Asnes MT65 (USGI) Combat Skis
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 4:07 am
What follows is the beginning of a full-season review (I say "full-season" with optimism, considering how late the snow base is!) on the Asnes USGI Combat skis.
YES- they are from Coleman's Surplus. We have two pair (210 & 200cm). I will be testing the 210cm primarily. My wife may ski on the 200s- but she may grab my 210cm more often than not!
I have been looking at these skis for a few years...in life many things that seem too good to be true- turn out that way...but in this case these skis are the real deal: high-quality, backcountry-xcountry skis, made in Norway, by no less than the legendary Asnes.
I bought these babies back in May- they have been burning a hole in my head as they have sat in my shed awaiting the snow to return. I would prefer to have waited until I had many miles on them- but I might as well get started on my review- as I can't seem to shut up about them!
I am very impressed with them...they are actually beautifully made, wooden skis- they do have a thin top sheet of some kind, and in the binding zone there is a thin metal (aluminum) sheet, under the top sheet (I discovered this when I mounted bindings on them). They have no sidewall on them at all- you can see the solid wood (which looks really cool- not sure how durable it will be?). They have an unpolished p-tex base (strikes me as extruded- but I'm not sure how to tell), that is waxable- I have both hot-waxed and grip-waxed them- they seem to hold wax well. I would think finishing the bases would probably be a good idea. Full-length steel edges. They are remarkably light. (haven't weighed them)
Both of our pairs have a 78-67-73mm profile (a bit wider than advertised), are double-cambered- with a smooth, full-length flex- no rocker in the tip at all. They have old-school, raised and pointed xcountry tips. Everything about them is old-school except for the binding I mounted- NNNBC-Magnum bindings on them at the balance point (for pure xcountry skiing performance). (they remind me greatly of my old 215cm Karhu backcountry skis that I skied on for almost 20 years- they were my father's before that)
Despite Coleman's advertising them as "xcountry-downhill"- they seem intended as a pure backcountry-xcountry ski- not only because of the profile, camber and flex. (I have not tested them on the downhill yet) Although I can easily imagine striding through telemark turns with them, the double camber at that length (I'm on 210cm), with very little sidecut, will make it challenging to carve with. Also- the lack of protective sidewall might not stand up to the abusive of a lot of downhill skiing? I did not buy them as a true XCD ski- I intend to use them as a K&G-focused backcountry-xcountry ski (although due to the terrain I am skiing on, will require frequent descents- which should be exciting)
First impressions, from two 10km tours on fresh soft snow (12 inches):
- they track perfectly straight
- excellent off-track traction with a full 67mm width underfoot
- wonderful kick and glide snap
- the flex pattern certainly performs well on fresh snow over a solid base (in this test- 12" of fresh snow over pasture-field)
The old-school profile and flex is more than kind of refreshing. In a predominantly XC context- the lack of sidecut and the extra width underfoot are much appreciated. A current-model E-109 for example only has 60mm underfoot- my Eons have 62. It seems the trend is that almost every ski has to have extreme sidecut these days- even skis that are intended for deep powder and/or K&G. These skis are a throw-back to a time when flat-out cruising took priority over "easy-turning" in the backcountry (and let's not forget that this ski does have sidecut- traditional Nordic skiers have been telemarking on long, relatively straight skis for a VERY long time)
I will continue this review of these when I get a chance, and after I get more miles on them (and perhaps get a photo or two of them! I'm afraid I'm not much for taking photographs.)
At $20 for 1 pair, or $30 for two- deal of the century! I got my bindings on clearance this summer for $50= $65 setup!? I am very pleased. (Coleman's even puts them "on sale" every few months!)
BTW- I bought the Karhu Combat skis off of Ebay as well...have not mounted bindings on them yet- am leaning towards 3-pin-cable...they are much more of downhill ski (heavier, wider, shorter, more sidecut, single-camber).
YES- they are from Coleman's Surplus. We have two pair (210 & 200cm). I will be testing the 210cm primarily. My wife may ski on the 200s- but she may grab my 210cm more often than not!
I have been looking at these skis for a few years...in life many things that seem too good to be true- turn out that way...but in this case these skis are the real deal: high-quality, backcountry-xcountry skis, made in Norway, by no less than the legendary Asnes.
I bought these babies back in May- they have been burning a hole in my head as they have sat in my shed awaiting the snow to return. I would prefer to have waited until I had many miles on them- but I might as well get started on my review- as I can't seem to shut up about them!
I am very impressed with them...they are actually beautifully made, wooden skis- they do have a thin top sheet of some kind, and in the binding zone there is a thin metal (aluminum) sheet, under the top sheet (I discovered this when I mounted bindings on them). They have no sidewall on them at all- you can see the solid wood (which looks really cool- not sure how durable it will be?). They have an unpolished p-tex base (strikes me as extruded- but I'm not sure how to tell), that is waxable- I have both hot-waxed and grip-waxed them- they seem to hold wax well. I would think finishing the bases would probably be a good idea. Full-length steel edges. They are remarkably light. (haven't weighed them)
Both of our pairs have a 78-67-73mm profile (a bit wider than advertised), are double-cambered- with a smooth, full-length flex- no rocker in the tip at all. They have old-school, raised and pointed xcountry tips. Everything about them is old-school except for the binding I mounted- NNNBC-Magnum bindings on them at the balance point (for pure xcountry skiing performance). (they remind me greatly of my old 215cm Karhu backcountry skis that I skied on for almost 20 years- they were my father's before that)
Despite Coleman's advertising them as "xcountry-downhill"- they seem intended as a pure backcountry-xcountry ski- not only because of the profile, camber and flex. (I have not tested them on the downhill yet) Although I can easily imagine striding through telemark turns with them, the double camber at that length (I'm on 210cm), with very little sidecut, will make it challenging to carve with. Also- the lack of protective sidewall might not stand up to the abusive of a lot of downhill skiing? I did not buy them as a true XCD ski- I intend to use them as a K&G-focused backcountry-xcountry ski (although due to the terrain I am skiing on, will require frequent descents- which should be exciting)
First impressions, from two 10km tours on fresh soft snow (12 inches):
- they track perfectly straight
- excellent off-track traction with a full 67mm width underfoot
- wonderful kick and glide snap
- the flex pattern certainly performs well on fresh snow over a solid base (in this test- 12" of fresh snow over pasture-field)
The old-school profile and flex is more than kind of refreshing. In a predominantly XC context- the lack of sidecut and the extra width underfoot are much appreciated. A current-model E-109 for example only has 60mm underfoot- my Eons have 62. It seems the trend is that almost every ski has to have extreme sidecut these days- even skis that are intended for deep powder and/or K&G. These skis are a throw-back to a time when flat-out cruising took priority over "easy-turning" in the backcountry (and let's not forget that this ski does have sidecut- traditional Nordic skiers have been telemarking on long, relatively straight skis for a VERY long time)
I will continue this review of these when I get a chance, and after I get more miles on them (and perhaps get a photo or two of them! I'm afraid I'm not much for taking photographs.)
At $20 for 1 pair, or $30 for two- deal of the century! I got my bindings on clearance this summer for $50= $65 setup!? I am very pleased. (Coleman's even puts them "on sale" every few months!)
BTW- I bought the Karhu Combat skis off of Ebay as well...have not mounted bindings on them yet- am leaning towards 3-pin-cable...they are much more of downhill ski (heavier, wider, shorter, more sidecut, single-camber).