Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Alright everyone, a stupid question that probably has been asked a thousand times: how do waxless skis perform on groomed downhill trails? How big of a difference is it from waxable?

I've got some Madshus Eon waxless skis. I've taken them all around our New England golf courses, backcountry trails, and some backcountry downhill. Haven't taken them out to the resort...yet.

How would they perform on groomed downhill trails and typical New England conditions (dust on crust and packed powder)? How much of a difference would they be when compared to a waxable pair of the same dimension?

At a ski area with hard packed, groomed runs your waxless skis will be slower on low angle slopes. Steeper slopes not so much. If it’s icy you will probably find the skis harder to turn as they are “cross country” ski construction and don’t have the torsional rigidity of a more downhill oriented ski.

I’ve done this. It can be fun if the conditions are perfect but as Nick bc says you’ll really feel how light the skis are if the snow is hard and there’s ice.

I guess it also depends what kind of boots and bindings you plan to use. I did it with nnnbc and alaskas so it was a matter of doing perfectly balanced tele turns rather than trying to drive the skis too much.

All in all it can work occasionally but if you really plan on skiing at a resort often you’re better off getting a pair of resort skis.

Here’s an old post where I mentioned it:
https://telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php? ... 695#p10695

It also depends on how aggressive the pattern is. My Objective BC skis are painfully slow on beginner slopes--they definitely drag. My Ingstadt WL are not even noticeable as WL skis. XCD oriented skis on ice is really not fun, but with a bit of snow it's great.

AdamA wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:54 pm

Alright everyone, a stupid question that probably has been asked a thousand times: how do waxless skis perform on groomed downhill trails? How big of a difference is it from waxable?

I've got some Madshus Eon waxless skis. I've taken them all around our New England golf courses, backcountry trails, and some backcountry downhill. Haven't taken them out to the resort...yet.

How would they perform on groomed downhill trails and typical New England conditions (dust on crust and packed powder)? How much of a difference would they be when compared to a waxable pair of the same dimension?

Have a look at FrenchFred from this board- he is using Eon skis and Alaska boots, he can ski man!

Fred had some loose snow to work with on that slope in the video. If your conditions are like that those skis should work, but you might not look as pretty as Fred.

Glad you brought this up. I have no experience with the Madshuss, but I do with the ultra vector/Targa/T4. Just wanted to say that the connection with the ski is exceedingly fun. For those few hard surfaces it's tricky, but I get along by keeping my head over my downhill knee. All the rest is worth every second.

I also really enjoy my NTN setup. It's the perfect menage a' trois.

I took my M62s to Sunday River a few weeks ago. I was notably slower than my friends who are good skiiers, but was by no means the slowest on the mountain. It was snowing that day and the skiing improved throughout the day as more power fell. It was a blast, I highly recommend it!

XC skis on downhill slopes?
You've got much bigger problems with which to worry than the negligible difference on the downhill between waxable and waxless skis. Like control.

I’ve skied both S-112 and FT 62 at the ski hill. Boots started as T4, but switched to Ski March because they are more comfortable. Personally I really dislike scales going downhill, but then I’m not to fond of that vibration on flats either. I know the air channel core of the S-112 lacked torsional rigidity, I turned them on black diamond hard surfaces, but that core did not inspire confidence. I believe the Eon has a similar core. I have a feeling the Panorama 62 has an upgraded core. The FT has a core that can be relied upon, however it is soft and light and gets kicked around in any kind of heavy snow or crud.
So you can ski at the resort, if you are able to do it. Choose your slopes and days wisely.