Peltonen Metsä Step 270

[Inspiredcapers]

Bought them from Skiwax.ca, shipping was free.

[Capercaillie]

@Inspiredcapers hope your leg is healing well!

I wonder what the pros/cons of the Peltonen Metsä vs Altai Kōm for trail-breaking are. It would be fun to do a head-to-head race...

[Inspiredcapers]

Hey capercaillie, slowly improving. Won’t see skis again this season but hoping to start riding again late in April.

I’d put my money on the Metsäs for long, straightish, and somewhat level stretches but the Kom would likely kick a whole lotta ass on Forest Service roads and downhill stretches in particular. Thats a test I’d really enjoy…what binding do you propose? The Xplore works really good on the Metsä but I’m not sure how much it would shine on the Kom (unless a stiffer plastic-type boot were to come along).

[Theme]

I wonder what the pros/cons of the Peltonen Metsä vs Altai Kōm for trail-breaking are. It would be fun to do a head-to-head race...

Peltonen can handle much deeper snow, less resistance and better float. It is a distance ski for soft snow, where short and wide skis sink with each step. Definitely not made for up and down travel but you can manage as shown here

[Theme]

Unfortunately this softer camber doesn’t allow for any energy storage like I’ve found in the MR48, Gamme, or USGI. I did find myself wondering if there would be any benefit to stiffening this ski up a bit, some of that energy derived from more camber could be useful.

Low camber enhances stability and float when snow layers are weak. Stiff tip and tail would break through the snow underneath easier. Karhu Erä used to be a model with more camber and slightly stiffer. The KSF Scout and Karhu military skis are stiffer and with higher camber, as there is going to be a hard track to take advantage of when 20 people ski with heavy packs. But the low camber shows that the skis are made for deep soft snow only. On harder snow you could anyways get away with less ski. Järvinen is stiffer underfoot but tip is much more pliable still. Though they have even lower camber than Peltonen.

Doing a Herringbone is surprisingly easy with the Metsä and leaves a pretty impressive pattern in the snow.

I will say that it gets harder if you move the binding forward

My Metsäs were mounted at balance point putting my pin center roughly 150 cm from the tip (thus having about 120 cm from pin center to tail). Apparently using balance point is Peltonen recommended way of mounting. Theme indicates a different formula for mounting that I might consider. I get why Peltonen makes the suggestion they do for enhanced forward mobility in deep snow but I strongly suspect that moving pin center forward a bit would help with control.

IMO it makes zero sense to mount this kind of ski for efficiency on harder surfaces, when it sets back the abilities in deep snow which the ski is made for

I have tested more recently and talked with other owners, that many prefer a mount 3cm back from the usual 455-rule mount location. This is to counteract the stiffer tip (compared to Järvinen)

[Capercaillie]

I have tested more recently and talked with other owners, that many prefer a mount 3cm back from the usual 455-rule mount location. This is to counteract the stiffer tip (compared to Järvinen)

What is the 455 rule?

[Theme]

I have tested more recently and talked with other owners, that many prefer a mount 3cm back from the usual 455-rule mount location. This is to counteract the stiffer tip (compared to Järvinen)

What is the 455 rule?

You mount center of the boot at ski length x 0,455, measured from the tail

[farnorth]

@Theme

So just for clarity on binding this 270cm ski: 270 x 0.455 = 122.85. So the center of the boot should be 122.85cm from the back of the ski, and 147.15cm from the tip - then incorporating the 3cm accommodation for the stiffer tip, results in boot center being 119.85cm from the back and 150.16cm from the front?

[Theme]

@Theme

So just for clarity on binding this 270cm ski: 270 x 0.455 = 122.85. So the center of the boot should be 122.85cm from the back of the ski, and 147.15cm from the tip - then incorporating the 3cm accommodation for the stiffer tip, results in boot center being 119.85cm from the back and 150.16cm from the front?

Yes, althought the exact measurements vary depending on the measurements of the ski. My skis were 266cm long (measured tail to tip in a straight line through the air) so it makes that boot center 121cm from the tail. And then deduct the 3cm if you wish

Then of course boot size will matter and change where you will drill the holes for the binding.

[farnorth]

Yes, althought the exact measurements vary depending on the measurements of the ski. My skis were 266cm long (measured tail to tip in a straight line through the air) so it makes that boot center 121cm from the tail. And then deduct the 3cm if you wish

Then of course boot size will matter and change where you will drill the holes for the binding.

Ok thank you very much