Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hey all,


Looking to get in to the xcd/Nordic backcountry world. That type of skiing is all the skiing I did growing up, with my dad almost never taking us to trail centers/track set stuff. That was in Owen Sound Ontario.

I live in Kamloops, BC now and want to get in to back country again, but I've got a few issues as far as set up goes, mostly extremely large, weird feet that will limit my binding/boot options.

I am 6' 2", 220 lbs, and a strong nordic/reasonable alpine skiier. Ive been skiing with free heel skis since I was four.

I MIGHT be able to fit in to a Fischer BCX 6, which I guess would be my number one choice at the moment (675 didn't make it in to the country in my size). If they don't fit, would I be able to survive with a stiff and supportive Solomon combi/skate boot? Or will standard nnn bindings not work to drive the kinds of skis I'll need? If I can't get in to a proper back country binding, should I give up and find a different sport? Alpina has a few boots I'd look in to but most don't come large enough and the ones that might didn't make it to the Canadian distributor.

As far as skis go, looking to stick with Fischer, so the e109 or sbound 98. I'm concerned that the sbounds will be too short and narrow for my weight. The 112 is already oversold so they're out of the picture for this year. Terrain is large, rolling hills with some steep sections. I wont be touching the "real" mountains we have in the area. That said, we can get quite a bit of fresh snow.

Tldr- sbound 98 vs e109 for heavy guy with reasonable chances of fresh, pretty deep snow
NNNBC/75MM mandatory or a stiff skate/combi boot on NNN/Prolink OK if no other options?

Look up what Johnny Love has done on Voile boards with Alpina NNN boots for deep snow fun hogging. I think he may have found the upper limit of NNN for wide skis.

But you are a large skier, so why not jump to 75mm for this?

anemic wrote:Look up what Johnny Love has done on Voile boards with Alpina NNN boots for deep snow fun hogging. I think he may have found the upper limit of NNN for wide skis.

But you are a large skier, so why not jump to 75mm for this?

Ill look at the nnn voile board mod.


Can't get 75mms that fit properly within the network in the country. The other thing is that the master boot fitter where I work (who is a hardcore tele guy) thinks that with the specific issues that my one foot has a leather 75mm boot will mess my foot up. Id rather avoid getting in a plastic shell if I can avoid it.

Looking at the REI website, I don't see any restriction on shipping Fischer or Alpina boots to Canada (there is on Madshus boots). Have your tried? I think that the Fischer boots come in 48's, I don't know if that is big enough for you.

I haven't tried either of the skis you mentioned, but I have tried using the Fischer Excursion 88, which has about the same waist width as the 98, in breaking trail in 10 inch powder. It is not easy, and I didn't find it easier than on my usual skis (Alpina Discovery 68's/ 190 --60 waist width). I weighted 195 lbs. last year.

If your primary concern is breaking trail, I think you will need an even wider ski if you are using a short length ski. The E-109 at its maximum length might be worth a try and might be the best choice anyway, given your height and weight. The difference between the E-88 and the Sbound 98 is camber and tip width, which should make the 98 a better ski for turns but not for distance or trail breaking. I don't think the Sbound 98 is going to be good for trail breaking, and if turns is not your primary concern, it would have no advantage over narrower skis like the Excursion 88.

try to stick it out and avoid the skate ski setup. i wold think that very quickly you would reach the upper limits of that gear and would experience failures and frustration. but who am i to talk?

also, imho, plastic would be the worst mistake you could make. if you have feet issues then as you know plastic ski boots are about the worst therapy in the world. not very much to you, sorry. good luck tho!

At your weight, I can say with confidence that you are not going to be satisfied with the deep snow performance of either the E109 or the S-Bound 98. I weigh 185lbs I do not find that either of these skis is effective in deep, soft, dry snow.

The current E109 Xtralite has a ridiculously soft rockered tip- making this ski completely unstable in deep soft snow- believe it or not, the narrower E99 Xtralite is actually more stable!!

There are a few S-Bound 125s left out there on clearance- for example:
https://www.lacordee.com/en/wintersport ... untry-skis

If you don't need to do any serious downhill skiing than any comfortable and reasonably supportive XC boot should work- including a NNN skate/combi boot. What about Fischer's super comfy Offtrack boots- do they come in your size?
https://www.fischersports.com/ca_en/off ... 264?c=2311

Alfa reportedly has the widest last:
https://alfaoutdoor.com/shop/ski-boots/backcountry

If you want a supportive deep snow XC ski then I strongly recommend the Asnes Combat Nato or Ingstad- you can get them in 210cm/205cm respectively. The Combat Nato is the most supportive deep snow XC ski I have ever tested.
https://www.en.asnes.com/produkt/combat-nato/

Don't know if there is an Asnes dealer in BC- but I know that the Norseman stocks the Combat Nato (and perhaps the Ingstad) in long lengths.
https://norsemanoutdoorspecialist.com/

There are a lot of skiers at your weight man- it is ridiculous that it is so hard to get a supportive BC-XC ski if you weigh more than 175lbs!
Fischer needs to fix their rockered BC-XC skis- they need a more supportive flex for skiers that are not featherweights!

Whatis your foot size in EU or MondoPoint? I got wide feet too so I know your hurt.

Another ski to consider is the Rossi BC125:
https://www.rossignol.com/ca_en/rossign ... -2019.html
Can get it in a 185cm.
I am actually suspicious that the current BC125 and S-125 are essentially the same ski...

I suppose a 195cn Annum or 185cm BC110 might work as well...

I am assuming your snow is typically cold soft and dry? If I have this wrong I am thinking about the wrong skis...

Another idea- what about using a universal binding and wearing a winter hiking boot?