I might have some issues

[MikeK]

Please... don't comment... no I meant with skis.

Madshus NA lineup:

a

Wife's quiver:



Wife's boots:



My quiver:



My boots:



My pins are slowly fading away... and I need some wax skis...

[lilcliffy]

I think the only issue you might have is envy- mine!

I think it is awesome that you are building your XCD equipment. And like you- I am unwilling (at least yet) to give up the performance advantages of having both NNNBC and 75mm-NN setups for a wide range of snow-terrain conditions.

I for one- never get rid of any of my ski gear. Between myself, my wife my growing family and all of my dear friends and extended family that end up skiing on our gear- it all gets good use.

And no matter what- just about any ski-binding combo will "work"- just to get out and ski in most conditions (except extreme terrain)- but each setup offers optimum performance in a particular context. The more advanced my skiing skills and experience becomes- the more I want that optimal performance.

[MikeK]

It does create issues other than envy... mainly what skis to take!?

I'm off for a ski weekend in about 1 hr from now and I had a little trouble deciding what I should bring with me. I could say I brought my two new skis, the Voss and the Eon because I expect to be skiing on old base that has had little fresh snow, most likely been skied, and seen some rain and warm temps this past week... but really I probably would have brought them no matter what because I wanted to try them out.

I'll be in the Adirondacks away from groomed tracks, and most likely skiing some hilly terrain, so the Eon will probably be my tool of choice.

I also noticed that my skis go in 5cm increments, from skinny to wide when I stacked them up like that... hadn't really thought about it until then:

E89 - 205cm, 59mm shovel
Voss - 200cm, 60mm shovel
Eon - 195cm, 83mm shovel
S98 - 189cm, 98mm shovel

So maybe I will have to keep them all.

I really wanted to ask about base grinding the Voss to make it a wax base. Does anyone know on the Madshus skis if there is any difference? It looks to me like they'd probably make the same base and just grind the scales to make it a wax version.

[lilcliffy]

I would think that it is the opposite. I would think it likely that the waxless pattern, and the track groove is ground into the base.

I would suggest buying the waxable Voss or Glittertind once you have decided on which one...better yet- get the waxable E89 or E99. The performance advantages of the waxable base is most optimal in conditions where the stiffer skis perform best (hard, cold, and/or windswept snow). The waxless base on the Glitt and the Voss should be adequate for soft snow, and/or wet snow.

I think your lineup is wicked. You forgot the Glittertind in your lineup! Slides in right between the Voss and the Eon.

I will be very interested in your perspective on the jack-of-all-trades Eon. Was out yesterday morning and this morning for a 45 minute cruise. Up here the snow conditions are ideal for the waxless Eon out in the open- stable base with about 6 inches of soft to corn snow on top. In these conditions the waxable Eon would fail I think- the lack of double-camber would cause the corn, granular snow to shear off the grip wax. A waxable double-cambered ski would be fine though...it is still only getting up to -5C in the afternoon- still too cold for klister.

The snow conditions in the woods are still very deep and soft- still using my NNNBC Annums. Heading out for a woods/glades tour later this afternoon/evening!

[MikeK]

Yes I left the Glitt out - used to be 'my' ski, but I gave it to my wife. I still ski it now and again - it's a little long for her and a little short for me, so it kind of works for both of us

I'm going to post something on the Eon on the other thread. I skied it today. My feelings are mixed.

Oh and as far as the wax pattern - it looks to be molded in on the Madshus skis, so that why I thought it was the same base, just ground for the wax version.

I'm going to get a wax Eon eventually, maybe next year (I hope they are still available).

[lilcliffy]

I want the waxable Eon as well. I keep wondering whether it is worth it- without the full double-camber.

[bgregoire]

I want the waxable Eon as well. I keep wondering whether it is worth it- without the full double-camber.

I'd say its definitely worth it having waxables XCD skis in any quiver. I have an older Karhu 10th MTN Tour, hence a wax ski 84 at the tip, 68 at the waist. I love not having those fishscales: the noise and the vibrations they make. With the appropriate wax, waxed well beyond the wax pocket, these single cambered skis climb just as well as if not better than fischcales, and much nicer on the flats and are fast as heck and smooth on the down. The grip wax seems to turn into glide wax once your heading down the hill!

[lilcliffy]

Good stuff man. I want a waxable XCD ski. I used to have an old (circa 1970s) Karhu waxable backcountry ski- it broke several years ago. They were long (210cm), probably camber and a half, not quite as wide as the current Eon. Those were my favourite xcountry skis for 20 years.

bgregoire- if you had to choose between these two waxable skis for primarily XCd skiing- which one would you choose:

1) Madshus Eon 205cm, waxable: 83-62-70mm, single-camber, soft flex

2) Fischer E109-tour, waxable: 82-60-70mm, double-camber, stiffer flex

The Eon is much more reasonably priced than the E109.

Have you heard about these?:

https://colemans.com/shop/cold-weather- ... is-2-pair/

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Unused-Karhu-Bac ... 1339424149

[bgregoire]

bgregoire- if you had to choose between these two waxable skis for primarily XCd skiing- which one would you choose:

1) Madshus Eon 205cm, waxable: 83-62-70mm, single-camber, soft flex

2) Fischer E109-tour, waxable: 82-60-70mm, double-camber, stiffer flex

Cliffy, we'll I guess a little more info on the type of xcD you will be doing with those might be more helpful. Hard-packed snow or tons of pow on the flats? If it was mostly hardpack, for example, wind blown fields or skiing in "homemade tracks, I would go double camber, and I would also consider going less wide, say E99 or E89. Lots of thick fluffy snow?, than single camber might be netter. Madshus skis are rare in this neck of the woods, never actually touched an EON yet. Several friends got the new xtralite E109. As light as the E99 (have the thickness or so). The rocker on the new modekls does seems to help considerably for control on the down. I don't know your weight but the E109 are sized about 10cm less than normal nordic full length and I would stick to that recommendation as the camber is quite stiff and I find hard to flatten going uphill in the BC in a longer than recommended size.

All in all, I myself would wait next year to purchase this ski, I would get the upcoming Fischer E109 waxable + easy skin that should be coming out. It would be my go to ski for hut to hut tours. I try to avoid full skins like the plague on tours, half skins are much better but the easily found black diamond kickers I hate for the metal plate in the front that digs into the ice or hardpack. On that front the Madshus Intelligrip is also an interesting alternative but the construction sucks, the front clip is made of synthetic leather and can break on the first outing. Anyways, I and now far off subject....

[Woodserson]

I'd say its definitely worth it having waxables XCD skis in any quiver. I have an older Karhu 10th MTN Tour, hence a wax ski 84 at the tip, 68 at the waist. I love not having those fishscales: the noise and the vibrations they make. With the appropriate wax, waxed well beyond the wax pocket, these single cambered skis climb just as well as if not better than fischcales, and much nicer on the flats and are fast as heck and smooth on the down. The grip wax seems to turn into glide wax once your heading down the hill!

This is why I love my Madshus woodies so much. They are single camber, and long. Glide wax for wood skis is Swix Polar, rubbed in super hard. They are fast, yet grip well on the uphills-- it's a fascinating combination. I put much less grip wax down under the boot as I would with a double-camber ski, and don't even worry much about grip wax at all when the snow temps get down the Swix Polar levels-- as the whole ski is now pretty much waxed for the conditions. This will slow them down in the glide, but then the speed away downhilll no problems. A good wax ski is indispensable.