Madshus Glittertind

[lilcliffy]

Hey Anemic-

Very interested in your experiences on the Glitt MGV.

I would like a decent waxless-scaled double-cambered BC-XC ski. I currently have the E99 Crown, and I find the traction wanting- unless the conditions are ideal (i.e. warm, wet snow, gentle terrain).

The Glittertind is a fabulous ski- and very reasonably priced.

[anemic]

I'd like to share my hand flexing comparison results:

Glittertind 55 MGV+ 200 cm
I'm relieved to see that this is a legit double camber ski, sprung like a classic race ski. Base to base hand squeeze test shows lots of residual camber / can't get the bases to squeeze fully together without lots of extra hand squeezing force. I can't quite close them. This ski should be fast. This means it will also be tricky to turn, but I'll keep trying haha. I'm at home on skis like this.

Epoch 68 175 cm
Smushmaster 1000. Bases fully close together easily with minimal effort. This ski will never keep the pocket off the snow. Upside? She's an easy turner and an easily climber, but she comes with a speed limit that never goes away.

Eon 62 195 cm
The pocket is very easy to close, just like the Epoch. It's kind of disappointing. This ski would have more speed potential if it had a stiffer higher pocket, but then the ski wouldn't be so eager to make easy turns. This ski is very easy to like for the turning portion of your outings. I used to think that a 195 cm Epoch 68 would have a stiffer spring but now I doubt it.

The (Voile 3 pc cable) bindings for the Glittertinds are currently on a ski (a BD 78 x 174 cm from the AT world) that I used this morning for a snowgun blizzard sesh. I need to pull those off, install the Hardwires on the BDs which I procured last spring for this purpose and then mount the Voile 3pc to the Glittertinds (no intention of ever using the heel cables though) before I can give a skiing on snow report. But first, really, we need snow again so that I have the opportunity to do the Glittertind activities.

[lilcliffy]

Wicked intial report!

I'd like to share my hand flexing comparison results:

Glittertind 55 MGV+ 200 cm
I'm relieved to see that this is a legit double camber ski, sprung like a classic race ski. Base to base hand squeeze test shows lots of residual camber / can't get the bases to squeeze fully together without lots of extra hand squeezing force. I can't quite close them. This ski should be fast. This means it will also be tricky to turn, but I'll keep trying haha. I'm at home on skis like this.

I thoroughly tested the Glittertind (blue topsheet) before I decided on the E99. It certainly is a true-blue double-cambered ski- just like the E99! What is wonderful about both of these skis is that they offer the K&G performance of a double-cambered ski, but have a finely tuned flex for off-track backcountry terrain and snow- BRILLIANT. The Glitt is even stiffer underfoot than the current E99. Gamme the Elder's test suggests that it is as stiff as the Asnes Amundsen underfoot! I am thinking you may like this ski so much you may "need" a waxable version. This ski is more than manageable downhill- because it is so damn light- just like the E99. And with that camber and flex it was MADE for crushing miles in the backcountry.

Epoch 68 175 cm
Smushmaster 1000. Bases fully close together easily with minimal effort. This ski will never keep the pocket off the snow. Upside? She's an easy turner and an easily climber, but she comes with a speed limit that never goes away.

This is no joke- at my weight I personally find the Epoch/XCD 10th Mountain to be kinda useless- it is not stiff enough to offer any decent XC performance (certainly no more than its wider brother the Annum/Guide) and I don't find it wide enough to be effective as a XC ski in deep snow- and it is MUCH slower than the Eon- and IMHO doesn't perform much better than the Eon in deep snow. My experience with lighter skiers suggests that if you are light enough the Epoch performs just like the wider Annum does for heavier skiers. My children love the Epoch!

Eon 62 195 cm
The pocket is very easy to close, just like the Epoch. It's kind of disappointing. This ski would have more speed potential if it had a stiffer higher pocket, but then the ski wouldn't be so eager to make easy turns. This ski is very easy to like for the turning portion of your outings. I used to think that a 195 cm Epoch 68 would have a stiffer spring but now I doubt it.

The Eon is a disappointment as a XC ski isn't it? I have skied on it- and the identical XCD GT- for MANY years- and I have always been left wanting in this regard. I do think there is more camber and resistance there underfoot than the Epoch/Annum- but, it is so soft flexing that if one weighs anything that resistance is rendered completely ineffective. The similar-profiled E109 and Combat Nato are MUCH more effective XC skis- and the rockered tips on the E109 make it perhaps even easier to turn than the Eon- certainly the E109 has easier turn initiation due to the shorter effective edge...

The (Voile 3 pc cable) bindings for the Glittertinds are currently on a ski (a BD 78 x 174 cm from the AT world) that I used this morning for a snowgun blizzard sesh. I need to pull those off, install the Hardwires on the BDs which I procured last spring for this purpose and then mount the Voile 3pc to the Glittertinds (no intention of ever using the heel cables though) before I can give a skiing on snow report. But first, really, we need snow again so that I have the opportunity to do the Glittertind activities.

You may well rarely if ever actually use the cable, but I personally wouldn't mount a BC XCD ski without having the option of the cable. Plus- I have had the bail and/or duckbill fail on a long multi-day distance trek 3 times- the cable saved the trip!

[anemic]

Thanks Cliffy. I mounted the 3 pc bindings. And we got snow so I skied the Glittertinds! (200 cm MGV+, current body weight ~158#) For the record, this ski is a current product offered as the "Madshus 55"

I am very happy with this ski! The flex reminds of the way a classic race ski has an active pop when you spring from it each stride. The Glittertind does this even in soft snow! A race ski has too much stiffness & would would never pop from soft snow, always requiring a hard track. This ski is a bit of magic.

You can truly ride and glide this ski in soft snow. It encourages you to get up & go, to honestly give'r for extended periods. The payoff is there. When you devolve into bird watching shuffle mode, the ski is not happy with you because it wants to kick and glide. It is cool to experience this.

I am very pleased with the waxless pattern! It is short, like a race ski, only under the true wax pocket, not the full length pattern you see on some skis (designed to make newbies hate skiing?). I am impressed with how much grip it has. So the tips and tails are left properly smooth and they glide very nicely.

For my purposes it glides very fast in soft natural snow. Probably about as fast as any skis might be expected to glide. I think the camber holds the crown pattern off the snow nicely, bringing it out of the equation for the glide phase.

It turns as expected. About a 30 m radius. Needs room. It doesn't forget the double camber when it's being made to turn but yet it's fun to turn. It has just enough width to make turning more than survival.

I was caught off guard by the EXCELLENT grip and kick & glide in the soft snow. I ventured out with a tip to heel purple skin cut to full width. It was so slow, much slower than the tip to tail 1" mohair strips I've used on my Eon 62s. When I removed them for a descent, I never put them back on after discovering the excellent grip and speed. The ski should not have gripped well at all in the soft snow and yet - fun.

It would have been a great morning for the Eon 62s also, which is kind of rare. Soft and ample snow cover. Not super deep, maybe "basket" depth but enough to use the good skis.

Ski on,
anemic

[anemic]

Later same day same place same snow same temp back out on the Eons with a micro skin. Felt dead. No camber no spring no liveliness. I lost a little of my Eon 62 love!


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