Since you live in potland I would go to us outdoor store and Oregon mountain community to see if they have any used backcountry setups for sale, they might even have the skins to go with them. I would use fritchie or the barrons so that you could use your current ski boots. This should get you into the sport for under $1000. While not ideal to tour with resort boots you can do it, just realize that you will be giving up a lot with out BC boots and the heavier Barron's.