lowangle al wrote:
If it is 300 ft of good fun snow I'd do 10 laps and 10 miles and be wearing T2s and vectors.
If you're going just for the turns... maybe... but I think you misread, I'm not going specifically for the turns, I'm going to enjoy a nice 10 miles in the woods, which
for me may count more than the turns.
lowangle al wrote:There is a place for xcd light gear but it is tough to learn on in the best conditions and will humble an expert in crappy conditions.
Which is exactly why I do it on light gear.
lowangle al wrote:Well executed turns do feel good, and I think you will have more of them on heavier gear.
They do feel good, AND I have more than enough heavy gear laying around to feel good with, but that's not the point. I'm not disagreeing with any of your points, I'm just saying we might have different goals.
lowangle al wrote:The gear was actually better 20 years ago and sold for about what you pay for modern xcd gear today.
Do you have specifics? Chances are I may have some this gear laying around. I'm not testing your word, I would be interested to see what you're comparing. I think a statement like this requires concrete examples. Also, we may not be talking about the same thing, and maybe maybe I want some!
lowangle al wrote:The one improvement is that you can now get them in no wax but on the downside you can't find smooth bases.
Agreed, which is why many of us pine for the European supply. I'd say that we are not enough of a market force in the US, and that reason is BECAUSE OF THIS REASON SPECIFICALLY:
lowangle al wrote:I don't think many people are going to get to the expert level skiing that gear alone unless they have a lot of time and motivation to do tours that are turn oriented.
It's a culture thing. We want to learn skills yesterday. No one grows up waxing skis on a collective level anymore. Nordic is dying in US, specifically this type of skiing especially, not because it is easy, but because it is hard. You would think everyone would be touring in the woods enjoying THE UP as well as THE DOWN and THE FLAT and waxing skis... but that's not the case. We're obsessed with the down only, not the up, we're obsessed about moving on to the next great thing. EX: Biathlon should be a national sport, for crying out loud! Skiing around the woods and shooting at shit, who doesn't want to do that?