Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hello,

I need some advice. I keep breaking tele gear in the backcountry...and I only weigh 160lbs.

I once broke a Freedom binding in half. I literally sheered the metal into two pieces. Then a few years ago I ripped another Freedom binding out of the core of a Soul 7 ski. Now this week I failed another ski.

I was excited last season to see black diamond finally say that tele bindings could be mounted on carbon skis. As such, I mounted a pair of Lynx bindings on carbon helios. This week while on a 10mile long tour of south Teton pass, I ripped the entire top sheet off.

I don't get it. Wonder if I am bad luck, or if people have advice. I also have a week long trip coming up in 3 weeks so I need to find another good light setup soon.

Questions...
1. Has anyone seen this happen before? Or did I just have bad luck?
2. Would using quiver killers mounting inserts increase the strength?
3. Are carbon skis always going to be a non starter for those of us that ski hard?
4. In the meanwhile, I was going to consider mounting the lynx on the DPS foundation 106 C2. Any experience on this ski?

Thanks for the advice!

Jon

Are you a knee to the topsheet skier? I ask because once you bottom out the spring, you have the full force of your body weight levering on those screws. I don’t know how many screws hold a Freedom in place. I believe the reason 22 Designs went to a 6 screw pattern was for aggressive skiing. However that didn’t help you with your new skis.
It seems like you are too aggressive for those carbon skis. There are poplar core backcountry skis, that are light enough for touring. If they last a couple seasons that would seem like a win to me.

I was going to ask if you were a knee to ski skier too. It sounds like your putting a lot of leverage on your bindings.

Voile thinks that quiver killers weaken their light palonia core skis, But others have said the opposite and have had no problems.

Have you considered installing T nuts? If the skis are trash you've got nothing to lose but the cost of the t nuts, and they're pretty bomb proof. While you're at it you may as well rip off the other top sheet too.

believe it or not I don't ever do the super low stance. I ski fairly aggressive, but this was nothing...just a 35 degree powder slope. That's why I'm curious if this has happened to others...

I like the T nut idea. Why not?

climbingnerd wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 21, 2023 8:58 pm

believe it or not I don't ever do the super low stance. I ski fairly aggressive, but this was nothing...just a 35 degree powder slope. That's why I'm curious if this has happened to others...

I like the T nut idea. Why not?

If you run it from the base side up and countersink, make sure to use Metal Grip in between the metal and base layer before filling it further with Ptex.
https://telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php? ... %20#p56073

Like has been said, you can't break what is broke.

Also look up Hardman Double Bubble ORANGE if you have to glue sheets back together.

Coming from alpine skiing, I learned to telemark in four buckled T1s in Axls. It didn’t feel as „heavy telemark“ to me. I took my aggressive alpine technique to free heel skiing. Then I started touring on scaled skis in leathers. Skis got thinner, bindings reduced to 3pins. Ambitious to learn to safely turn in more difficult terrain, I tried the light equipment on mountains. Just to practise.
Then I sold the T1s. I couldn’t ski in them anymore. I ski in T2s now (in walk mode) and Switchback X2 as well as in F3s (also in walk mode) and TTS. I ski as aggressively now as in the heavier boots and bindings.
I’m sure the power to pull out bindings and top sheets is significantly reduced in that way. I recommend either heavier skis with a metal layer (not the kind that K2 puts in their Wayback for example. It seems to be too weak for that purpose) or developing kind of softer technique. I don’t think a light carbon ski is built for the abuse of aggressive heavy tele skiing.

Mattafix wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:10 am

I don’t think a light carbon ski is built for the abuse of aggressive heavy tele skiing.

Bingo! Think about Head or Fischer GS skis, which are designed for high torque binding mounts. Or perhaps learn a softer technique for turns.

I’m 155 and had the same struggles as you for 20 years. I’ve broken Super Loops (no surprise), G3s, BD 01s, and Axls. I ripped out of G3 and BD skis and broke a Voile ski in 2. I ski aggressively but not knee 2 ski unless it’s an emergency situation.

Over the years I’ve learned to avoid skis made of aspen/poplar and pawlownia. Those woods are just not dense enough to hold bindings in place for me. I’ve had good luck with maple skis and skis with metal in them. Some skis, like my current Fischer’s are carbon and pretty light but have metal reinforced mounting areas. My maple cored 4FRNTs and Lines have been fine 3 years in. I ski about 70 days a year. I spend most of my time on my Fischer’s and 4FRNTs the Lines are my powder ski.