Hi Stephen. Yes, I've got both, and I've been getting to know the Gammes this week.
This won't be the most technical comparison – sorry!
I've taken my Gammes into reindeer country now. I really, really like them.
@Roelant nails it in the first lines of his response, really:
I would be very surprised if the following statements are false:
- The Gamme 54 are more efficient touring skis than the Nansen.
- The Nansen are better telemark skis than the Gamme.
Honestly it boils down to that. If you're touring with an eye on turny hills, wheee!, and maybe thinking about tree and boulder avoidance or whatever, get the Nansens. If you're touring with an eye on greatly pleasing efficiency, get the Gammes. Although they're not exactly hard to steer themselves.
I'm learning to like the teal on the Gammes. Most of it's underneath where you can't even see it anyway. From the top, they look completely wonderful against white snow. The blue of the Nansens is gorgeous without qualification. These are terribly important things.
The Gammes are faster. That's a great pleasure intrinsically. What they say is true: the Gammes are really good on deep virgin snow. The stiffness and the support is so enjoyable. They fly on broken trail.
But the Nansens aren't bad on deep snow either, which isn't something I've read about them. I mean: if you're trying to work out which compromises you're willing to make, this one's acceptable. [EDIT: This is controversial! Could it be my coastal snow is a touch heavier and more supportive?] I honestly need more time to compare them properly using them like that, but I don't think there's actually SO much in it. The Gammes are faster and more supportive. Although I should point out that my Gammes are 200s, my Nansens are 195. You can easily tell which is the stiffer in deep snow (the
Green Teal Man). I'm talking about powder here... I think the Nansens might perform a bit better in heavier snow. I suppose I'll find out if that's true soon enough.
I said in the other thread the Gammes on deep snow remind me a bit of kayaking, because of the sense of support and a pleasing, immediate, connection between effort and movement. I still think that's kind of true, if maybe not very useful as a comparison!
This would make the Nansens... muckabout motor dinghies? Similes R Us.
I have yet to climb with the Gammes on steep and deep snow.
I've already done some with the Nansens, though, whizzing about on hard wind-compacted crusty-powdery plateaux on top and then having a laugh on the way down (ie not hitting birch trees). They're awesome. They're surprisingly fast on the hard stuff. They were exactly what I was hoping for. They're flattering, insofar as equipment is never a substitute for skill, but I feel confident pointing them downhill. They're so much fun.
The 30mm mohair skins under the Nansens on new snow/ following a stranger's track/ a dusting of powder on a hard base is an absolute revelation. Seriously. So smooth, so nice. This combination of Nansen 195 and 30mm skin cut to the heel is as good as the Mountain Race 48 Skin, I've never had so much fun in that kind of terrain. I think come spring I'll be using the Nansens a lot like that. I've been using the 40mm Race X-Skins for the climbs, and happy with them too. I really recommend it. Perfectly adequate for the 195s. I haven't tried the wider skins yet. I experimented with the 30mm skins on the Gammes on really hard snow just to see, and it wasn't so nice.
I've got Polar on both tip to tail and wax of the day in the middle, instant (and recent) convert to this method, and they both fly.
Come the zombie apocalypse I fear I'm choosing the Gammes. For practical reasons. Zombie-avoidance is no laughing matter. But it's too soon to say. Maybe zombies can be outwitted by swishing, in which case I'm keeping the Nansens. Assuming my swishing improves enough to outwit zombies.
