Total newb, looking for advice.

[River Drifter]

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice here, and I’m really starting from scratch.

I do a lot of hiking and exploring in the woods and fields in the Midwest. Sub 24 hour over nighters, but never anything extended. All off trail, but no descents. Flat stuff mainly. I’ve got a pair of Karhu Meta 120s that I use when we have enough snow. The more I use them the more I think this is a lot of fun, but I think I want to go faster and further.

So what do I need? I’m looking at maybe something like the Fischer E98 BCX Tour Ultralite, or the Outback 68, or maybe the Country Crown. Should I go with NNN, or 3 pin? For what I do, a lot of walking is usually involved.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

[wooley12]

Yes. Get the red ones.

[Chisana]

My 2 cents and that is all it is probably worth, is to ignore the asnes this and asnes that bs and see if you can find some old karhu xgts or fischer 99s or similar. Waxless or waxable,whichever suits you. I am a three pin guy, but difficult to find good threepin boots for this type of skiing, so probably a well fitting system boot for you. Don't get me wrong, the newer asnes and similar skis are great,Iguess,but I ski similar terrain you describe and usually prefer old madshus woodies if the snow is not icy. Then I switch to my plastic karhus,black diamonds, garmontsor even my old erbachers. They all slide well on snow. Keep in mind, I don't have much experience on waxless, as the only pair of waxless skis I own are intrack fischers I found in the landfill which I am really impressed with so far.

[CwmRaider]

You want an off-track XC ski.
There are many options, obviously.
You say that walking is involved - do you mean without skis?

The easiest thing to decide is in my opinion, the binding - NNN-BC Manual because it is more efficient on the flats. The BC auto bindings can have freezing issues, forget about those, get manual ones.

Regarding skis, if you don't plan on using them on downhill slopes, you do not need much sidecut (IE the difference of width between tip and centre) and steel edges are not really required.

Of the options you listed, the Fischer E99 is suitable for long distance tours, is pretty lightweight, and can manage downhill turns (but, this will require a lot of practice regardless of the skis chosen).

The Country Crown is a bit narrower and lighter than the E99, has no steel edges. It may be OK if you ski mostly on consolidated snow.

The Outback 68 is wider than the E99 but has less sidecut. It appears to be a ski for touring in flatter terrain in deeper snow, but I dont know anything about its stiffness and havent read anything further about this ski.

Ski boots - which ever boot fits your foot and budget.

I personally am a fan of the waxless "Crown" pattern. Gives good grip most conditions, sure there is a bit of drag but nothing penalizing.

I think you cant really go wrong with a Fischer E99 Crown. if you expect relatively predictable cold snow conditions, then waxable + kicker skin backup is an alternative. It will be slightly faster if you get the wax right. If the snow is very loose then the Outback 68 may be a pretty good choice too.

[Woodserson]

Gotta make this quick:

E99 would be my top choice. Not the 89, which is narrower and thus less stable. Crown/waxless. I love this ski, it's a generalist classic that stands the test of time.

The Country Crown is great for things like snowmobile trails. Light and cheap and decent, but narrow.

The Outback 68 is a compact geometry ski that I found slow and painstaking. I wouldn't recommend unless you are light and small and stature and or dealing with incredibly tight bush.

[Cannatonic]

I would call this backcountry XC skiing, you're going to want something in 210cm for speed & flotation. I like the E99 recommendation, I wouldn't go any wider than this ski. Not sure how much you want to spend. It's going to be easier to find a selection of boots in NNNBC and if you're not doing tele turns I don't see much reason to go with 75mm 3-pin boots.

Why is there so much walking? To get through steep sections? Why not keep the skis on your feet. Most good leather NNNBC boots are pretty good for walking, for hiking over rocky sections I prefer the traction of 75mm boots.

If I had unlimited budget I would order 210cm Asnes Finnmark skis from Europe for this. It's a nice wide XC ski with no edges for light weight and glide speed. Mountain Tour 51's from Asnes in 210cm would be another great choice, they can be had for $200 US plus shipping from Europe. I don't how much Craiglist action there is in the midwest, if you're not sure what you like buying up vintage gear for cheap lets you try out stuff. I spent a few years using various Craiglist gear to figure out what I liked. I would try any old XC skis that come in 210, you can't go wrong with that.

[River Drifter]

Thanks for the great info guys, very helpful! Sounds like I’ll be looking for E99s with NNN BC bindings.

Hope I can learn a lot here.

Wooley - Oh man, red clashes with my skin tone.

[River Drifter]

Cannatonic-
Ok I have no idea what I’m talking about here, but why 210?

I’m 5’9” and 150 lbs. I thought I’d need a shorter ski than that?

Thanks!

[Woodserson]

Cannatonic always goes long and recommends to everyone but he has the chops to back it up. I'm 160 on the 205. Depending on what you want there are are a few options in your weight bracket, I just looked at an old chart recently... You'd be 195-200-205 if I recall. Shorter for better grip and "easier" (relative term) turning, longer for better glide but familiar with different techniques needed to grip. A backpack, since you are camping, might be considered.

[phoenix]

Your height and weight, I wouldn't even look at a 210 anything. Length will vary considerably wit the ski, but for what you're doing, in general, more like a 195-200 something or other would be much more suitable.Going against the tide here, but I'd probably skip over the Fischer's entirely, favoring something with more grip capabilities. If you're going to go for waxables, then maybe... but they tend to have more of an in track sort of bias ( though I haven't skied more recent incarnations).
I'm more in agreement with the old 99's, or better still, old Karhu XCD-GT's, as a better option, for all round conditions.

You can certainly cover ground and go "fast" on a long, shallow patterned ski, in good, groomed conditions... but you can also find them highly unfriendly under more variable conditions.