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vood00
Jun 28, 2003, 7:27 PM
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Ok, here's the deal.....I would like to get into ski mountaineering. My main focus here is going to be the climbing, not the skiing. I am not the greatest skier I would much prefer to ride a snowboard down. I'm just wondering what other people are using. I was thinking of getting a cheap set of skis and skins and mounting up the silverretta 500's so that I can use my current ice boots (leather). But then again I've also got a couple of hut--->hut trips in the works mixed in with some climbing, so I was thinking of getting the dynafit tourlite tech4 pro or mlt4 boots with the tristep binding. This would be a better touring set up but I wouldn't be able to use my ice boots and would have to climb in the touring boots. Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions/comments.
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rockprodigy
Jun 30, 2003, 5:41 PM
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Skiing in leathers will royally suck! If you go with the AT setup, you will end up getting touring boots, or plastic climbing boots, which will still suck for skiing, but not royally. The silveratta 500's are sweet, that's what I use. Are you talking mostly non-technical stuff? If so, just get some touring boots, and the full AT setup, or go with a split snowboard. If you're going to do real technical stuff, you'll need plastic mountaineering boots which will force ytou to use Silveretta bindings. It will still be difficult to ski in, but it's better than snowshoeing or post holing.
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maculated
Jun 30, 2003, 5:47 PM
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Check out Sierratradingpost.com
I got my Randonee set up from them and bindings from Bittersweet. I would NEVER go back to regular. Tele is a bit tough with a climbing pack.
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dingus
Jun 30, 2003, 5:53 PM
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Don't get sucked into tele. It's a waste of time and money for your stated goals. It's pretty much a waste of time and money, period, unless your goal is to waste several years and some serious money learning to master inferior equipment and unbalanced turns. And you eventually come back to where you started; parallel skis. Wouldn't go the split board route either, again, your goals.
Silverettes are a good way to go cause you can use your climbing boots to approach climbs, or you can crank on the AT boots when you need to focus on skiing.
Performance touring is fine on AT. Flat land touring on AT sucks and that's where tele begins to shine.
If it's mainly to approach climbs, I'd do the slow crawl search on eBay for a cheap pair of rock skis with some Silverette binding, releasable or not.
I picked up such a pair last year for 50 bucks plus shipping.
DMT
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alpnclmbr1
Jun 30, 2003, 6:35 PM
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I would agree with the no tele beta unless you already do it.
Personally I went with Scarpa Denali’s and Fritschi Diamir’s.(emphasis on going down)
I also used the silvretta easy go which are compatible with mountaineering boots. (they broke on me when I pushed it skiing though)
A releasable binding is huge in Avy terrain.
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chugach001
Jun 30, 2003, 6:50 PM
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I started off with AT purely for the climbing part of it. I later switched to Tele for pure skiing. A good friend was such a fanatical skier that he skied everywhere with his downhill boots and even climbed in them (long slogs up Denali and WI-5 ice. Industry insiders say that the New Nordic Norm will be out in the next year or so. This is a tele boot without the duckbill and crampon ready. That's the real ticket. Until then you'll have to make a choice that's less than completely satisfying.
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killclimbz
Jun 30, 2003, 6:55 PM
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If you are comfortable snowboarding then get a split board. I totally disagree with the comment Dingus made on the split board route. Last year I purchased a voile 166 split. What a difference. In touring mode it climbs well. In snowboard mode I could not tell the difference from a regular board. You could easily use mountaineering boots with your bindings. Anyone remember when koflach's were fairly popular as snowboarding boots? I had no problems with equipment failure last season on over 40 days in the backcountry. PM me if you have any questions regarding the set up and you are interested.
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tobcapone
Jun 30, 2003, 6:59 PM
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I agree w/ the split board idea. Having a good set of skins on them and you can climb up some really steep stuff where skis have a harder time - likewise, your split board will be a bit harder in the flats.
If you're more comfortable w/ snowboarding then stick w/ the snowboard.
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mainline
Jun 30, 2003, 11:51 PM
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I would go AT. I own Denalis and Fritschis, but they are more suited to serious downhill skiing because they weigh so much. I would highly suggest the Dynafit set up you mentioned. They are lighter than anything else, and the TLT 4 Pro boots are great for ice climbing and mountaineering. Mark Twight uses them and so does Stephen Koch. I would also stay away from the Tristep binding and go for the older, proven Tourlite Tech binding. Apparently the Tristep has some bugs and is heavier than the TLT. You can read about them here
http://www.wildsnow.com/articles/dynafit_faq/Tri-step_faq.html
There are several threads on this subject if you do a search in Alpine/Ice for telemark.
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climber1
Jul 2, 2003, 4:50 AM
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In reply to: Don't get sucked into tele. It's a waste of time and money for your stated goals. It's pretty much a waste of time and money, period, unless your goal is to waste several years and some serious money learning to master inferior equipment and unbalanced turns. DMT |
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dingus
Jul 2, 2003, 5:14 AM
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[quote="climber1 why did you spend serious money on inferior equipment?
Because with tele it can't be helped. And I give lessons, not take them.
Cheers,
DMT
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deleted
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Jul 9, 2003, 7:22 PM
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[quote:5e7653e54d="dingus"]Don't get sucked into tele. It's a waste of time and money for your stated goals. It's pretty much a waste of time and money, period, unless your goal is to waste several years and some serious money learning to master inferior equipment and unbalanced turns.[/quote:5e7653e54d]
OUCH, dingus ... that smacks of elitism. that's not nice.
if you are already an alpine skier, then i would suggest you stick with that modality and go with the at setup, as the gear differs very little from what you already use.
the "problem" with going tele -- if you've not done it much -- is that it is more difficult to master than straight alpine. and if your goal is to get out there, why dink around for a few seasons trying to learn tele when you can strap on some at boards and be back on your game in short order?
as for the "inferior equipment" comment, it is getting more and more difficult to tell nordic from alpine equipment in terms of burliness.
dingus, i too teach tele -- in fact it's the only kind of skiing i do -- and i would dare say i can ski anything an alpine skier can. it's not the gear that's inferior ... it's your technique.
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maculated
Jul 9, 2003, 8:25 PM
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I think you guys took Dingus too seriously. Most of my friends Tele ski and when I was making the decision to go with AT or Tele, they said the same thing.
If you freakin' love skiing, you'll want to get into Tele. If you think it's okay, and you already know how to ski, AT is the way to go. Which way did I go, eh?
In some ways you could draw a comparison to trad. All these gym climbers are asking "Draws or cams?" If you LOVE back country skiing, then you'll eventually be into tele, I think. I like skiing, but I know how to do alpine, but I wanted to try backcountry. AT for me.
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pirateclimber
Jul 9, 2003, 8:32 PM
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Demo before you buy, period! Telemark, as stated, is too time consuming to become adept at. Randonee/Alpine Touring (AT) is the way to go.
Look for a binding with heel and toe releasability (I recommend Fristche) for safety, a DIN of 10 is all you'll need unless you are huge or don't value your knees. Built in heel elevators for climbing comfort are a must.
There are a million skis out there. AT models are lighter than alpine models (traditional downhill ski's), but tend to suffer in performance, i.e. softer and less stable. Not a problem in powder but sucky on hardpack. I would go with a shorter "shaped" ski (I recommend Atomic) that will make turn initiation a bit easier amongst other things.
I've only used the skins that Black Diamond puts out, Ascension I think it is. No complaints.
Take an avalanche course. They aren't cheap, but are vastly important! Get transcievers, shovel, probe.
With regards to Split Boards et al. Great for simple up and down descents, but they suck for true touring. Do not use the "do it yourself" kits that Voile puts out, they are horrible on the traverse! Burton splits have dual edges and much better, but retail for around $1000 for the board only. About a third more than a full AT rig if you shop around. Suffice it to say, I would not recommend a Board for touring, period.
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dead_milkman
Jul 9, 2003, 8:46 PM
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In reply to: dingus, i too teach tele -- in fact it's the only kind of skiing i do -- and i would dare say i can ski anything an alpine skier can. it's not the gear that's inferior ... it's your technique.
Tele... no dice, man. The original poster wanted to emphasize the climbing, not the skiing. Front pointing with floppy toes is just plain dumb. People do it... I don't care... still dumb. The lack of a DIN standard for the majority of tele releasable bindings makes for an unwarrented safety hazard in avalanche terrain... having the front of your ski shovel into snow while ascending is a waste of energy... Want more? To paraphrase an article in Coulior "the reason you tele is the same reason a dog licks himself - because you can." You know it, I know it...
DM
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vulgarian
Jul 9, 2003, 8:48 PM
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I have to agree with Dingus. Don't get sucked in. I do all types and my Tele boards are the last ones grabbed unless it is specifically to do some tele skiing (read, as not doing any DIFFICULT approuch, climbing, and usually under very good snow conditions) Tele is hard to master on mixed or marginal terrain. It is terribly hard in the crud. I know this from experience. I would, as well as others, consider myself a very advanced skier (I consider steep, icy, fvcked-up slopes neccessary practice) and Tele is still more difficult than easy for me to become even an immediate level skier at.
I like the AT set-up for its versitility. Don't get me wrong. Tele is fun, in a sort of suffering way. For me, tele is both an aesthetic and ascetic style, like ALWAYS pulling at your limit. After a while, its just no fun. That said, I like the Denali/Diamir set up on a versitle set of boards, because I prefer to be able to jump on the steeps when I get the chance. A softer boot would be recommended however if you don't ski too agressively.
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hugepedro
Jul 9, 2003, 9:11 PM
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Here is another option.
http://www.backcountrystore.com/...6&product_id=BCA0001
Probably not what you're looking for voodoo, since you said you were more concerned with climbing, but I thought I'd post it here for others who might be interested.
This setup works if you've already got alpine gear and will only get to do some ski mountaineering a few times a year (like me, living in Texas and all).
A set of Trekkers and some skins on your normal alpine gear and your moving uphill. I use them on my X-Screams. Yeah, it's a heavy setup, but it works, and for downhill performance you can't beat it. You can wear your ski boots or climbing boots uphill, then take off the skins and trekkers and ski down in your normal ski boots.
And for you tele dorks (just kidding) who say you can ski anything we alpine freaks can, sure, you can ski the terrain, but you can't ski it LIKE we can. Pounding bumps, I mean REALLY pounding 'em? Screaming through the trees? Big air? I've yet to see any teles that can keep up. (I'll just duck now)
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meataxe
Jul 9, 2003, 10:29 PM
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Another alternative I've heard of for straightforward climbing/descending is this: A pair of short skis for the ascent and snowboard for the descent.
I've only heard of this... not sure if many people actually practice this. Has anyone tried it?
Not much good for touring, I would guess.
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maculated
Jul 9, 2003, 10:48 PM
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That's a lot of carrying crap.
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deleted
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Jul 9, 2003, 11:03 PM
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[quote:22470572c1="hugepedro"]And for you tele dorks (just kidding) who say you can ski anything we alpine freaks can, sure, you can ski the terrain, but you can't ski it LIKE we can. Pounding bumps, I mean REALLY pounding 'em? Screaming through the trees? Big air? I've yet to see any teles that can keep up. (I'll just duck now)[/quote:22470572c1]
yeah, you'd BETTER duck, pedro! :lol:
exept for the bumps -- which i've always eschewed, and quite possibly why my knees are wholy intact -- not only can i KEEP UP with most expert alpine skiers ... i look GOOD riding in STYYYYYLE, bay-bee! 8)
have you ever SEEN an expert pinhead negotiating bumps? poetry in motion ...
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madturtle
Jul 9, 2003, 11:18 PM
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how is it that there aren't more pinners on this site :?: I just started tele about a year ago and I'd say I ski 95% of the terrain I skied before (maybe 35 ski days). And just the fact that it's w/o training heels gives it mucho more style in my opinion. I never really got into freestyle but bumps, tree's, steeps even dropped a few cliffs, whatever conditions I wouldn't lock down my heel again if you paid me. If you are adement about not learning a new skill than I wouldn't bother, It takes some work and beats on your thighs. Like someone else said it's like climbing trad or leading for that matter; you don't do it because it's easier but once you do you'll never want to go back. BTW...I don't know anyone who used to alpine ski or used to snowboard. This is obviously not much of a suggestion to the original poster considering his personal goals I just couldn't believe how little support there is on this site for free heeling so I had to cast my vote.
Hey skibabeage how is it a badass mtn girl like you doesn't know how to tele yet? If you are ever in CA let me know I'd be glad to show you.
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csoles
Jul 10, 2003, 3:43 AM
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Skibabeage, you spent 2 seasons at WP and haven't learned to tele yet?? What's up with that! Please don't say you're a knuckle dragger.
I suspect a lot of the folks who talk about how hard telemark is haven't tried any good gear in the past couple of seasons. It's a whole different ballgame these days.
That said, tele makes little sense for mountaineering (until we get NTN). AT gear certainly gives more versatility and performance (depending on boots) than any other system.
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elvislegs
Jul 10, 2003, 5:15 AM
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In reply to: how is it that there aren't more pinners on this site
We're here dude. We just let Mtngeo handle the weak trolls cause he does it with such aplomb.
Personally I think sliding down a hill on old hunks of plywood is the only way you can descend a mountain. Anyone who tells you they are having fun doing something other than the plywood thing is lying. Cause plywood is where it's at... on this issue there can be no debate. (I hope everyone thinks I have a huge COCK now that I told em' teles are WAK.) :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
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olympicmtnboy
Jul 10, 2003, 6:28 AM
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Anbody tried those little short approach skis like the Rossignol Venture Free Trek or the Kong Grimper? They're like 100 cm skis that have kind of AT bindings (with heel lifters and skins for climbing) and fit crampon compatible boots. Maybe not the best ride down but if you're looking to ski to the climb they might be fun.
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dead_milkman
Jul 10, 2003, 3:02 PM
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In reply to: Clyde's right, though. Tele gear has come such a long way in the past few years - look particularly at K2's sidecuts (for women, She's Piste). As with alpine skis, the deep parabolics make turns easier and faster. Consider also buying a soft alpine ski with a deep sidecut and mount tele bindings - same same, folks, and less expensive.
I've been skiing Volkl Vertigos (CMH editions, of course) for the past couple of seasons -- a couple ski partners use the same ski with tele bindings. This is a great ski, albeit a bit heavy (metal top sheet, 118/90/110, all that jazz), but I honestly have no clue how those poor bastards push those things up hills. My skis, boots, and Diamirs weigh significantly less than their skis, T1s, and bindings... and I don't have to deal with a "race" spring shovelling the tips into the snow when I'm going up. Tele's cool, don't get me wrong, but if you want functional... then tele's just not it, nor will it ever be. More work, heavier, less safe, can't use crampons properly, slower... but cool. Your pick, I suppose...
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