Asnes Breidablikk Waxless

[John_XCD]

Asnes Breidablikk BC
86-62-74
Waxless
200cm (I'm 175lbs, 6feet)
Mounted NNN-BC, paired with Alfa Guard
Available at REI
1050g per ski per Asnes

I purchased this ski as a gift for my overactive border collie mix and have had the chance to get out for a few test drives in a few feet of settled powder in UT. I'm an expert XC ski racer and have spent many hours on skinny skis but a new convert to XCD, mostly skiing s-bound 98 with nnnbc.

From what I can tell on this site, this is essentially a combat NATO without metal edges. Out of the box, certainly feels much lighter than the S-bounds and feels to have a lighter swing weight despite being longer. Camber is more prominent and there is a more pronounced wax pocket. The waxless pattern covers much less of the ski and is less aggressive than Fischer.

K+G on consolidated snow retains a touch of xc "pop" under foot that the s-bound lacks. Glide is much better. The grip as things get steep is significantly less than s-bounds and has me thinking about kick waxing from the front of the scales forward if I don't want to put on the X-skin. Trail breaking in fresh snow was super stable and tips rise up nicely. The skis really shined in following a track from a single snowmachine in dry powder (I'm sure behind another skier would be similar). Smooth and efficient XC skiing!

The big surprise was the descent. These things turn (assuming you are used to NNNBC telemark)! Turn initiation might require a bit more commitment compared to S-bounds but on soft snow, they really come around nicely in telemark turns. At speed in powder, they really give the feeling of a nice, stable platform. In the pic with lots of tracks, the breidablikk are the more open turns starting farthest to lookers left.

Pros: stable and smooth for soft snow skiing on flats and gentle climbs, powder turns!, efficient trail breaking
Cons: waxless pattern is tuned for glide (bring an x-skin for extended or steeper climbs, or maybe kick wax the tip?)

[fisheater]

John,
Very nice to hear a review about these skis. I know it’s ridiculous, but the dog on the Breidablikk is my favorite of the three “dog ski” dogs.
You turns were very nice, for a double cambered ski, and you also have a good looking ski partner. I am very confident you ski partner much prefers the Breidablikk to the S-98. Does your dog have o confused look on his (her) face when you blow by on the down hill? My viszla is dumbfounded, you can see the confused look. She also must fly by me on the flats to re-establish the natural order.
As for the lack of grip in the scales I am attaching a thread about the Kom. Read how Lilcliffy (Gareth) is using Swix polar on the entire base and scales. I have been using Polar on the entire base of my waxable skis for a few years and am pleased with the method. I’m not a racer, just a backcountry skier.

https://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3320

Good luck, and looking forward to future posts,
Bob

[CwmRaider]

I purchased this ski as a gift for my overactive border collie mix

I hope your border collie likes the gift!
Awesome review and pictures!
Your experience with the Åsnes Waxless pattern matches mine.

Still waiting for snow on this side of the world

[John_XCD]

the dog on the Breidablikk is my favorite of the three “dog ski” dogs.

I was also such a fan of the topsheet that I figured it would make a nice mantle piece if I didn't like the ski.

Dog is a big fan of the ski!

[Woodserson]

Thanks for the great review!

What's the rocker like on this ski? If you press them together, do the tips come way apart? not at all?

[John_XCD]

What's the rocker like on this ski? If you press them together, do the tips come way apart? not at all?

Minimal rocker

[lilcliffy]

Hello John,

Thank you very much for this excellent review.
Please keep us posted on your Nordic skiing story!
Gareth

[John_XCD]

Wanted to update my review after a few more months on these.

Overall, I'm really happy with these as a soft snow go-anywhere ski. Breaking trail and gentle climbs in fresh snow is comfortable and efficient. The skis feel light and responsive. Descents in powder is a blast. With just a little speed, the skis seem to rise up a bit and are ready for cruising, long telemark arcs, or tighter turns. They feel super fast in this context and I don't find myself getting pitched over the front of the ski. Alfa guard feels well matched to the ski.

Consolidated snow is OK (way better than my S-98) but I'm looking for something else here and wouldn't suggest this ski if that was a major use

At 6ft and 175lbs, the 200 feels like a good length. I would be curious to try 210, I know 190 would feel too short.

Much has been written about the asnes waxless pattern. On this somewhat wider ski at my size, it is fine for climbing 10-15% road grades in packed powder. In untracked snow, it doesn't do much outside of really gentle climbs. Given, that the ski is most at home in dry, soft snow, waxable would probably make more sense (though not easily available in the US). The flip side is that the scales won't slow you down too much on the down.

[Woodserson]

Wanted to update my review after a few more months on these.

Overall, I'm really happy with these as a soft snow go-anywhere ski. Breaking trail and gentle climbs in fresh snow is comfortable and efficient. The skis feel light and responsive. Descents in powder is a blast. With just a little speed, the skis seem to rise up a bit and are ready for cruising, long telemark arcs, or tighter turns. They feel super fast in this context and I don't find myself getting pitched over the front of the ski. Alfa guard feels well matched to the ski.

Consolidated snow is OK (way better than my S-98) but I'm looking for something else here and wouldn't suggest this ski if that was a major use

At 6ft and 175lbs, the 200 feels like a good length. I would be curious to try 210, I know 190 would feel too short.

Much has been written about the asnes waxless pattern. On this somewhat wider ski at my size, it is fine for climbing 10-15% road grades in packed powder. In untracked snow, it doesn't do much outside of really gentle climbs. Given, that the ski is most at home in dry, soft snow, waxable would probably make more sense (though not easily available in the US). The flip side is that the scales won't slow you down too much on the down.

Thanks for the update, John. I am going to add your last paragraph in the First Impressions Wife's MT51 Waxless Thread, since it would be valuable contribution there too.