Can't control speed! Snowplough doesn't plough...

[ezp901]

One thing I might try is a little practice with typical in track classic skis (or your e99s if you don’t have any but I think track skis would be better) at a groomed Nordic ski area. Even though the conditions in your picture look pretty good and pretty even that’s still 3d snow with natural variations, right? I find learning and fine tuning technique way easier on groomed snow, and once it clicks it’s not too hard to transfer on more interesting snow. Maybe work on hockey stops while you’re at it.

So to make it short I’m a vote for technique issue over gear. However, I’m not there looking at your trail, so I can’t really know for sure. Grade is particularly hard to judge in photos, there are certainly conditions where snowplowing can feel pretty low powered.

[fgd135]

You didn't mention your ability level, but I think a ski lesson is in order. 200 cm E99 with your wt and height should be no real problem to stopping and snowplowing in conditions shown in the photo.
Go to an XC center with that gear and take a class. Practice practice practice!

[pacificnomad]

It can be very challenging to safely descend narrow and windy XC BC trails! Especially on more kick and glide XC oriented skis. I currently ski the Asnes Ingstad and USGI ski, with BC NNN and Fischer BCX GT boots, and find that the downhill control can be lacking sometimes. The Ingstad's definitely descend better than the USGI's.

The thing that I find tricky is being able to slow down and check my speed when I'm in a narrow tracked out trail that has firmer, usually icy, consolidated snow. BC XCD ski terrain usually has the added challenge of limited space. Very often you just don't have the luxury of having enough space to do a full plow or even a half plow. Throw in the fact that there probably are trees and other death objects nearby, makes descending way hard.

Last week I purchased a pair of TUA Black Diamond Toute Neige with Riva bindings off of craigslist for $25 to pair with an old pair of Asolo Snow Fields that I already have. The idea was that these skis were going to be my rock skis. I've taken them out twice since I got them and was pleasantly surprised! These babies can turn! And stop! These skis look like my other Nordic skis; they're longish at 195cm, have BC Nordic dimensions @ 74/60/64, but have a soft flex with a super minimal camber and are torsionally stiff AF. They have this weird metal top sheet that stiffens things up I think. With these skis I'm able to parallel turn, hockey stop, and edge a plow HARD. The kick and glide performance on the flats is so so though. I think that a more downhill oriented XCD ski has educational value in the sense that they're easier to learn downhill fundamentals on and then you can apply your new skill set to a more K&G oriented ski, and are way more fun to use when the conditions are technical.

[Musk Ox]

So the title tells you my problem. I find that my snowplough doesn't seem very effective in controlling my speed going down even fairly moderate slopes. What gives?!

Have you tried fervently digging the edges of your skis into the snow like a very fervent motherfucker?

[CMS]

Another vote here for it's your technique not the gear.
Yes, bigger skis and boots will make down hill easier, it just depends what experience your looking for.
I ski at what is considered a steep X- country area,
Crosscut out of Bozeman, my favorite ski is a Rossignol WC C1 classic using an X10 carbon boot,
Because the kick & glide is incredible for speed, also have the X6 boot with different skis when things aren't groomed out as well.

Out in the pasture might use an old karhu supreme with a NNNbc binding.

As a guess your snowplow could be the problem,
Make sure you are weight forward pressuring the ski tip in front of the binding, don't pressure both ski equal, make small turns left and right. But so small of a turn your not really turning just pressuring each inside edge back and forth. Do not sit back on your heels.

When I'm not at crosscut I'm in the BC on Voile V6's Lynx bindings and TX pros..

Also have a pile of skis in-between the above mentioned. Learning to ski on what you have will make you a better skier.

Good luck

[FourthCoast]

[...]I have observed other (smaller) skiers on both classic equipment as well as more xcd style gear, creep down the trails[...]The fun of the flats and uphills is starting to get outweighed by the terror of the downhills [...]

It seems like you are skiing on something similar to what I have locally here outside of the one real XC area. I would call them hiking trails, or maybe deer trails, to be honest. I think making it through the terror of the downhills without any serious injury is part of the 'fun' in this terrain.

I have been trying to understand why you see smaller skiers having an easier time. The best idea I came up with is that they have much shorter skis. Shorter skis make it feasible to snow plow on a more narrow trail. If you are headed down a narrow trail that is lower in the middle and higher on the left and right then it is almost impossible to push long skis out into a useful wedge shape. Many narrow hiking trails are like this due to erosion in the middle and plant/tree roots keeping the sides more stable.

It also might be that what appears slow to the observer is actually heart-pounding speed for the skier.

I still manage to have fun on trails like this on 215cm skis (E99s), as long as the snow is not something horrible like a thick breakable crust or refrozen ruts.

Maybe it sounds silly since we are talking about a short trail, not much vertical and no big rocks to avoid, but I find that I need to 'pick a line' even when I am only traveling down a small hill. I look at the snow and identify areas that seem to be fresh soft snow, or wide flat hard pack where I can turn my skis. I also try to identify areas where there is no way in hell I can possibly turn. I then use the 'feasible' turn areas to link turns across the 'no way in hell' areas where I just go straight. Usually these turns are something like the 'crab turns' in the video shared earlier, but I use the telemark stance to help me get through more narrow areas.

If I was skiing this same trail on my heavy 75mm equipment with a plastic boot I could just bomb down it without looking, making quick turns to slow my speed whenever I feel like it.

I hope this was helpful.

If you have money to spend it would be good to get some much shorter skis and just see how they feel.

[Musk Ox]

Everyone's really overthinking it. Don't listen to them, @Mtlsam.

What you want to do is (a) point your feeties so that your toes make a triangle and (b) dig the inside edge of your skis into the white matter as if you are in fear for your life.

It helps if you are genuinely in fear for your life.

[Mtlsam]

Everyone's really overthinking it. Don't listen to them, @Mtlsam.

What you want to do is (a) point your feeties so that your toes make a triangle and (b) dig the inside edge of your skis into the white matter as if you are in fear for your life.

It helps if you are genuinely in fear for your life.

Thank you for both the sound practical advice and comic interlude!

[lilcliffy]

@Mtlsam

Hello! Am I interpreting this correctly as "Montreal Sam"?
(I was born in Montreal)

Although I agree that a shorter and less cambered ski will be easier to manouver, pressure, and turn on steep, narrow, twisty trails-

At your weight and height you really should be able to use those ski edges to brake your speed- in both snowplow and other types of turns...

Are you an experienced skier? Are you able to brake/scrub speed when skiing in other contexts?

I also wonder just how significant the camber is underfoot of those skis...
When you stand on them equally on a hard surface is the camber completely squashed?
If not- can you relatively easily compress the camber by pressuring one leg and then the other; or do you have to put all of your mass towards driving/forcing the ski flat?

I weigh a bit less than you-
I too have 210 E-99 Xtralite Tour/Crown. This ski has a pronounced stiff double-camber underfoot- I need to apply significant mass to compress the camber, and engage the edge- this is not a ski that I would prefer to take into steep, narrow, twisty terrain...I can manage this ski in this context, but I am doing mostly step/jump turns and applying all my weight to one ski to turn, edge, brake.

A shorter E99- or a 199 Fischer 78/88 would probably be even better. The Fischer 78/88 are decent BC-XC touring skis, but they are not as stiffly cambered underfoot as the E99-XL- they are much easier to pressure and engage the edge.

There is a considerable difference in design between skis and manufacturers-
for example, Asnes' Gamme 54 and Amundsen have an overall stiffer longitudinal flex than the E99 XL, but they are not as cambered, and it is easier to pressure them and engage the edge.

It is near impossible to give you advice/direction- let alone feedback- on your technique without going skiing with you. But, if you are not an experienced skier- I can assure you that your ability to pressure and put this ski on edge will improve with practice. If you are an experienced skier- perhaps you are just tired- either tired at the end of a long tour; or just "tired" of pressuring long-double-cambered skis in situations that they are not designed for.

Using long, double-cambered skis on steep, narrow, twisty trails gets old, fast- I do it when I have to. If I am planning a tour in this context- I personally would take a different ski.
Hope I am being helpful!
Best,
Gareth

Best,

[Mtlsam]

@lilcliffy
You've got it! Fun to come across another Montrealer.

I am a semi experienced classic skier with extremely lacking downhill skills. Haven't met a hill I can't get up, which may be a big part of the problem...

I have somewhat more control when I have more room to operate, but you may be onto something with the camber not helping my cause.

I have also come to realize over the course of reading the replies in this thread that I am strangely lacking flexibility to turn my feet into the "pigeon toed" snow plow stance. This may be another big factor.

Going to take myself out of the brake or break situations for a bit and try to better master this skill on less angled and less consequential terrain.

Maybe look into shopping the end of the season specials on some slightly wider and less cambered skis as well.