Backcountry ski & boot for New England conditions

[soboyle]

Looking for recomendations for skis & boots I can use on trails in Western MA, Mt Greylock area, climbing the trails, skiing down the trails and roads. I was recommended Fischer S Bound 112's and Garmont Excursion boots. Any other recommendations? I have older tele boots but they are too big and stiff for trail climbing. Looking to buy lightly used gear if possible.

[Musk Ox]

Hi @soboyle! And welcome!

I've never been on American snow so I don't know what to recommend for your precise locale but I'd officially like to welcome you on behalf of the people who have... mid-week's often quiet here out of season. You'll be inundated with appropriate nerdery within the next few hours.

Moo.

[soboyle]

Thanks, appreciate the welcome!

[lowangle al]

Hi and welcome. I don't think location should be the criteria you base your decision on. I think it is more about goals. If you are more interested in the xc aspect, mostly skiing trails and don't mind tentatively skiing down hills using snow plow or wedge turns then light nnn bc or 3 pin boots will work. On the other hand if having the capability to ski off trail bombing down hills for the joy that brings then I would suggest the Excusion type boot. They are no longer made but the Scarpa T4 is also a light plastic touring boot. Light boots work fine when conditions are great but as conditions deteriorate you will have more fun more of the time with the added control that you get from plastic boots.

I ski big mountains in the West and also the East coast in Pa. and since my goals are the same so is my gear.

[Stephen]

Looking for recomendations for ..., climbing the trails, skiing down the trails and roads.

Some good thoughts posted so far, which I will add to.

What you said ("climbing the trails, skiing down the trails and roads") can mean different things to different people. Without prior experience, it can be hard to understand this.
The first thing to ask is: Who recommended this equipment to you, what is their idea of skiing, and why do they think this is the right gear for you?

From the way I understand what you said, the gear you mentioned sounds too "heavy," too beefy.
That gear gives you good control at the expense of joy, freedom of movement, the ability to cover ground efficiently.
You will be more plodding along in that gear (@lowangle al might say otherwise!), but you will be able to handle more challenging terrain and conditions (for example, skiing DOWN challenging trails and slopes.

If you just want to be outside bashing around and covering ground, and are willing to give up some of the armor, lighter gear will, most of the time, feel more rewarding (and also sometime more challenging).
Some solid leather boots that fit well, bindings to match (75mm or NNN BC), and a medium width ski (which should be easy to find used at a ski swap, and might even come with bindings to match your boots) should be a great place to start.

[connyro]

...
That gear gives you good control at the expense of joy, freedom of movement, the ability to cover ground efficiently.
You will be more plodding along in that gear ..

If you just want to be outside bashing around and covering ground, and are willing to give up some of the armor, lighter gear will, most of the time, feel more rewarding (and also sometime more challenging).
Some solid leather boots that fit well, bindings to match (75mm or NNN BC), and a medium width ski (which should be easy to find used at a ski swap, and might even come with bindings to match your boots) should be a great place to start.

Light or heavy gear does not dictate whether the skier has more or less "joy" or "feel less rewarding". Those are purely subjective judgements that are based on personal experience and bias. Your personal "joy" and sense of "reward" are not helpful data points for someone with little to no experience.

Also, I rarely feel like I'm "plodding along" when skiing my light plastic boots and light wide scaled skis. Granted I'm not setting land speed records when skiing heavier gear but honestly, that's not what I'm after when I'm skiing similar stuff that the OP is asking about. If and when I want to xc fast and free on rolling terrain, I'll pull out my xc or light xcd gear. When I want to do laps up and down forest trails or hardwood stands, I'll grab my heavier xcd gear. Both are rewarding and fun in the right context.

My advice or the OP is to find some folks that actually ski the areas that you want to ski and see what they use for gear or find a group of skiers who do the type of skiing u think looks fun and try to hook up with them.

[wabene]

I think it is reasonable to point out that leather boots and lighter gear offer more freedom of movement or range of motion. Also leather boots can be quite comfortable whereas plastic boots can feel restrictive in comparison. There are, however, those that only find comfort in a plastic boot with a thermal molded inner boot. My lightest and softest leather boot is comfortable enough to go for a walk in. Plastic boots? Hardly. There is no doubt that plastic boots offer more control.

Two different people could ski them same terrain in completely different equipment with both finding enjoyment. I've skied Alpine and Nordic my whole life. Being from the Midwest, I got bored quickly Alpine skiing. Mediocre skiing, lift lines, crowds and high prices. On the other hand we have some of the best Nordic skiing here and for $70 I can ski all the trails in the state for 3 years or less than one day of Alpine skiing.

From a starting point of skinny track skis and harrowing, survival mode downhill runs I've gotten progressively wider skis and beefier boots. My first time down tight challenging trails in perfect 20° blue wax conditions on my Madshus M62's and Svartsen boots I was amazed at the fun. To be able to kick and glide like that and also make high speed turns, I'm hooked. I want to eventually get some Scarpa T4's and progress to the steepest stuff I can handle, but man this journey has been a blast! I could see someone having just as much fun on a similar journey from the opposite end, wide to skinny.

[Musk Ox]

From a starting point of skinny track skis and harrowing, survival mode downhill runs I've gotten progressively wider skis and beefier boots. My first time down tight challenging trails in perfect 20° blue wax conditions on my Madshus M62's and Svartsen boots I was amazed at the fun. To be able to kick and glide like that and also make high speed turns, I'm hooked. I want to eventually get some Scarpa T4's and progress to the steepest stuff I can handle, but man this journey has been a blast! I could see someone having just as much fun on a similar journey from the opposite end, wide to skinny.

Yes!

The more accomplished I become on the way down, the more I want plastic boots to do plastic boot things.

The itch I most like to scratch at the moment, though, is to see how high I can get with my Nansens and leathers. I love this combination of 'exploring' and accomplishing things that were previously too difficult (or beyond my courage or whatever).

While I'm never going to give up anything that affords this level of sheer joy, in the valleys and plateaux available to me, I'm pretty sure I'll just go all in eventually. Even if I'd never consider doing multi-day hut tours with plastic boots.

It all depends on what's available on your doorstep, and what you want to do there, and what gives you the most pleasure. We all recommend the things we enjoy most.

[lilcliffy]

My advice or the OP is to find some folks that actually ski the areas that you want to ski and see what they use for gear or find a group of skiers who do the type of skiing u think looks fun and try to hook up with them.

This.
Good advice.

[lilcliffy]

I was recommended Fischer S Bound 112's and Garmont Excursion boots. Any other recommendations?

Assuming that the Fischer 112 and Excusion-class boots are well-suited to your pursuits-

My recommendation would be to consider more modern backcountry-downhill touring skis.
Some of them (e.g. Voile BC models) also have "waxless" scaled bases if that is what is you are looking for.
I know that a Voile Ojective/Vector/V6 is more cash than a Fischer 112- but, man o man are they better skis!