Help me choose a first Nordic ski!

[Woodserson]

North Americans buy skis like they buy their vehicles: they buy the heavy, overbuilt choice, for the outlying scenario they face 5% of the time.

THIS +1

I choose skis based on my skiing reality, not based off my wet dreams in my cubicle.

Reality, not aspiration.

[greatgt]

Really like my e99's and 109's.....Broke most of the Rebounds also.....have some decades old Asnes (15 sets) up in the shed...Woodies.....and a bona or two....Really like waxable skis because they usually are faster ....have no appreciation for wide short skis and love double camber.....Seems like there are a lot of in between skis....Alpine and Nordic combined....Mostly skiing endless forest my interest is on fast slicing cruisers....99's and 109's do that well...Arc on!...TM

[connyro]

Really like my e99's and 109's.....Broke most of the Rebounds also.....have some decades old Asnes (15 sets) up in the shed...Woodies.....and a bona or two....Really like waxable skis because they usually are faster ....have no appreciation for wide short skis and love double camber.....Seems like there are a lot of in between skis....Alpine and Nordic combined....Mostly skiing endless forest my interest is on fast slicing cruisers....99's and 109's do that well...Arc on!...TM

I'm not sure it's wise to take ski buying advice from someone who regularly brags about breaking skis, unless that's your thing...

[fgd135]

Just my dos centavos--you're going to be limited in ski width selection by your Fischer boots, which are fine for touring on narrow to med width nordic skis, but lack the torsional stiffness and ankle support for turning alpine width or wider skis, except for ideal soft snow conditions, and certainly not when also managing a large pack in Sierra Cement. Also, a ski that is a bit shorter than the usual touring length would be much easier to turn on trails and much much easier to manage if you have to strap 'em on a rucksack for long carries, even if you give up a bit of floatation in deeper snow, or a bit of kick and glide--but let's face it, traveling up and down in the Sierras is not exactly a kick and glide situation.
I don't know enough about current waxless skis to recommend one that would work in all conditions, but do know that waxable skis with climbing skins work in just about all conditions--short or narrow skins work for most trail skiing in place of waxless, and full length skins will always work for any climbing, and for sketchy spring ice and junk trail descents. Mohair skins glide the best, imho.

[wabene]

Geez that's a great deal on the M62's! Maybe I need to get a pair for the wife.

[paulzo]

With apologies to folks in the East or the Rockies, don't listen to them regarding waxable skis for Sierra spring conditions. Waxless is definitely the way to go. Temperatures are freezing and up almost always, snow conditions change almost literally every few feet, and waxless patterns grip well and glide okay. Madshus, Fischer, and Voile all have good patterns in my experience and from what I've heard. Asnes, despite being wonderful skis I'm sure, not so much on the pattern from all I've heard. Skins are a must, for steeper stuff; but on a 9-day trip across the Sierra I had my skins on about 4 hours total, I think - including leaving them on to save my ass on a downhill that was beyond my meager abilities.
You mention winter day trips and long spring tours; really that is two different skis, because you need some flotation in midwinter, even in the Sierra with the relatively wet snow, while narrower is fine for the spring corn. For the long tour, the tricky thing is finding a light and narrow ski that is not a double camber XC ski. I have Atomic Rainiers, they are kinda camber and a half, and they do okay, given that 90% of the time is uphill or gentle slopes - that is, if you are like me and you use your skis to get from A to B rather than looking for downhills. Roughly the same ski as the Fischer Rebound: neither is still made. Seems like the Excursion 88 is the nearest current Fischer. The next ski up , the 98, is better downhill and the extra width will help for those winter days, but will not kick and glide as well, so there's your compromise. I'd get them short - sacrifice a bit of glide for better grip and easier turning, keep them lighter for carrying.

[greatgt]

Liked those Rebounds...88-60-78....Turned really well in most conditions....However they couldn't take serious action...KTB broke all of them....I broke at least 3 sets and the boys broke many more...If they had been a bit tougher they could have been the between Alpine and Nordic ski for us...Their air core technology at that time didn't make the grade...Still a turning machine....Very lite too.....TM

[lowangle al]

Bravo on doing that tour on those skis. I almost bought a pair as 'forest skis' for short jaunts.

I hate 'waxless' skis. They're poorly named, and in any conditions I've skied in Ontario, Québéc, and the Adirondacks, the scale patterns I've used grip worse than grip wax at its best, or skins. YMMV in the West, or with a raised-pattern 'waxless': I don't have that experience. I think we can agree that 'waxless' glides slow.

I'm upgrading to Åsnes Otto Sverdrup, next winter.
Whichever Åsnes skis someone might choose, the X-skin system solves so many niggling problems. Perfect conditions for grip wax: do that. Marginal conditions for wax: use the Mohair X-skins. Same with moderate, sustained climbs. Steep climbs: I can use nylon, full-length skins I already have. Skis that can do EVERYTHING better than a single pair of 'waxless', or wax skis? Sign me up!

But which Åsnes? North Americans buy skis like they buy their vehicles: they buy the heavy, overbuilt choice, for the outlying scenario they face 5% of the time. We forget we can rent trucks, or telemark/AT skis for that.

Doing that trip on those skis would be murder. Running in snowshoes might have been faster.

Don’t base your opinion of no wax skis on the crappy ones you tried. There are good ones out there.

I would say that if you need something for 5% of what you do you should own it not rent it. As far as skis go mine are heavier than I need for most of my skiing but I only crashed once in the last five years and have been injury free. And I charge hard on the down.

[fisheater]

Bravo on doing that tour on those skis. I almost bought a pair as 'forest skis' for short jaunts.

I hate 'waxless' skis. They're poorly named, and in any conditions I've skied in Ontario, Québéc, and the Adirondacks, the scale patterns I've used grip worse than grip wax at its best, or skins. YMMV in the West, or with a raised-pattern 'waxless': I don't have that experience. I think we can agree that 'waxless' glides slow.

I'm upgrading to Åsnes Otto Sverdrup, next winter.
Whichever Åsnes skis someone might choose, the X-skin system solves so many niggling problems. Perfect conditions for grip wax: do that. Marginal conditions for wax: use the Mohair X-skins. Same with moderate, sustained climbs. Steep climbs: I can use nylon, full-length skins I already have. Skis that can do EVERYTHING better than a single pair of 'waxless', or wax skis? Sign me up!

But which Åsnes? North Americans buy skis like they buy their vehicles: they buy the heavy, overbuilt choice, for the outlying scenario they face 5% of the time. We forget we can rent trucks, or telemark/AT skis for that.

Doing that trip on those skis would be murder. Running in snowshoes might have been faster.

Don’t base your opinion of no wax skis on the crappy ones you tried. There are good ones out there.

I would say that if you need something for 5% of what you do you should own it not rent it. As far as skis go mine are heavier than I need for most of my skiing but I only crashed once in the last five years and have been injury free. And I charge hard on the down.

I know I crashed five times this year! The Gamme are fast though, I am not nearly as good at falling as I once was, for me and my skiing it’s worth it. When I need it, I have my Tindan. That’s what I would ski if I ever made it to your eastern neck of the woods.

[greatgt]

Again if your looking for Nordic equipment get the longest and skinniest you can control....Double camber is a must making a serious wax pocket....That doesn't work get skins and make the skis whisper on the wicked fast gliders for a superb feeling on the down.....TM