2022 Falketind 62 Xplore 196 cm First Impressions

[CwmRaider]

My question for you-
if you would consider a shorter FTX- am I correct in assuming that is to ski tighter downhill turns?
And- if so- why would you have a shorter FTX and not the Rabb 68?

I don't believe the few m calculated shorter turn radius for the 188cm FT62 over the 196cm makes a practical difference, the shorter edge and less rotational inertia probably does more.
I have no difficulty maneuvering the 196 cm FT in steep terrain.

Regarding the Rabb, simple facts: it has 1-2 mm more sidecut in the front and back, and 6mm more width underfoot, so clearly a bit more designed towards turning on loose snow relative to the Falketind Xplore. On the other hand it would have a slight penalty in XC performance but probably not so much. @telemarius did a nice comparison some time ago.
On hardpack downhill i think the benefit is probably there but not very noticeable.
One "downside" with the FTX is the white base. It's harder to see the condition of remaining grip wax on the base. i think the Otto and Combat Nato have most practical bases for grip waxing, in black.
I got my Falketind X from the shop new mounted with Xplore bindings for 370 $ US which was a killer deal i couldn't pass over.
The cheapest Rabb with bindings would have been 50% more expensive for me to get.
Bottom line the extra cost wasn't worth it for me and my practical use and i pulled the trigger on a killer deal for the FTX. I think the FTX is much closer to the Rabb than the Ingstad. At equal cost i would have gotten the Rabb.
Here is that other thread again comparing Rabb and FTX
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4916&sid=c2fee2418 ... dbd30f37c3

I am a bit surprised that telemarius thinks the Rabb is maybe on the wide side for the Alfa Free, considering the width difference is only 10%, but perhaps he drives the skis much harder than me with his background in high level XC.

[Stephen]

Today I went to the local ski hill with the FTX 196cm, Alfa Free and Xplore binding with hard flexors. The skis did not chatter and were stable at high speed up to 58 km/h.

Have to say that 58 km/h / 36 mph on that equipment seems pretty rippin’ to me!

[Sidequest]

Thanking all of you for your dedicated and informative posts on Asnes skis.
Your posts on the Falketind 62 Xplore and Otto Sverdrup helped me pick both for my local outings in the Sandia mountain near Albuquerque, NM.
New member here.
Pretty novice skier, about 5 years on xc gear.
First season on the Falkies and Ottos.

Had a great time on both recently with a beautiful March snowfall.
I’m not that good, but I’m also not that shy to share just how much joy I’ve had skiing these.

Really happy that your collective experience and discussion led me to ride these skis.
For anyone like me— lurking silently, benefitting greatly, perhaps this helps others decide if either the Otto or the Falkie is right for them.

On the Sandia forest hiking trails with the Otto. This is a worst-case condition on a trail shared by snow shoe, boot post-hole, and xc use. Other trails are much more exclusive to snow shorts and xc’ers.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1663936 ... tid=S66gvF

Practicing my pseudo-tele on Falkies Xplore on a green run:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1663936 ... tid=S66gvF

After climbing up through forest trails to the top cliff edge of Sandia Peak, above the Kiwanis meadow, fun going downhill on the Otto:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1663936 ... tid=cr9u03

Ski gear (non-Åsnes):
- 52-mm classics NNN for groomed set tracks
- burly telemark ski with Scarpa TX Pro on 22 Designs Outlaw X (started learning telemark 3-years ago)
- Rossi BC70 NNN BC (kit I got five years ago to start learning xc)

Some stats:
Height: 183-cm
Mass: 82-kg (without pack)

Boot: Fischer Transnordic NNN BC

Falketind 62 Xplore
Length: 188-cm
Binding: NNN BC Magnum
X-skin:
58-mm nylon
45-mm mohair (shared with Otto)

Otto Sverdrup
Length: 195-cm
Binding: NNN BC (not magnum)
X-skin:
45-mm mohair (shared with Falkie)

The Sandia mountain has the following ski outings available:
- hiking trails through forest
- groomed classic and skate deck
- open meadows
- downhill ski resort (sometimes groomed; but more recently not enough snow season length on the calendar to open reliably)
- reliable snow for xc from mid-January thru mid-March

I got the Ottos to replace the Rossi BC70 for the hiking trails and some open downhill.
Took the Otto to Crested Butte, Colorado. Good for the bc trails.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1663936 ... tid=S66gvF

I got the Falkies for yo-yo-ing at the Sandia ski resort. The nylon x-skin was just enough grip for the skin track. With our xc club, I chose the Falkies for a 10th mountain hut trip in Colorado: great fantastic ski for the loaded backpack, 11-km long, 600-m trek to the hut. Equally capable ski through forest trails, flat open meadows, and the beautiful mild downhill valley.
Not me going downhill, but gives the vibe.
You can tell my track by how wide, squirmy the track is— plus, I’m always taking a dump near the end of the run; so that snow Angel pit is mine.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1663936 ... tid=S66gvF

On the Otto, I’ve been able to navigate the mountain trails with Swix blue wax and occasionally the mohair.

I grip wax the Falkies, too, because they’re also of capable kick when the slope isn’t extreme.

Thanks, again, for your collective genius!
So happy to ride these Åsnes skis.

Cheers,
James

[CwmRaider]

@Sidequest welcome, and thanks for the report and sharing your experiences. I have the same two ski models at present and I'm very happy. I wish you more nice snowfall for the rest of the spring:) happy tours

[grizz_bait]

Yet another fantastic tour with the FTX last week. Skied a lollipop loop up and over a gentle summit in the backyard mountains. Total tour was 12 miles and 2,500’ vertical. Skied up the valley with blue extra in the kick zone and switched to the 58 mm nylon kickers when the going got steep. Once along the summit ridge, the angle mellowed, and I ripped the skins and had an excellent time kicking and gliding along in the fresh snow. Conditions varied from 5-16 inches of powder on a firm and edgeable base. I skied multiple north east facing laps off the 8,000’ summit in dry powder, and linked tele turns without too much difficulty in NNN-BC Alaskas. Was then treated to a 1500’ descent off a saddle below the summit. Here the skiing was still excellent but the west and south facing exposure made for some on and off crust. Still, the FTX handled it well. I love this ski!!! This was one of those tours I’ve looked at on a map for a long time, and it turned out to be an incredibly fun tour with great skiing.

[tkarhu]

Have a new set of 196 FTX sitting in my office this week-
Been flexing and stroking them obsessively.

[...]

Some key points from recent UTE magazine tests of the FTX and Ingstad:
- no difference in flotation in deep snow
- FTX has much narrower turn radius; directionally unstable on consolidated snow ("wants" to turn)
- Ingstad more efficient XC ski; more directionally stable in general

In my experience, the Ingstad is terribly directionally unstable on consolidated snow as well- but directionally stable on soft snow.

I will be rigoroudly testing the FTX against the Ingstad- into next season.
While I know that I will appreciate the downhill performance of the FTX- the lack of a raised, triangular, trail-breaking tip may be a deal-breaker for me...
I will find out!

@lilcliffy Did you have time to test the Falketind Xplore at the end of last season?

A local shop has the FTX in 196 cm for sale. I am just considering whether I would have enough use for it because when I ski offtrack, trips often include 5-20 km XC in arctic tundra above treeline. Snow may be very hard there.

[Manney]

Answering out of turn because sales don’t last forever. It’s been four days and nobody else has stepped up.

Don’t own a pair of Falkentinds. Never skied them. Can read specs, ad copy as well as the next guy…

A Falketind has a lot of side cut, low camber, broad shovel. These characteristics aren’t ideal for distance touring on firm snow. Asnes product description speaks to this… “playful”, “excellent on the turn”, “steep terrain”, “steeper terrain”. These things point to a ski that isn’t optimized for long distances on the flats, where directional stability and glide are valued most. Turns? Yep. That ski would probably turn better than most with 35mm of side cut and good flex.

The fact these skis are on sale in your area might be another clue… either end of season or maybe they didn’t sell well in your location because of the reasons stated above. Presuming ppl in Finland have a pretty good idea of what works and doesn’t work for their conditions… better than the US, where the level of consumer knowledge of skis is generally low outside of the main ski areas.

[Theme]

A local shop has the FTX in 196 cm for sale. I am just considering whether I would have enough use for it because when I ski offtrack, trips often include 5-20 km XC in arctic tundra above treeline. Snow may be very hard there.

Definitely not a ski for long ski tours for mainly XC. I mean, a couple Swedish hikers skied Vita Bandet last winter with Falketinds so they can work.



But the lack of a raised tip is a true dealbreaker. I got the 188s for myself and skied around Ylläs. If there is more than 12cm fresh snow, the shovel will sink in. In deeper snow you will be walking as the broad tip rises higher up inside the snow, but then sinks as you step on it. While your ankle is dragging on the snow atop.

Ingstad is way better, Combat Nato even better. I'll probably change Falketinds for a Rabb (in 180) and get some 210 Combat Natos for those off-track travels where harder snow is expected but not a given

[Manney]

Very interested in your comments suggesting a difference between the Ingstad and Combat NATO. Have owned the latter for some time. Specs are very close to Ingstad, with minor difference in weight and a very slight bias towards a longer ski (5 cm) per weight category.

Do you see a difference in camber profile? Camber stiffness? Perhaps torsional stiffness? Rocker difference maybe? Be fascinated to know more because some ppl say that the Ingstad is just a Combat NATO with logos…

[tkarhu]

A local shop has the FTX in 196 cm for sale. I am just considering whether I would have enough use for it because when I ski offtrack, trips often include 5-20 km XC in arctic tundra above treeline. Snow may be very hard there.

Definitely not a ski for long ski tours for mainly XC. I mean, a couple Swedish hikers skied Vita Bandet last winter with Falketinds so they can work.



But the lack of a raised tip is a true dealbreaker. I got the 188s for myself and skied around Ylläs. If there is more than 12cm fresh snow, the shovel will sink in. In deeper snow you will be walking as the broad tip rises higher up inside the snow, but then sinks as you step on it. While your ankle is dragging on the snow atop.

Ingstad is way better, Combat Nato even better. I'll probably change Falketinds for a Rabb (in 180) and get some 210 Combat Natos for those off-track travels where harder snow is expected but not a given

Thanks for the info! I would use them for touring for turns. But @Theme as you probably well know, approaches can be long and flat in Finnish Lapland. Especially because I just visit there and use public traffic, I may prefer skiing 20 km instead of waiting for a few hours for a bus.

The Combat NATO has sounded good. I have understood Ingstads are more a soft snow ski. I like tundra landscape, so Ingstad does not seem optimal for my use. Probably I should go to direction Combat NATO rather than Falketind… If I need another pair of skis