Altai Kom skis

[connyro]

Does anyone have any experience or information about the Altai Kom Skis? Slightly rockered tip, tapered tails, scales, 124/98/119, 2.85 kg. Currently, they are only made in 162 length but I read somewhere (not sure where) that next season's version will come in 3 lengths. They are being made somewhere in Quebec so I figured someone around here has been on them or had some knowledge about them. Anyone? They seem to be most similar to the VectorBCs and look like they have the potential to be pretty sweet!

http://us-store.altaiskis.com/product/kom-ski/
http://altaiskis.com/2013/04/29/testing ... the-kom-2/
http://offpistemag.com/hybrid-backcountry-altai-km-ski/

[connyro]

Bump...Anyone got anything?

[Ant01ne]

They look sweet in the shop! But not in 162. I would go 182.
Close cousin of the Voile Charger / Vector. 200$ less.

[Dirtbag]

I checked them out some time ago. My guess would be that they ski very similar to BC 125 Rossignol's which would be a good thing.

[alpendrms]

I've been skiing them the past two seasons. I love them so much I barely ever use the other skis in my quiver. Very nimble, float powder, and great in the trees or tight chutes. I mounted them with G3 Targas and use 2 buckle Garmonts with them. Outstanding backcountry skis.

[MikeK]

I've been skiing them the past two seasons. I love them so much I barely ever use the other skis in my quiver. Very nimble, float powder, and great in the trees or tight chutes. I mounted them with G3 Targas and use 2 buckle Garmonts with them. Outstanding backcountry skis.

Review?

[lilcliffy]

YES- please! REVIEW.

[alpendrms]

YES- please! REVIEW.

Here is a write-up I did about these skis on the Hill People Gear Forum:

http://www.hillpeoplegear.com/Forum/tab ... .aspx#9363

I continue to be impressed with them. I opted for these over the Altai Hok, because the Kom is more like a backcountry tele ski. Aside from skiing them in WV, I also used them pulling a pulk with a full load of winter camping gear with them into the Hill People Gear Winter Gathering camp last winter. The next day we did a nice ski tour around the area with plenty of rolling hills and off-piste. Even on fairly steep uphills, the scale base worked well. Initially I had a pair of old school Rainey Superloops on them, but have since switched those out for G3 Targas. The guys at Altai skis mostly like to run Voilé 3 pin cable bindings on them, paired with Scarpa T4s. Some folks even use a universal binding. I've been happy with the Targas and Garmont Velocés. I plan to ski them as often as I can this winter...as soon as there is enough snow in the east. For the next Hill People Gear Winter Gathering, I had planned to take them back out to Colorado, but I'll instead ski some Karhu XCD Guides with Silvretta AT bindings, because I will also be touring into an ice climbing area in Hoosier pass....so I need to be able to ski with leather mountain boots on. Otherwise...I would just ski the Koms again. They are really fun skis. I find myself reaching for these just about any time I can now.

[lilcliffy]

Thanks man- great to get some real user testing of these skis!

The Kom seems "different" to me (based on the specs and user descriptions)...It is clearly not simply a fat hybrid XC ski (e.g. Guide/Annum); but it is also clearly not simply a big-mtn AT/tele ski like the Vector/Charger. The problem I have with the Vector BC (I have tested it a couple of times) is that it is really a downhill ski with a waxless base (I would already own it if I still had a mountain in my backyard).

The Kom seems freshly-designed...a XC-Mtn touring ski (but totally different than a Scandinavian XC-mtn, "fjellski")...I would want it for my multi-day, mtn-touring in the Northeast (QC, NB, NF, etc.). Where I want to cover some significant distance with a Nordic stride- but still be able to jump of into caches of powder- wherever I feel like it. (I have Guides and 10th mtns setup with 3-pin-cable for this)

It is very cool that you have the Guide as well...obviously the Kom will greatly outperform the Guide on the downhill- but how do they compare/contrast in XC K&G? (I have always found that the Guide performs best in deep, soft, snow)

Also- I'm intrigued- what is the "Hill People Gear Winter Gathering camp"?

[lilcliffy]

Perhaps the Kom is the actual descendant of the Karhu XCD line...

I do hope to try them...and I do hope they eventually make them in longer lengths...short Kom for extreme terrain..long Kom for more moderate terrain, and longer distances in the mtns.