Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

I have been skiing the åsnes Gamme the 2 last years in the forest and “mountains” around Oslo.
I am now looking for something more playful more off-road than the Gamme.
I was considering the Ingstad ( still capable for long trip) or Altai Kom or even Madhus M78.
Any other ski I forgot?

Hi @Charlynor ,
Are you hoping to use the same boot on this ski that you use on the Gamme 54?
The Kom and the M78 are much wider than the Gamme 54 and Ingstad...
.......
If you are considering a ski as wide as the Kom, you are in modern alpine touring ski territory- there are MANY different skis to consider, depending on your terrain, snow, preferences and skills...

If you are considering the M78- the Asnes Rabb 68 is a similar ski, and it has the same X-skin insert as your Gamme 54.

Charlynor wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 17, 2023 5:42 pm

I have been skiing the åsnes Gamme the 2 last years in the forest and “mountains” around Oslo.
I am now looking for something more playful more off-road than the Gamme.
I was considering the Ingstad ( still capable for long trip) or Altai Kom or even Madhus M78.
Any other ski I forgot?

If you want to use the same bindings and boots you already use today, I would not go too wide underfoot.

The Ingstad, NATO, Otto Sverdrup, Falketind XP, Fischer Transnordic 82 (formerly e109), Traverse 78, Excursion 88, S-Bound 98, Alpina Discovery 80, and Madshus M62 & M68 could all be driven by the same boot you're using today.

Which one(s) you want will depend on the conditions and terrain you intend to ski in.

The Sverdrup, Transnordic 82, S-Bound 98, and Madshus skis seem optimized mostly for spring skiing, giving you easy turns on snow that is relatively soft, but also fairly dense. They are not the most stable in deep, soft snow.

The NATO, Ingstad, and Falketind XP are all stable in deeper, softer snow, with NATO optimized for efficient touring, the Falketind XP optimized for turning, and the Ingstad somewhere in-between. The Fischer Traverse 78 and Excursion 88 are in the same category, though maybe not quite as stable in deep, soft snow due to having a somewhat softer tip.

I have never held a current Alpina Discovery 80, so I am not sure what kind of snow those are best for.

For going out on hillier terrain on fluffy, soft snow, Ingstad and Falketind XP are probably the skis that add the most to your quiver (least overlap with the Gamme).

For spring skiing the Sverdrup, Transnordic 82, and Madshus skis are good options as well, though the Ingstad and Falketind XP should still be fine in spring as well.

Slightly different tools, for slightly different jobs. It all comes down to what you want to do.

I ended up with Falketind Xplore having Gamme already. I even bought Combat NATO, but then found them too similar with Gammes. I read that Ingstad is not that optimal on hard grounds. Also Combat NATO shines mostly as a deep powder machine, though is good on all grounds, like Gamme.

I guess you have relatively thin snow covers in Oslo, like us in Southern Finland. With occasional trips uo North, FTX still feels like a good choice. CWMRaider in Southern or Mid Norway and fisheater with similar snow conditions in the US also ski FTX. And they both have a quiver of two to three skis, with Gamme or a same class ski as one of the options.

The Madhus M78 could be a good option if you're looking for something more playful and capable off-road than the Gamme. The M78 is very maneuverable with hollow-core construction for flotation in deep snow. Madhus skis are also known for their durability. Another model to consider may be the Jämtland MT92 which is also very light and agile for exploring more challenging terrain off-piste.

I ski in variable terrain near Trondheim with larger tours being Sylan, Trollheimen etc. I owned a number of 2 or 3 ski quiver combos. 3 pairs of skis is too much for me in practice and one pair always ends up not being used. I now run Ousland and Falketind Xplore.
I suppose you want to keep your Gammes and expand the possibilities. My suggestion is then to take something so different that you have clearly different usage scenarios.
Sverdrup/Ingstad are quite allround models, if you can do your long tours with those, do you still have a real use for your Gammes? You compromise some efficiency, get a massive increase in turning ability... What is your focus?
My suggestion is Falketind or Rabb, provided you have the right boots to drive them.
What boots do you have?

Hei takk for svar! I was thinking also maybe a bit the same actually about selling the Gamme...So far I am using the Alaska boots nnnbc which I like but off course not against getting some Scarpa T4 or similar to drive more downhill ski like the Falkentind or Rabb.
I am quit often up north as my family is from Harstad so Ingstad would be nice for family skitur around Hinnøya. I am not a maniac of efficiency while touring, I like to see things, take breaks etc.
The Rabb for more offroad scenario would be very nice!

tellmetaytay wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 18, 2023 4:25 am

The Madhus M78 could be a good option if you're looking for something more playful and capable off-road than the Gamme. The M78 is very maneuverable with hollow-core construction for flotation in deep snow. Madhus skis are also known for their durability. Another model to consider may be the Jämtland MT92 which is also very light and agile for exploring more challenging terrain off-piste.

What is the Jämtland 92? never saw it anywhere

tkarhu wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 18, 2023 1:00 am

I ended up with Falketind Xplore having Gamme already. I even bought Combat NATO, but then found them too similar with Gammes. I read that Ingstad is not that optimal on hard grounds. Also Combat NATO shines mostly as a deep powder machine, though is good on all grounds, like Gamme.

I guess you have relatively thin snow covers in Oslo, like us in Southern Finland. With occasional trips uo North, FTX still feels like a good choice. CWMRaider in Southern or Mid Norway and fisheater with similar snow conditions in the US also ski FTX. And they both have a quiver of two to three skis, with Gamme or a same class ski as one of the options.

actually if you drive a bit outside of Oslo, like 2 hours you have very descent ski condition with prealpin landscape over tree level. I see that you too ended up with the falkentind... It sounds like I need to try those!

@Charlynor Oh, I envy your altitude drops! We have less than 100 m drops around my place. That is enough for playing around at hills. Yet climatewise only the Baltic sea affects spots, whereas altitudes not.

What FTX's are not optimal for, are long flats of deep snow. You have such conditions in Lapland. There wading through waist deep snow with FTX's would be more walking thigh deep and energy consuming, whereas best deep snow machines would bring your tips to surface, and add to an XC feel also in deep snow I guess. Where we both live, optimizing for deep snow flats is not much of a case, if I got that right.

FTX's have rocker, and they should work well for deep snow downhill. I have not have had such conditions myself yet, though.