Review: Altai KOM 174cm

[Woodserson]

Ok, so this is bit of an unfair baloney teaser, and the real review is coming if we get some snow. I just want to say that I have a pair, I have skied said pair, and I am sitting here tonight totally amazed that I have never had a bad day on my KOM's. I have had days when I wish I WAS on KOMs, but when I chose KOMs for a particular day or mission, they have never disappointed me or let me down. They are not for every single type of skiing out there, but if you choose them for what they were designed to do, (soft snow, powder, tight trees, tight situations, crust on top of snow, tight packed trails-- basically you want quick shmeeary turning and stability in weird situations) they just rip and plaster a big shiteating grin on my face. Very dry hardpacked snow is a little weird because the scales IMO hate this, and boilerplate is eeehhh probably not today.

I love my KOM's both the 162 and 174. The 174 is better in deep powder (18"/45cm) when dropping knees because the tip doesn't catch, but is just as quick turning as the 162.

If you are going to have some XMAS money and you're on the fence... KOMs are GO.

[lilcliffy]

Cool.
I love my Koms too- and would have bought the 174cm if I had bought them new...

Which length would you have if you only had one?

I wish I had the time to enjoy my Koms more- I need to drive a bit to get to hills/mountains big enough to really suit them...

[Inspiredcapers]

Bringing this one back from its dormant state.

Which binding did you go with Woodseron? Did you mount at Altais suggested 174 Kōm - 92.3 cm from the tail?

Bought the 174 Kom on sale and I’m undecided as to what binding to go with. I’ve got a shiny new pair of Rottefella 75 mm Nordic Backcountry Ski Bindings with Cable and a pair of Switchback X2’s. Have a backup set of Xplores as well but I think this is too much ski for that binding. Pretty much going to be YoYo type skiing on Forestry Service type roads and maybe tackle a couple of the hiking trails in SouthEast B.C. that have areas Skiing down would be kinda interesting.

I’ve got leathers and plastic boots to use with the 3 pin or Switchbacks so lots of room for experimenting.

Not really sure how aggressive I’ll be getting this season as the leg is still in a healing/rebuilding stage. I talked to my physio guy about getting the early bird seasons pass for the local ski hill and his response was that if it was his money he’d probably hold off…

[lilcliffy]

I have 75mm mounted on my Koms-

Only so that I can use a modern plastic Telemark boot when I want to.

Although, I often enjoy just tooling around on my Kom with a light leather Nordic touring 3pin boot (on gentle to moderate terrain and ideal snow) when out with my autistic son.

At 98mm underfoot- the Kom is a lot of ski to hold on edge with a soft Nordic touring boot.

Personally I kinda doubt that we will ever see a Telemark touring boot for the Xplore binding...

[Inspiredcapers]

I agree Lilcliffy, I don’t think a plastic boot combined with Xplore would be complimentary. I enjoy many aspects of the Xplore binding- ease of entry/exit, range of motion, how quiet it is, and no snow/ice buildup underfoot (at least in my experience with them). Theres also a growing variety of footwear that works for different people. Using Xplore in demanding conditions takes a more accomplished skier than me, it’s safe to say that for the majority of my skiing adventures Xplore will suffice.

Pretty sure the Rottefella will be going on- gives me opportunities for my leathers and my plastics depending on mood and conditions.

[Nick BC]

It’s funny, but the gear whore in me keeps wanting to buy a pair of Koms. I know I’d love them. But then the practical gremlin on my shoulder whispers “you’ve got a pair of early 2012 Vector BC with the cuddly bear on the top sheet”. Plus I have a whole load of other skis to cover all the bases. There is absolutely no sane reason to buy a pair so help me out here.

[blitzskier]

i'll fork out the cash when there's a 40-50% off sale, i just dont want to have to buy hard boots as that's probably the only way they can be used

[lilcliffy]

It’s funny, but the gear whore in me keeps wanting to buy a pair of Koms. I know I’d love them. But then the practical gremlin on my shoulder whispers “you’ve got a pair of early 2012 Vector BC with the cuddly bear on the top sheet”. Plus I have a whole load of other skis to cover all the bases. There is absolutely no sane reason to buy a pair so help me out here.

Hi Nick!
Having tested/used the original Vector BC a number of times- and owing a pair of 1st-gen Kom-
pointed downhill there is not a huge amount of difference-
the Kom has a flat working tail like the Vector (unlike the rockered and tapered surfy tail of the V6).

The Kom does have a beautiful, more Nordic raised, triangular tip-
this is irrelevant at downhill speed- but highly relevant when breaking trail in deep soft snow.
Gareth

[fisheater]

@Inspiredcapers i skied a Pariah 97 last season at the ski hill. At 97 mm underfoot I find it to need a plastic boot. I ski a Tindan also which is 86 mm underfoot. While I can ski it in perfect powder with a leather boot I have
Moved on from doing that. If I want to ski in leather I ski my Falketind. If I think the Tindan is a better ski for the conditions, I ski my T4. For me I have learned if I want the bigger ski I ski the bigger boot. For what it’s worth, I liked the Pariah so much, I bought the scaled version for when I go to the real mountains. I wouldn’t consider leather for that ski, I mounted it TTS. I bet for most uses you would be happier with the X2 binding. I love the Rotte ST with cable for leather boots, but I the Kom is a lot of ski, most of the time it will ski better in plastic.

However, the ski designer skis it with a Voile 3-pin cable, so the Rotte ST cable would be an upgrade

[Nick BC]

Thanks Gareth for the info. I think I’ll pass on a purchase. However, I have just bought a new pair of T4’s from Telemarkdown since my T3’s are aging out. I’m finding that at 82 my balance is not what it was, and the extra support of a plastic boot helps for XCD. I won’t win the loppet but who cares