100 Mile Wilderness Maine (2023)

[CwmRaider]

Thanks. I haven't skied the Ouslands yet but they replace the excellent Sverdrup skis (which broke due to water infiltration after I remounted the bindings with the wrong type of glue to plug the old holes).
The Sverdrup impressed me very much, to the extent that they had significant usage overlap with the Falketind for short tours. The Falketind was clearly better in descents but everything was manageable with Sverdrups, the one exception being carving on consolidated snow where the Sverdrups effective edge was too short.

[riel]

Smart two ski quiver @CwmRaider. A skier could certainly cover a lot of bases with a Falkentind-Ousland quiver.

A careful selection like this isn’t often seen… two skis that cover a range without falling off into extremes. Far better, in my opinion, to skis at the opposite ends of the spectrum like a Raab and a Mountain Race (stayin within the Asnes line for consistency here). That case begs for a third ski to avoid giving up a lot of opportunities in the middle.

Nothing against Raab and MR. They’re just light years apart and create a really wide a gap to bridge.

Here in New England, a "quiver of one" can be had with something about 80mm wide at the tip, and decently stiff camber underfoot to get decent kick and glide.

This includes skis like the Asnes Nansen, Ingstad, and Sverdrup, as well as the Fischer Traverse 78, and the Alpina Discovery 80. Which one of those is best for you depends largely on how much you weigh, and how much you want to carry. The Traverse 78, Ingstad, and Sverdrup are stiffer underfoot, requiring more pressure to turn, while the Nansen and current Discovery 80 are a little softer, making them easier to turn (but they have less glide if you're heavy). The Asnes and Fischer skis can be used with short skins, for when you need a little extra grip.

[xcdnewb0313]

@riel

I weigh 155lbs (~70.5kg). Average pack weight/size: 10/15lbs (5-6kg) [day tour gear mostly]

I am leaning pretty hard towards my first xcd skis having fish scales. I just don't want to futz with transitions on undulating terrain. In the past when faced with shorter steep sections I have been able to "duck walk" up

I like the sound of the Alpina Discovery 80 but I wasn't able to find any for sale. The Fischer Traverse 78 is easier to find and the folks at Ski The Whites recommend its bigger sister the S-Bound 98...

Rode the half at Freetown 50 last weekend and had to spend some of my new ski gear money on repairing my bike. My drive train and brakes were on their last legs and the race killed them - gonna take the plunge and convert my old hardtail to single speed. I am excited been wanting to do that for years, now I have a good excuse (not to mention its cheaper and will make me stronger )

So, if anyone has a lead on used skis of the afore mentioned (or last year model closeouts) shoot me a PM please

[riel]

I weigh 155lbs (~70.5kg). Average pack weight/size: 10/15lbs (5-6kg) [day tour gear mostly]

I am leaning pretty hard towards my first xcd skis having fish scales. I just don't want to futz with transitions on undulating terrain. In the past when faced with shorter steep sections I have been able to "duck walk" up

I like the sound of the Alpina Discovery 80 but I wasn't able to find any for sale. The Fischer Traverse 78 is easier to find and the folks at Ski The Whites recommend its bigger sister the S-Bound 98...

Between the Fischer Traverse 78, and the S-Bound 98, it really depends on what you want to do.

They are very different skis, built for very different things. The Fischer web site does not make this clear at all.

The Traverse 78 is longitudinally stiff, resulting in the fishscales being mostly lifted off the ground while you glide, resulting in good glide. The second camber is low enough that you can still turn them pretty well by putting most of your weight on the outside ski in turns.

The S-Bound 98 is soft, soft, soft. This ski is built for turning in steeper terrain, not necessarily for gliding. The fishscales will always be dragging on the snow.

If you want to go up and down steeper slopes, in soft snow, the S-Bound is your ski.

If you want to cover distance on moderate terrain, the Traverse 78 is probably better suited for that.

Different tools, for different jobs.

[Manney]

Quality post, @riel. You’ve summed up the differences nicely.

[xcdnewb0313]

If you want to cover distance on moderate terrain, the Traverse 78 is probably better suited for that.

Well hot damn! You just made my mind up for me. Thank you