Equipment for getting into the woods/backcountry

J

Jay Suds

New member
I am looking for some equipment recommendations that will set me up for being able to into and around the woods and backcountry easier than a fixed heel setup, except I can't tele ... so I'm not sure where that leaves me :)

I'm a 22, 5'9 165lbs, advanced/"expert" east coast skier and I do not have a great deal of real backcountry experience, so if you could really dumb it down that'd be helpful. I'm looking for recommendations on *everything* I'll need - skis, boots, bindings, skins, pack, etc.

Thanks!
 
funny you mention this, jay suds. i have recently decided that making a gear conversion to Alpine Touring gear is the way to go for myself. now if i just had the money :lol:. AT gear lets you free heel up the mountain then lock your binding back down for the descent. uphill ability with downhill performance sensibility without needing to learn a new turn. plus access to areas previously difficult to access easily.

here's a really good article to get you obsessing about uber expensive gear and untracked snow :D
http://www.wildsnow.com/articles/at_art ... e_big.html
 
not to familiar with the ski setup as some of the folks here. although i do
know you'll need some bindings like this
http://www.backcountry.com/store/BLD024 ... d=CDTTWEG4

skins. pick some you like, but accension skins are some of the best.
they have different widths. get the width for your ski's.

depending on where you decide you go, since you're on the east, it might
be a good idea to look into some avi gear, but it's not essential. if you
plan to head out into avi terrain then get the gear and know how to use
it. freeheel's and skins will get you there though.
 
ironic enough, i went out into the backcountry today with someone using these:
http://www.outdoorreview.com/ski-equipm ... 14crx.aspx

the cheaper route (instead of those freeride bindings).

although, you should tighten all screws before you go out with them. the guy who was using these today had a screw fall out and had to skin the rest of the way with one heel free, and the other one locked down. since we were almost at the ridge he decided to keep going. slowed the pace down a bit, but toughed it out anyways. the screw that fell out was in the front part of the binding that clicked into the toe part of the regular ski binding. you'll see what i mean once you see a pair of these up close. i don't know how old the ones he was using either.

i think that these things and some skins would be the cheapest way for you to get out into the backcountry. good luck and enjoy the first tracks.
 
my research has indicated the alpine trekkers really aren't worth it if you're seriously giving AT a try. the price is simply way to high for what you get when you consider you can get last year's freeride's for less than a $100 more at some online stores. my thought it, if you know you're gonna do it, than just do it instead of investing that much money into an imitation of the real deal because you're just gonna get the AT gear eventually any ways. if you're strapped for cash, you can get skis a few years old for $100 or less on ebay. the trekkers look like an option for people out west needing to quickly access back sides of ski areas that aren't doing a ton of hiking and absolutely need to have their alpine gear for knarly terrain. i can't image they would be very fun doing 2000 vertical feet of skinning.
 
Ahh well, I may just have to tap the emergency fund for this gear !!! Now, I wonder if InnerBoot Works in Stowe sells any AT boots. I think my fiance is gonna take a crap, but she doesn't have to know how much it cost - it's still my money LOL ...
 
This season marks my migration into randonnée, Alpine touring, or AT - whatever you prefer to call it - so I might as well offer my $0.02.

Re: the Alpine Trekkers that hamdog mentioned, there are two big, big disadvantages to using them. First of all, they weigh a bloody ton, and you're the one lifting all of that weight as you climb. Secondly, Alpine boots without a walk or climbing mode will be incredibly uncomfortable for anything but near-bounds sidecountry, not to mention heavy as well. Not an optimal solution.

Secondly, search our website for "Garmont Adrenalin". That's the first hybrid boot with both DIN-compatible Alpine soles and rockered AT soles -- two types of skiing, one pair of boots. They're also much stiffer than other AT boots, thus providing superior downhill performance, yet weigh in at only 8 lbs or so per pair. I love mine, just watch your oven's temperature setting. ;-)

For skis, it's a compromise between weight and width. The further you plan to venture afield, the more you want to favor the weight end of the continuum, but you'll need sufficient width to handle the powder, crud and crust that you'll find off-piste.

Finally, for skins, Ascension and Glide-Rite, both made by Black Diamond, and G3 are all generally regarded as the best. Make sure you get a pair with a tailkit.
 
The Lou Dawson article that Rivercoil posted is a good one, but it amazes me that most articles you read about AT seem to focus only on the Dynafit AT bindings. These are the lightest AT bindings out there, but if you're heavier than say 165lbs these are not a good choice for you. Heavier skiers tend to pop out of the Dynafits, especially in touring mode and that can be a real pain, especially in deep snow. In addition, when I look at the Dynafits I really wonder about the safety/release characteristics. They just look flimsy to me.

I would suggest Fritschi or Silvretta AT bindings instead. I use the Fritschi Freerides and, while heavier than the Dynafits, they are pretty beefy and have release adjustability. I ski them as everyday bindings and they have held up very well.
 
AT gear would be ideal if you are devoted to alpine style...the newest stuff is pretty bomber. Tele gear is built for the backcountry, but again, you have to buy complete set-ups. I invested in tele gear last year, but do not feel comfortable enough yet to take them out in the bc. A cheap alternative to that would be the alpine trekkers. I just picked up a used pair for $90. Hopefully they will not be too heavy, but it will be a better than what I have done in the past...skis & boots on the pack and snowshoeing up. I figure eliminating the weight off my back will be an improvement.
 
I rented AT gear at Mammoth for my day at Tioga Pass in May 2003. I just put my custom orthotics into the rented Scarpa Denali boots and they worked fine.

Adam has rented tele gear the several times he has used it at Mammoth. We have both had no complaints.
 
I use the Fritschi Diamir Titanal-3,or T-3's and I love em! I got them last year and used them quite a few times for climbing. At 5'9" and 155# the T-3's have a high enough of a DIN setting for me. My research prior to purchasing led me to decide between the F.D. T-3 or the Naxo binding. One thing to be wary of with the Diamir is big guys trying to carve big turns on groomers.The toepiece may come of the ski. But besides that they are a great binding and I'll buy another pair for my new stix.
I currently use my Atomic downhill boots but as Marc points out, they are very heavy and I need to unbuckle them to climb. But I do alright :wink:
I've had good luck with my Ascension Clip Fix skins. Make sure you get them wide enough.
I think my most important backcountry gear is my helmet and a little common sense. Pack a map and compass befor the cell phone. Make sure you water supply is insulated if you plan on being in the B.C..
Where are you planning to go?
((*
*))NHPH
 
At 145 lbs, I sure didn't need the extra DIN of the Freeride, either, but keep in mind that the T-3 doesn't include brakes. By the time you add ski brakes to the T-3, the price of each is pretty much the same.

Naxos had some durability issues before, that have reportedly been solved for this year. The last thing you need is for the binding to break when you're miles from nowhere, so be sure that you're buying this year's model if the Naxo is what you want. Details on the durability issues, and the means to identify the 04/05 model from the 03/04 model, are here on Lou Dawson's website. Realize, though, that the "new" Naxo hasn't had time to be adequately field tested.
 
Wowza, I just bought my setup:

165cm Dynastar Legend 8000
Garmont Adrenalin boot
Silvretta Pure binding
Ascension Nylonx ClipFix 120mm skins

And now I am broke!
 
Jay Suds":1ko31fsc said:
Wowza, I just bought my setup:

165cm Dynastar Legend 8000
Garmont Adrenalin boot
Silvretta Pure binding
Ascension Nylonx ClipFix 120mm skins

And now I am broke!
Click to expand...

Nice!! I haven't skied the 8000, but I know that you liked the demo. You're gonna love those Adrenalins! I adore mine. The Pure is nice and light, a fraction of my freerides, and the Ascensions are the standard by which all other skins are measured.
 
[edit]Oops, guess I'm too late to this party...[/edit]

Mr. Contrarian checking in...

AT is not well suited for rolling New England terrain. It's great where your uphill is ALL uphill, and your downhills are all downhill, but it is less than optimal when you have trips that entail downhills with short uphill sections, for instance, or for long approaches. While tele is never going to have the kick and glide speed of a light XC setup, a kickwaxed tele ski setup is light years ahead of plodding along the flats with skins on. On the rolling stuff, the mobility advantage of telemark in those situations is tough to explain, but very simple to demonstrate. I think it has to do with the tele setup being able to very finely modulate the amount of pressure under the ball of the foot.

Tele also has a great mobility advantage on the downhills in the woods. When a woods line closes up and you need to traverse, kick turn, or even backtrack a bit, it is far more efficient to do so on tele gear -- no need to reach back and unlock your heels, or to re-lock them before you start down again.

If you're an "expert" alpine skier you can be free-heel paralleling in two days and making solid tele turns after five. Free-heel parallel is just like alpine except it's a lot easier to do a double-heel eject -- you have to stay centered.

Plus, there's the chick thing...
 
Agreed Marc, that Silvretta Pure sounds like THE binding that handles the gammut so far.
Jay Suds, ..but that's the beauty about AT or Tele setups, you only have to get close to a mountain, then just enter/exit that "other" way. I'm still wondering, if one has the connections, one CAN ski down the trails without a liftticket...? It is just for the use to the lifts ...yay/nay :?:
I mean, I'm pretty sure I've seen people now & then skinning their way up the lower trails @Sugarloaf.

Steve
 
I have no problems switching from alpine to touring and back with my Fritschi's.Just a simple flick with my ski pole and all is good. Changing the heel hieghts for climbing is just as simple.
As far as skinning ski areas I think it's relative to the area. I've seen tons of folks skinning Wildcat over the years. I've even climbed up the open slopes myself with bare boots and my Swisbob sled and slid right down the Gondola Line through the bumps during full operation, and I've never been spoken to. Now I wouldn't expect to get the same results at Gunstock or Attitash. I would expect a snow machine to screech up next to me and have a patroller flip out and threaten me with theft of services or some other legal charge :roll:
((*
*))NHPH
 
To some extent, I believe such policies would be dictated by what type of land the ski hill is operating on (private, national forest, mixed). For example, I think that if the hill is operating on national forest lands, then the land is available for use by anyone, even if there's a ski resort there.
 
Jay Suds":3pejephn said:
To some extent, I believe such policies would be dictated by what type of land the ski hill is operating on (private, national forest, mixed). For example, I think that if the hill is operating on national forest lands, then the land is available for use by anyone, even if there's a ski resort there.
Click to expand...

As I understand things, that's not quite true. The lease the resort pays to the forest service gives them rights to limit access to the leased land, but I could be wrong -- I'd need to research to verify.
 
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