Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 6:50 pm
I have read through threads here for nearly 20 hours. Lot of great info but still want to request responses to the question in the thread title based on my specific physical, recreational, and ecological traits in the hopes of really getting it down right. I am not looking for all around skis except insofar as some of my skiing needs to handle different snow. Cost is not an issue because I am not loading quiver all at once but buying what I need when I can and adding to it over the coming years (assuming things become available again). Right tool for right job--if I dont have the right tool as yet then I just won't do that job until I do. I am interested in XC BC touring, no xcD at the moment but perhaps in the future.
Firstly, my climate and location: western upper peninsula of Michigan near Wisconsin border. 50 miles southeast of Lake Superior so far enough from the big lake to get bitterly cold but close enough for decent lake effect snow--I think yearly avg here is 120", and it often comes down light and powdery but not always. We've had 60" to Dec 31 this year. Nov and early Dec (and sometimes Oct we get decent snowfall) can be warmer at times but if the high is too high for my equipment I can always just go out for a few hours in the morning. Late Dec, Jan and Feb it almost never gets above freezing and if it does it's 35F for a day and back down below 28F (or below 0F) for weeks on end, oftentimes in single digits or teens for the high.
Now about me: 41 years old, male, short at 5'4" (162cm), raw naked weight roughly 148 lbs (67kg) possibly down to 143 if I go easy on the beer. Not fat at all despite usual BMI charts, just large frame and muscles--I buck and split a lot of wood by hand and frequently walk 6 miles each way to get to town and back in the summer. Not exactly a traditional Nordic skiers frame, which has me questioning what length is suitable. I learned to ice skate when I could walk, took up downhill 7 years ago when I moved to New Mexico mountains and picked it up very quickly, perhaps because of my skating background, doing black diamonds at Copper and A Basin in CO and 16" fresh powder at Taos my 3rd thru 5th times skiing. I moved back to the upper midwest fall 2020 and skied xc for the first time. Stuck to groomed tracks first year and only a handful of times or so. This season been to groomers 20 times and then decided I was ready to try backcountry and have been 10 times in varying conditions. I had a feeling that was the sport for me and I was right--this is something I will do the rest of my life. However, being totally self-taught I don't know if my technique is any good. When I bought the skis last year I explained to local shop guy my intention of wanting one ski to do groomed tracks and light bc as I learned with intention of upgrading eventually. He put me on rossi ot 65 (waxless, 3/4 edge) with combi boots. Now I need better.
Was thinking about fischer 78 or 88 and sticking with waxless because I barely know all the different types of snow and waxing seemed daunting. But after reading a lot and then being out in the backcountry I think waxless is good for beginners or conditions near freezing, or lazybones. Ergo ready to try waxable skis, though the aforementioned Fischers may be good to eventually put in the quiver for specific conditions near freezing and use the rossi's as rock skis. The question, now, is where to start adding skis, which leads me to the type of terrain and skiing I am doing.
This area is characterized by glatiation. It carved mostly undulating hills all over, consisting of rock and sand. We have more lakes than you can count, and more 50-100ft hills as well. It is known in Wisconsin as "lake country" with great fishing and lots of snowmobiles around (ugh). My skiing, now that I have left the groomed tracks, consists mostly of a wilderness area that gets high use in some parts and very minimal in others. I am sticking to hiking trails (30 miles of trails in this area) for now, some of which are as wide as an old logging road and many are quite narrow and tree-lined. I would go off these trails except that in many parts, being upper midwest, the tree cover is so dense it wouldn't be terribly fun especially for someone new. There are no wide open downhills for turns to speak of around here but if I ventured an hour away I could find possibly find some. Same goes for big hills. Mostly it is undulating with the ocassional steep 50 to 100 ft vertical, but those, if I stick to the trails, are straight and narrow and just fine for zipping down and not needing to turn except for emergency.
The wilderness area has two main access points for me: main entrance with plowed parking lot. The first two miles of trail get a lot of use, skiers, snowshoes, even hikers depending on snow. The snow is therefore compacted, sometimes uneven and chopped up, and icy. After that there are countless trails to ski which do not get as much use and I would as likely find unbroken trail as I would one set of ski tracks. There are also lakes to ski on. The other main access point comes from a trailhead on an unplowed forest road that gets use from snowmobiles. The edges of that road may be unbroken but where the snow machines go it is what you would expect. There is one bigger downhill on the road that descends maybe 200 feet with a gentle turn (which may pose difficulty going back up without skins--early season with light snow when I went there to hike I needed to put the truck in 4wd on it, and right now it is impassible by truck). Once on the trail from this access it is narrow, mostly unused, with occasional steep 50 ft climbs and descents interspersed with the more common gentle ups and downs.
So, to belatedly get to the point. I need a ski that can handle snowmobile tracks and/or snow compacted by frequent use, until I can get to unbroken terrain. So I need stability and speed on compacted, crunchy, icy, choppy stuff with the ability to then cruise through the woods breaking trail or using my own tracks or those of some rare soul who was there before me. If I need multiple skis for when there is fresh powder, deep fresh powder, consolidated snow, crust, etc., once getting to my unbroken trails or the lakes, so be it. But any skis I get at this point need to be able to handle the conditions described in order to get there, and then also perform once there.
So, if I were to slowly build things up, what should be in it and where should I start? And what length, given my unusual physical attributes? Keep in mind cruising is first and foremost, which leads me to think an Amundsen or Gamme might be the best place to start. Having both might be semi redundant though, and eventually down the road I may want to either drive to steeper, hillier terrain or try my hand off the trails in the trees here if I can find good hills where trees are spaced a little more in which case something like an Ingstad may suit. I also plan to do some overnight camping next year, either with pack or pulk, depending. Such a trip would entail maybe 20 or so miles on the terrain I listed with my gear and another 5 or so miles exploring without the gear after setting up camp. Also, am tentative about ordering skis online but that is the only way to get Asnes where I am unless I want to wait till next season and drive 3 to 4 hours to REI and hope they have them.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading.
Firstly, my climate and location: western upper peninsula of Michigan near Wisconsin border. 50 miles southeast of Lake Superior so far enough from the big lake to get bitterly cold but close enough for decent lake effect snow--I think yearly avg here is 120", and it often comes down light and powdery but not always. We've had 60" to Dec 31 this year. Nov and early Dec (and sometimes Oct we get decent snowfall) can be warmer at times but if the high is too high for my equipment I can always just go out for a few hours in the morning. Late Dec, Jan and Feb it almost never gets above freezing and if it does it's 35F for a day and back down below 28F (or below 0F) for weeks on end, oftentimes in single digits or teens for the high.
Now about me: 41 years old, male, short at 5'4" (162cm), raw naked weight roughly 148 lbs (67kg) possibly down to 143 if I go easy on the beer. Not fat at all despite usual BMI charts, just large frame and muscles--I buck and split a lot of wood by hand and frequently walk 6 miles each way to get to town and back in the summer. Not exactly a traditional Nordic skiers frame, which has me questioning what length is suitable. I learned to ice skate when I could walk, took up downhill 7 years ago when I moved to New Mexico mountains and picked it up very quickly, perhaps because of my skating background, doing black diamonds at Copper and A Basin in CO and 16" fresh powder at Taos my 3rd thru 5th times skiing. I moved back to the upper midwest fall 2020 and skied xc for the first time. Stuck to groomed tracks first year and only a handful of times or so. This season been to groomers 20 times and then decided I was ready to try backcountry and have been 10 times in varying conditions. I had a feeling that was the sport for me and I was right--this is something I will do the rest of my life. However, being totally self-taught I don't know if my technique is any good. When I bought the skis last year I explained to local shop guy my intention of wanting one ski to do groomed tracks and light bc as I learned with intention of upgrading eventually. He put me on rossi ot 65 (waxless, 3/4 edge) with combi boots. Now I need better.
Was thinking about fischer 78 or 88 and sticking with waxless because I barely know all the different types of snow and waxing seemed daunting. But after reading a lot and then being out in the backcountry I think waxless is good for beginners or conditions near freezing, or lazybones. Ergo ready to try waxable skis, though the aforementioned Fischers may be good to eventually put in the quiver for specific conditions near freezing and use the rossi's as rock skis. The question, now, is where to start adding skis, which leads me to the type of terrain and skiing I am doing.
This area is characterized by glatiation. It carved mostly undulating hills all over, consisting of rock and sand. We have more lakes than you can count, and more 50-100ft hills as well. It is known in Wisconsin as "lake country" with great fishing and lots of snowmobiles around (ugh). My skiing, now that I have left the groomed tracks, consists mostly of a wilderness area that gets high use in some parts and very minimal in others. I am sticking to hiking trails (30 miles of trails in this area) for now, some of which are as wide as an old logging road and many are quite narrow and tree-lined. I would go off these trails except that in many parts, being upper midwest, the tree cover is so dense it wouldn't be terribly fun especially for someone new. There are no wide open downhills for turns to speak of around here but if I ventured an hour away I could find possibly find some. Same goes for big hills. Mostly it is undulating with the ocassional steep 50 to 100 ft vertical, but those, if I stick to the trails, are straight and narrow and just fine for zipping down and not needing to turn except for emergency.
The wilderness area has two main access points for me: main entrance with plowed parking lot. The first two miles of trail get a lot of use, skiers, snowshoes, even hikers depending on snow. The snow is therefore compacted, sometimes uneven and chopped up, and icy. After that there are countless trails to ski which do not get as much use and I would as likely find unbroken trail as I would one set of ski tracks. There are also lakes to ski on. The other main access point comes from a trailhead on an unplowed forest road that gets use from snowmobiles. The edges of that road may be unbroken but where the snow machines go it is what you would expect. There is one bigger downhill on the road that descends maybe 200 feet with a gentle turn (which may pose difficulty going back up without skins--early season with light snow when I went there to hike I needed to put the truck in 4wd on it, and right now it is impassible by truck). Once on the trail from this access it is narrow, mostly unused, with occasional steep 50 ft climbs and descents interspersed with the more common gentle ups and downs.
So, to belatedly get to the point. I need a ski that can handle snowmobile tracks and/or snow compacted by frequent use, until I can get to unbroken terrain. So I need stability and speed on compacted, crunchy, icy, choppy stuff with the ability to then cruise through the woods breaking trail or using my own tracks or those of some rare soul who was there before me. If I need multiple skis for when there is fresh powder, deep fresh powder, consolidated snow, crust, etc., once getting to my unbroken trails or the lakes, so be it. But any skis I get at this point need to be able to handle the conditions described in order to get there, and then also perform once there.
So, if I were to slowly build things up, what should be in it and where should I start? And what length, given my unusual physical attributes? Keep in mind cruising is first and foremost, which leads me to think an Amundsen or Gamme might be the best place to start. Having both might be semi redundant though, and eventually down the road I may want to either drive to steeper, hillier terrain or try my hand off the trails in the trees here if I can find good hills where trees are spaced a little more in which case something like an Ingstad may suit. I also plan to do some overnight camping next year, either with pack or pulk, depending. Such a trip would entail maybe 20 or so miles on the terrain I listed with my gear and another 5 or so miles exploring without the gear after setting up camp. Also, am tentative about ordering skis online but that is the only way to get Asnes where I am unless I want to wait till next season and drive 3 to 4 hours to REI and hope they have them.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading.