Finnmark 54 waxless v. waxable -- TIME SENSITIVE!

[Severianin]

Hey everyone!

My local ski shop received a shipment of Asnes skis today. Unfortunately, they ordered the waxless rather than the taxable Finnmark 54s. I put a pair on hold until tomorrow. Does anyone have experience with these waxless skis? I'll be primarily using them on cabin trips and skijoring with my malamute in Interior Alaska. The patterned kick zone seems to align pretty perfectly with my kick zone in the 210 length.

Are these going to drag so much that I'll dislike them? I've read about how others dislike the Asnes waxless pattern.

I've got a pair of the Gamme 54s, which I love, and am excited to grab some Finnmark 54s to safely ski with my year-old pup. I am just unsure about taking the plunge back to waxless.

Best,
Tyler

[CwmRaider]

Hi,
There are a few opinions on precisely the Finnmark 54 waxless around here.
http://telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f ... eb453e0311

The user in the above thread is happy, and notes (as others have) that the waxless pattern by itself is insufficient for grip in many conditions, but does not drag much.

In short- you can get the WL pattern to work by combining with grip wax or skins, or very careful kicking, but then what is the point?
I don't like such level of compromise on my gear myself.

Can your shop not order a pair in waxable? My hunch is you would be happier, as you like your Gamme.
Cheers
Roelant

[Stephen]

If you don’t mind stepping up one size in width (to the Breidablikk BC, similar to Ingstad) here is a ridiculously inexpensive option:
https://varuste.net/en/poistossa.php?_id=117347
Less than $200 delivered.
They only have it in 190 and 200, though.

[Severianin]

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, I was really wanting a Finnmark 54 since I love the Gamme so much. Can't believe the price on that ski from Varuste!

Any other thoughts on the waxless? Are they really that bad? The scale patter on the 210s matches pretty close to the kick zone that I would wax on the waxable version.

[CwmRaider]

Fair: the waxless is not terrible. It is a compromise heavily leaning towards glide. Whether you will be happy depends on your expectations. It just didn't work as intended for me. I guess on flatter sections it worked ok. I also was happy with the overall results (waxless Nansen) when adding 10-15 cm of grip wax in front of the pattern.
Skiing is my only winter hobby, my time has become more precious and i don't want to waste my time with gear which doesn't meet my expectations. I do really love Åsnes waxable skis.
And yes the scale pattern is roughly the same length as the grip wax zone. But the friction mechanism is quite different.

[Stephen]

I think it comes down to this:

In short- you can get the WL pattern to work by combining with grip wax or skins, or very careful kicking,but then what is the point?
I don't like such level of compromise on my gear myself.

Can your shop not order a pair in waxable? My hunch is you would be happier, as you like your Gamme.
Cheers
Roelant

I looked and the Finnmark seems hard to find.
Neptune has it in just 200.
If you decide against the Waxless version, you could contact Neptune to see if they will get more?

[Severianin]

I hear you and I am in total agreement with you Roelant! I'm also in the position of not having access to what I would ideally select and trying to make a compromise so that I can at least get out on a ski that I won't worry constantly about hitting the dog with. Someone recommended detuning my edges. I am a competent skier and I still think that hitting a working dog even with a detuned edge would be traumatizing experience for the dog.

This is a tough decision...

[Severianin]

I think it comes down to this:

In short- you can get the WL pattern to work by combining with grip wax or skins, or very careful kicking,but then what is the point?
I don't like such level of compromise on my gear myself.

Can your shop not order a pair in waxable? My hunch is you would be happier, as you like your Gamme.
Cheers
Roelant

I looked and the Finnmark seems hard to find.
Neptune has it in just 200.
If you decide against the Waxless version, you could contact Neptune to see if they will get more?

I called Neptune and they said they weren't likely going to get more waxable Finnmarks in.

[Stephen]

@Severianin, if the key consideration is the dog, and cost is not too much of a factor, then maybe just roll with what’s available?
Not ideal in the present moment, but workable, and you could keep an eye out for the Finnmark in the wax version (that’s if you end up being unhappy with the WL version) and sell the WL.
Just a thought…

Do you have the option of say the 30mm X-Skins as a backup traction option?
Depending on your weight, with the 210 you could get pretty good glide with those.

[JohnSKepler]

Sport Albert has some wax Finnmarks. I think they ship to the US.
https://m.sportalbert.de/åsnes-finnmark ... 10_p.dpage