Non-rockered ski recommendations for resort and backcountry.

[red_pine]

Hi Everyone. I'm looking for advice on a new pair of skis. I currently ski the Fischer Traverse 78. It's a fantastic ski for most situations I encounter, and pure magic on spring corn snow. However, I find that it performs poorly in breakable crust, probably due to the rockered tip. Unfortunately, breakable crust is very common in Scandinavia, where I ski.

Consequently, I am thinking about getting a non-rockered ski that will handle breakable crust well. This ski would primarily be used for long-distance tours in the Scandinavian mountains, so I want something that's good for breaking trail in crust. I would also like to use this ski for downhill skiing with leather boots at a groomed resort. So I really want a ski that will perform well in both contexts. My top two candidates are the Åsnes Combat Nato and the Åsnes Nansen/Cecilie, but I am open to other suggestions.

Has anyone used both the Nansen and Combat Nato on groomed slopes, or for skiing downhill on hard snow? I'm curious to hear if there's much difference in turnability in that context. I'm also interested in hearing which one is faster for pure cross country skiing, or which one is better for breaking trail.

[riel]

Part of whether Nansen or Combat NATO is faster for you depends on your weight.

The Combat NATO is available in a stiffer flex, which for people weighing more than about 80kg can make a difference from keeping the ski from taking on a banana shape when going through soft snow.

As for which of the two turns better for people within the weight range of both skis, I'm going to have to leave that for people who actually are in the weight range, and have tried both.

[CwmRaider]

Hello
I have had both. The Combat is a more efficient xc ski due to the high underfoot stiffness, whereas the Nansen is a better turning ski for the same reason. The flex is much rounder in the Nansen.
I don't think that either of these are fun at skiing downhill in breakable crust. Nor is any other ski, really. On hardpack groomed slopes at the resort I seem to have had good fun with both.
Both of these are great skis. In my steeper terrain I preferred the Nansen 205 cm, it was more nimble than the NATO 210cm.
The Nansen I had was the waxless variety and I strongly disliked the Åsnes grip pattern. I sold both and replaced with Otto Sverdrup. I couldn't justify having several pairs of similar skis. The Sverdrup were much better backcountry downhill skis in my context but such heavily rockered skis do not carve properly on groomed pistes due to very short effective edge. Both Nansen and NATO were better on piste.
So deciding between NATO and Nansen depends on whether you want to prioritise xc or downhill performance. There is significant overlap in use for these skis so there is no completely wrong choice.
Note that the Combat NATO also has better float due to more underfoot stiffness and slightly more width. This makes it quite a bit more suitable in deep snow.
There are several others here who have owned or own both.

[red_pine]

You've both given me some really good information. Luckily I am in the weight range where I can use either ski. It sounds like the NATO is probably better for cross country skiing, particularly in deep snow, while the Nansen is probably better for downhill, but that both skis should work for both purposes.

I'm also quite surprised to hear that rockered skis are inferior for carving on groomed pistes due to the shorter effective edge. That's rather counterintuitive, but very good to know. I was leaning toward non-rockered skis anyway for better cross country performance, and this confirms that decision for me. If rockered skis really are inferior for carving on hardpack or groomed snow, then it's really strange that ski manufacturers keep putting rocker into more and more skis. Åsnes is basically the only company that still makes non-rockered backcountry Nordic skis, as far as I can tell. Is there any advantage to rocker other than improved downhill performance in soft snow, where rocker improves turn initiation?

[CwmRaider]

Note that the Sverdrup and similarly heavily rockered skis (newer Ingstad) can still be good on groomed slopes, in my experience just not for carving turns. I lean into the turn but the ski goes straight.
Ft-x, rabb, gamme and Ousland have long rocker but it is less pronounced. The Ousland or Gamme are not typically carving skis, i have not tried my Ousland on groomers yet. But the ftx doesn't have the same problem as the Sverdrup with carving. In softer snow however the Sverdrup is super fun to turn.

[red_pine]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I decided to order some Combat NATOs. Hopefully they will get tested soon.

[telerat]

I don't think that either of these are fun at skiing downhill in breakable crust. Nor is any other ski, really.

I agree, but going stiff and heavy can work. Scarpa TX Pro, T2 or similar with a suitable binding and a wide and stiff ski can be fun in such conditions. Depending on skill and conditions a T4 with matching bindings and skis could also work.

I think that is completely different from what red_pin wanted, so good luck and I hope you will be happy with your Combat NATOs in better conditions. I have Ousland and Falketind 62X, and have considered the Combat NATO myself, but I will see if those two can cover my use.

[Rodbelan]

Hum, I am a bit puzzled... You are looking for non-rockered skis, and the ones you are looking into are rockered...

No big deal; non-rockered is hard to come by... And finding a ski that tracks well and turns well (groomer) is somewhat a challenge...

One way to find one is to look for a narrow dedicated uphill skimo ski... Atomic and Fischer has good ones... Some are too stiff though... anyway, just a suggestion.

[red_pine]

Hum, I am a bit puzzled... You are looking for non-rockered skis, and the ones you are looking into are rockered...

No big deal; non-rockered is hard to come by... And finding a ski that tracks well and turns well (groomer) is somewhat a challenge...

One way to find one is to look for a narrow dedicated uphill skimo ski... Atomic and Fischer has good ones... Some are too stiff though... anyway, just a suggestion.

It's my understanding that the Nansen and the Combat NATO are both non-rockered skis, or at least that their rocker is so small as to be un-noticeable. At least, that is the impression I have received from reading reviews on this forum. My understanding is that the Ingstad is essentially a rockered version of the NATO, although Åsnes has now started building a second version of the NATO with rocker.

I hadn't considered the skimo ski idea. Do you know the names of any good models? Those types of skis haven't been discussed very much on this forum.

[telerat]

NATO comes in two versions. The NATO 62 that is similar to the current Ingstad and has rocker:
https://www.en.asnes.com/produkt/combat-nato-62-ski/
And the NATO BC that has no mention of rocker:
https://www.en.asnes.com/produkt/combat-nato/