Happy New Year

[MikeK]

Seen as how music has become very popular on this forum as of late, I figured this might be appropriate:

I hope y'all feel good every day, and find new ways to enjoy our short time here - preferably enjoying the beauty and awesome power of nature. Have a great 2015.

[video][/video]

[Raventele]

[video][/video]

[CIMA]

A happy new year, all!
I'm jumping on the SB's bandwagon this spring.

[MikeK]

Oh yeah... those are some sweet skis CIMA.

We should start a Glittertind club...

[Raventele]

Anno Domini 2015 ..
The year of the Glittertind ?
Have looked them over a bit..The tips and tails seem very very soft-flexing..but the mids still seem rather stiff..
Perhaps a great ski for the KTB's ? SB says they turn very wonderfully, while others say they are terrible..
Seems to me they might be great fun to ski the meadows at the Nordic centers..

[MikeK]

Ends are soft, mids are double camber and stiff.

I think turning ability is probably a function of technique more than anything. Honestly they scare me a bit on anything steep or crusty. Hardpack they feel OK. Soft powder they feel OK.

KTBs would love them I'm sure. Best thing about them is how light they are how great the kick and glide. For rolling terrain they are an absolute blast.

I'm sure a very good skier could handle them in almost anything though. Like SB says about them, don't count on making parallel turns or basics snowplows on anything but groomed snow. You pretty much have to know how to telemark. These skis were my whole motivation for learning telemark because they are so hard to make turn any other way except stepping when the snow is heavy or deep.

I'm sure CIMA will love them. Compared to some of the other skis he has these are probably the softest.

[Raventele]

Maybe there were changes made in the flex over the years ?
The ones I see around here do not have an EVEN FLEX!
What ski turns smoothly without a nice even flex ??
Makes little difference how you elect to turn a stiff ski..
Or does it ? You have implied ( as did SB ) that there's something unique about Tele technique which makes for skiing this 1.5 + cambered ski easier than turning ti by "Alpine" methods.. I just don't know what that singular something would be..

[MikeK]

I don't think it's even so much is it just round on the tip and tail.

The mids will stay flat. So will any other metal edge xc ski in this size range. Most are stiffer on the tip and tail. E99s are probably the closest to the Glittertind that I've felt and they have a true double camber with a stiffer overall flex.

Both are true xc skis. They aren't Nordic racers, but the retain enough of their xc characteristic to be better tourers than turners.

[Raventele]

But, again, what is the unique advantage in skiing a Glittertind Tele-style ?
We know it's a poor perfomer on ice or hardpack Tele or not..And that we could guess..
But still, the claim is that it turns better Tele..Is this a truth that can be demonstrated or just another in a very very long line of sky myths ?
The tips and the tails are not just round, they bend very smoothly and evenly..but the centers do not..
Also if the GTind is really a "true" XC ski, then according to XCD the book, there's no place for it in "wilderness skiing "..
Or do you think SB had a change of heart on what ski design is best for the sport of XCD ??
If it's more effective to Tele turn the Glittertind, then there's a unique advantage in Tele for all XC skiing in terms of turning XC skis -- the obvious exceptions being ice and hardpack..

[Johnny]

Yep, happy new year to all of you...!

By the way, this is also TT2 first anniversary! Here we are, almost 4000 posts later. (30% of them are courtesy of Ron... Of course opinions are divided on whether this is a positive thing or not... ; )

I won't have a lot of time for the forum in the next months, as I only got about 40 days of skiing so far this season. I need my yearly fix of 180 days of ski so I don't kill myself in the summer. But hey, don't worry, this place is here to stay, whether you think it's cool or not. The domain name and hosting is paid for the next 5 years. There's a lot we can do with five years. I'm looking forward to see what you guys will do with it.

Again, this place is yours, not mine. Do whatever you want with it. Why not make it something really cool?
Share, teach, help, answer, question, discuss. Spread Tele. Have fun, and keep it coooooooooool!

[video][/video]


Oh while we're at it... I finally gave in to that ebay auction...
Here's my latest addition to my XCD quiver. 205cm, single camber, 55mm wide: