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new to ski touring


Dave7

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So I am looking to get into ski touring this winter and was wondering if someone could give me a little advice on a good set of skis, boots, and bindings for the beginning ski tourer. I skied for many years when i was younger, all inbounds stuff of course. Thanks for the help!

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Dave,

Check out some of the local gear shops like Marmot in Bellevue. They tend to have lots of used, good condition skis/bindings to choose from. I'd say focus on the boots though. Find a pair that work well for you and then decide what to attach to them. Its worth spending more money on the boots since they are what will make you miserable. Once you find some good boots see if you can set up a demo arrangement with someone to try out different binding and ski combinations both in bounds and in the bc (including going uphill here). Some places will run demo days at some of the ski areas and these are pretty good opportunities to try a bunch of stuff fast.

 

Within a binding class (AT or tele) I'd be less worried about weight and more worried about beginner friendliness. I have Fritschis on my Mt Bakers and 7TM power tours on my tele set up. Both run a little heavy but the 7TM is releasable and has a nice touring pivot (you want that). My Fritschis are really easy to get into regardless of the snow conditions but are heavier than Dynafits. I've seen a lot of new bc skiers come with Dynafits and take forever to get the boots into them. So if you go that way make sure you can get into the teeny tiny posts easily regardless of the snow conditions (soft, deep seems to be the worst).

 

Also make sure you get proper safety gear and training on how to use the gear and how to avoid needing to use the gear.

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Yep, spend money on boots and skimp on skis and bindings until you've logged some time and have a better feel for what you want.

 

Dynafit compatible boots keep your binding options open. You can demo skis with dynafit bindings then non-dynafit. The non-dynafit/step in bindings are heavier. That sucks, but they don't take much of a learning curve to use.

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All I can say is that this was my first year skiing and I love my dynafits. They aren't that hard to get the toe into, it just takes a little practice. You can't go wrong with anything sold at Feathered Friends. Also don't get dynafit skins (if you get dynafit skis) though, the glue sucks on them, go with BD skins.

 

 

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"Yep, spend money on boots"

 

Agreed, although skis have made some huge changes in design that make everything easier. A lot easier. I might suggest demo'ing some true rockered skis if you get a chance. And think short in comparison to what you have skied on previous if it has been awhile! My standards were 203 on the short side and 210 on the long..207s the norm. Now a 188 is considerd long and 160's short for an adult! Both ends of that spectrum are a hoot to ski.

 

Bindings? Lots of choices but only just one "real" binding these days, Dynafit. Or "tech" bindings as the are being refered to now with other brands available, La Sportiva and Plum are excellent tech binding options as well.

 

More on bindings here:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/07/tech-bindings-aka-dynafit-bindings.html

 

And a bit about one rockered ski there on another thread...but there are lots of ski like them. Just not a lot of light weight ones you'll want to push up hill. Take a look at early rise tips as well. Similar but not the same. Comparison numbers on weight for the others skis mentioned in the Hi5 revierw are worth a look I think. Dependng on what you want to do fat ski make a big differenece as well. With a waist over 90mm ski are beginning to get fat. Fat ski really start at 105mm imo. They look like freakin water skis....and are simply hero skis in bad/soft snow conditions.

 

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/06/la-sportiva-hi5-skis.html

 

With the newest skis...skinny or fat you can ski a much shorter board. Big advantage there as well for BC and if you are just coming back after a few seasons off. You might want to prepare yourself for some sticker shock though ;)

 

Took me a couple of seasons and some wasted time on dated gear just to get over that! Good skiers can turn any boot and ski combo. But always fun to make it easier by having the best tool for the job.

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How much do you want to spend?

Dynafit and Scarpa both have some really nice boots. As does Black Diamond and host of others If you know you want to ski...and have the cash their are some amazing choices if the lasts fit your feet.

 

Some big discounts to be had this time of year now as well.

Best I have used that are currently available would be the Dynafit TLT TF (no X). But that is just one of many. You really need to make the drive to Marmot in Bellevue to get started.

 

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