FT 62

[ᚠᚨᚱ ᚾᛟᚱᚦ ᛊᚲᛁᛖᚱ]

Is there a downhill oriented xcd type ski that you feel is superior for Alaskan conditions (i should say Mat-Su conditions because the difference in climate accross this state is huge). I already have my go to ski that I use almost every day that there's a patch of snow on the ground, but that ski is not much for turns. I'm definitely not interested in touring Anchorage trails on an FT 62. My closest back country area is Hatcher's Pass.

[lowangle al]

I used a single camber ski with leather boots on the trails around Anchorage and was much happier than on double camber. This was in the state park not the groomers. I wish I had a pair of FT 62s.

[fisheater]

Is there a downhill oriented xcd type ski that you feel is superior for Alaskan conditions (i should say Mat-Su conditions because the difference in climate accross this state is huge). I already have my go to ski that I use almost every day that there's a patch of snow on the ground, but that ski is not much for turns. I'm definitely not interested in touring Anchorage trails on an FT 62. My closest back country area is Hatcher's Pass.

How about a Vector and T-4 combo?

[lowangle al]

Is there a downhill oriented xcd type ski that you feel is superior for Alaskan conditions (i should say Mat-Su conditions because the difference in climate accross this state is huge). I already have my go to ski that I use almost every day that there's a patch of snow on the ground, but that ski is not much for turns. I'm definitely not interested in touring Anchorage trails on an FT 62. My closest back country area is Hatcher's Pass.

How about a Vector and T-4 combo?

That would be my set up Bob, especially at HP if I was going off trail. I may be wrong but I don't think the OP was thinking of going that wide.

[ᚠᚨᚱ ᚾᛟᚱᚦ ᛊᚲᛁᛖᚱ]

Is there a downhill oriented xcd type ski that you feel is superior for Alaskan conditions (i should say Mat-Su conditions because the difference in climate accross this state is huge). I already have my go to ski that I use almost every day that there's a patch of snow on the ground, but that ski is not much for turns. I'm definitely not interested in touring Anchorage trails on an FT 62. My closest back country area is Hatcher's Pass.

How about a Vector and T-4 combo?

That would be my set up Bob, especially at HP if I was going off trail. I may be wrong but I don't think the OP was thinking of going that wide.

I have been up around independence mine a few times. There isn't usually a ton of deep fluffy powder. I skied some of the lower angle slopes on my skinny 205 cm track skis and soft boots. Sinking really deep didn't seem to be a huge problem, but obviously I wasn't doing much turning on that setup. I haven't been up there yet this year. I'll get a feel for it with my new 88s and Alpina 1600s. I have little interest in skiing the higher angle stuff up there, even if I had a serious downhill setup. I have kids to feed, so I cant afford to put myself out of work.

[lowangle al]

The T4s and Vectors keep me safe. I ski mostly low and moderate angles but it's not the steepness that will get you on light gear it's the conditions. That light gear is best on smooth consistent surfaces liked groomed trails or when you have a few inches of fresh on top of them. When conditions are bad you need a big bag of tricks and be a master of the great save to not get hurt.

Getting hurt was a big concern for me as there were no "light duty" options in my field.

[fisheater]

Al, i think I would really enjoy my FT 62 on your PA terrain, but the Alaska photos I see aren’t skiing logging roads in the woods. My suspicion is that skiing Alaska is more alpine, tougher snow. I think a beefier ski and boot combination is a better way to go in tougher conditions.
Bottom line is the Falketind 62 is a light ski that is a lot of fun in good snow. The FT are lighter than the Gamme. They’re great for touring for turns in my hill country. They tour acceptably in soft snow. They are fun going downhill. They are too light to handle crud and chunder, so I don’t think they are the right ski for alpine mountain passes.

[jyw5]

having spent a great deal of time at hatcher pass, I think there is a real need for a quiver of skis. the conditions change alot. choosing the right ski for you depends on where you want to ski, what type of conditions you want to ski in. I agree that if you want no fuss downhill oriented skiing, T4 and Vectors is a no brainer. But I do long approaches, variable terrain and boot pack summits, so my skiing is much different. My normal workout this summer was Snowbird Glacier. 10-12 miles, 3500-5000ft vertical. The snow varies considerably with the evelation change and the snow at the glacier is quite different. the 169cm S112 was sufficient but wasnt always fun. I'm thinking my 185cm Skog may handle it better.

Just skiing around the mine, the mt51 or cecilie skog has been fine. offtrack earlier this season was great. with the high winds and rising temps creating breakable/variable crust, there hasnt been any good skiing lately. I have been skiing groomers on nordic skis alot lately. the S112 is a good all arounder that I used most of last season especially march through july.

when conditions are good, the ft62 or S112 with full skins can take you up and down Microdot, Hatch Peak, Friendship Pass, Gold Cord Peak, etc.
A heavier duty ski with 3pin and cables are probably what you need on an average day for these steep runs given the challenging conditions. I'm thinking the Nosi or Tindan. FT62 just doesnt get enough use year round.

I am planning on mulling it over this yr and getting one of those next season. I also like leather boots. comfortable and light. I sacrifice performance for comfort. So if your average hatcher tour is 5+ hrs, you should factor that in. I dont like slogging on a trail in plastic.

And realistically, the climb up takes 90% of your time vs. down. It can take 3+ hrs to skin up 4000ft vertical, but only 20-30 minutes to come down. and plastic vs leather is only a few minutes faster coming down. so in the end, it depends what you are looking for.

The "groomed" trails to get the goods are worse than they have ever been. dog walkers, fatbiker
,snowmachines, crap all over the trail, etc. I try to get that part of the approach out of the way as fast as possible and then take my time in the higher elevations.

if you are skiing like telehiro, then all you need is a Gamme and magnum and alfa guard gtx.

Im not even close to skiing that well, so I am still shopping for that magical pair of skis for xcd. I think its Skog for icy/packed conditions. and Nosi or Tindan for deeper snow.

[ᚠᚨᚱ ᚾᛟᚱᚦ ᛊᚲᛁᛖᚱ]

One day I may be convinced to go plastic. . . Obviously the t4 is not an AT boot, but the. Same argument for the t4 could take you all the way to AT (not that there's anything wrong with that). I do have a minimalist mindset, but I still think its worth having a quiver. I need to get more familiar with the characteristics of downhill skis at this point.

[jyw5]

I'm skiing Gold Cord Basin to High Grade Mine and maybe loop up to Cross Hill and down tomorrow. There should be inches of new snow over a hard windpacked frozen base. I'll be taking the Skog with mohair. these conditions are fine on S112 or FT62 but its a fairly slow on the approach...not much k&g. The Skog should be faster and the ride down will undoubtedly be more controlled and better as the skis are stiffer and able to handle any bare spots of crusty tracked out and rutted frozen base. Will green wax on the grip zone and bring 3 sets of X-skins (30mm mohair, 40mm mohair, 45mm nylon) as I'm unsure of the grip. There are 2 short steeper sections that I hope to be able to do with just wax. as long as the wind stays calm, it should be a good day tomorrow...20F.

will let you know how it goes.