerated… but it is true that our maritime snowpack holds more water than most places. We typically see 10-12 to 1 snow/water ratios at 7k. That’s pretty heavy compared to the Rockies, but it honestly isn’t too bad. It does tend to consolidate fast (which is great for keeping our avy danger lower) and the sun does frequently melt the top with refreezing overnight.

I’ve been happy with my combo of MR48 skin skis with nnn-bc, and objective BCs with 3pin. Honestly, I don’t see much use for things in between because the speed penalty on the flats isn’t offset enough by better turning. I think everything is too steep here—there isn’t as much rolling open terrain.

[spopepro]

Oh, I should also add—Aaron Altmark is the manager at the northstar Nordic center. He’s a great tele instructor, sometimes teaches the marines at the training center on 108, and likes best to ski his karhu 10th mtn guides with pins and no cables. They do tele clinics at northstar, but it can of course get pricy. At the very least Aaron might have some ideas of who else to reach out to.

[fisheater]

I am understanding more LtS. I am a big fan of 75 mm bindings. I also ski NNB-BC bindings. You may not believe this, but my Alaska BC boot is a more stabile downhill boot than my Alaska 75 boot. However that would be without the cable attached. With the cable attached the Alaska 75 is much more stabile going downhill.
So my question LtS, is do you have a 75 mm binding that allows for cable attachment? If you do not have that capability, my opinion is that you are handicapping yourself when going downhill.
I will stop here for now. I’ll check back in another time and see what develops. This seems so simple, but it’s only simple because I’ve been doing it quite awhile. There are lots of options to consider, and quite a bit of gear choices.

[Manney]

@Manney You know, it is a bit of a chicken and egg thing.
The instructor who taught us 80% of what we know about BCD and dealing with varying snow conditions did a great job recommending our kit. Was it a bit more advanced for our skill at the time perhaps. However, without the extra assistance of those steel edges, longer, scaled skis and, at the time compared to the little NNN boots that we had used to ski in tracks, beefy boots enabled us to push our limits every time we went out and get better. OMG, it is impossible to recount the varying snow we have skied through not to mention, at the time, I skijored with TWO very powerful dogs. So buying a kit that is just a little over your skill, so long as you can control it, is a good thing. Hence my question about the T4. However, not knowing for sue if it is past my skill level and needs, I asked this group.
Thanks to all of you for so graciously sharing your vast knowledge.
Sadly, that instructor has moved and over the past 4-5 years, despite my best efforts, I cannot find anyone to teach us BCD and tele and take us to the next level. However, we still push ourselves and enjoy our days out. (Our bring me, my dog and my daughter or jsut my dog and I.)
I am thinking about a different ski since there have been times when my Fischer 88’s have been buried in “Sierra Cement” on a switchback traverse. SIGH, that is always a hard one to get out of. Also, often, on the way down, kick turning and switchbacking, I feel like I am battling to use my edges. We have HEAVY maritime snow that develops a thick crust after just a couple of days. When it is fresh, it is HEAVY. When it is a few days old, break deeply through that crust and you are doomed. Then of course we have intermittent ice around the trees and, of course sun patches creating suddenly sticky snow. We ski challenging, terrain. Our usual days out will be about 6-8 miles with 1000’- 1500’ elevation gain/ loss.
…But I am rambling… I love it SO MUCH out there!!
Finally, in regards to my heavy pack, I bring emergency gear and lots of outerwear. Since we start before the sun is fully up, it is COLD, in the afternoons, we get delicious sunshine and then, at dusk, literally below freezing again. I need several sets of gloves since, towards evening, when my gloves are wet, I have had it when my hands totally stopped working. (I don’t know, arthritis?) anyway, the solution is easy enough, ALWAYS have dry gloves on hand. (HAH, made a pun and didn’t even notice!)
My big thrills and excitement do not come from a fast downhill run, but rather from climbing and “OMG!! We must have visibility over 300 miles!!! Is that Half Dome! And look at the Whites over in NV, feels like you could just reach out and get there within a few hours. WOW, Look at that cornice over the Mammoth crest!!. Etc.”. But then UGGG now we have to get down. SIGH. “ I am hoping that better gear will help take the SIGH out of that last statement while still enabling me to get up to the view I long to see.

Given everything that has come out in the discussion, the issue might be a one ski/one boot quiver. Probably need more than one ski and certainly more than one boot. Why? Your loads vary, the nature of the snow varies from powder to wet heavy cement to crust. You climb reasonably steep inclines… presumably come down the same way too… so it’s flats, hills, and drops. Everything, in other words.

There’s a compromise to overcome, as is always the case in BC skiing. Somewhere along the way, every skier has to choose whether their rig is to be optimized for one thing OR another. What they choose can play to their strength or weakness. Kick and glide speed OR climbing (camber and a half vs low camber), ease of use OR flexibility (scales vs wax), climb versus carve, bite OR pet friendliness (steel edges vs no edge) etc.

Boots and bindings… same deal. Tho there are some things that are sort of nonsensical… like expecting a plastic boot to kick and glide efficiently, or a flexible leather boot to hard carve a chute. Lots of nuances in between.

Skills can reduce the “Ugh” factor. So can gear if it is biased to manage a weakness. The trick is deciding how to manage all of this, which is sort of an individual thing. A good question, therefore, is more along the lines of “what ski does “x” well?” rather than “what ski do you thing I need?”… “x” being the key characteristic that you want to add to your quiver.

[fisheater]

Since the question is a 75 mm leather boot, that kicks and glides allow me to make a few suggestions.
This Alico boot intrigues me, I have corresponded will Nils from Altai, he offers a similar boot, but I think I prefer this boot.
https://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/alico ... ther-strap

It is sold by Telemark Pyrenees. Many forum members have given TP good reviews on service.

Below is the boot being offered by Altai skis. They have a US store which would be helpful for returns. When corresponding with Nils, he mentioned this boot offered a little more volume in the forefoot. He also said the sole was a bit stiffer, mostly owing to the fact the duckbill was shorter and thicker than the Alaska 75. He said the Alaska 75 is warmer.

https://us-store.altaiskis.com/product/ ... ring-boot/

Telemark Pyrenees does offer some Alfa 75 mm boots. I have heard they are soft in the sole, which is great for kick and glide, not so great for downhill control without a cable. Please be aware that NNN-BC has a rail which engages grooves in the boot sole. That makes for a longitudinally more rigid interface between the boot and the ski. That does not equal what a good cable system does on 75 mm, however there is the transition between using the cable and disengaging the cable. Also to be considered is how the cable would be stowed. Is it latched on a riser, flopping, or removed and stowed in a pack?
There are other 75 mm leather boots to consider, for instance I ski an Alaska 75. It is a wonderful leather boot, it’s warm, and very supportive. However downhill I prefer a cable. It also has a reputation for having the duckbill snap off.
The Fischer Transnordic is stiff, per reports. However the reviews are quite mixed.
These boots are probably stiffer than you want, but they will power your E-88 skis. The shipping is more than the boots, so you will not be returning them. I really like mine, but they are a niche boot.
https://m.ebay.com/itm/164701757091?_tr ... r=1&_rdt=1

I have only included relatively easy to acquire 75 mm boots, but I should have added the Crispi Svartisen 75, and the Crispi Bre 75. Both would be available from Telemark Down in New Hampshire, a dealer I personally recommend.
Good luck

[Love the Sierra]

My current strategy with crust (which thankfully tends to be very temporary here) is to bust it- and stick to gentle lines- using kick turns (and occasional jump turns) downhill.

@lilcliffy this is how I always ski!! Getting those Fischer 88’s were my ticket to getting off of groomed trails and it was the instructor who recommended them. We had rented skinny, no steel edges, nnn boots and nearly killed ourselves just on dirt roads! We also rented some Madshus, must have been 98 but I do not know what ski exactly, and they were heavy and so exhausting that we barely covered any ground. The Fischer 98 were better than the Madshus, but the 88’s were an absolute joy. It is only now that we are skiing more advanced terrain that I would like more control.
@spopepro I have heard that the Cascades are exactly like skiing the Sierra. I would not trade our heavy snow for the Champagne avalanches, OOPPS I mean Champagne snow any day! Although, when I skied in Steamboat one year, that Champagne snow was a real treat. Thank you so much for Aaron’s name. I will definitely reach out to him!