Skiing year round

[Reckie4life]

Stoked Telemark Talk is happening..... so here is my question......

Outside of rollerblades how can one simulate downhill skiing? Are there roller skis that can simulate?

Thoughts? hoping to training for backcountry skiing. Thanks

[Johnny]

Hey Reckie, welcome to TT!

This is the question I've been asking myself for years... I get so bored in the summer, always looking for something to replace skiing... Caffeine and Whiskey are kind of fun, but it's still not skiing. Rollerblades /inline skates do suck. It has nothing to do with skiing.

There's always Roller Skis... I'd love to try a pair one day, but I'm not that much into 'skating'...

[video][/video]


Grass skiing is still cool... A lot of new manufacturers out there... I thought about it several times... But there would be no place to do it around here... (And I would probably kill myself...)

[video][/video]


But you know what? I found the answer. And it's so simple: QUAD roller skates. It's exactly the same movements as skiing. You use the same muscles. The more you push them, the more they carve, just like skis. Give it a try, you'll be amazed to see how you can get the same feeling and the same excitement as skiing. (Don't forget the helmet! : )

But hey, let's keep this between us. I wouldn't wanna see all those trend-following AT guys suddenly changing something really cool into something trendy.

[Raventele]

Well, if you say so LJ, but the spinning ball kinda gets to me.. And I still can't skate backwards..
I did find that rollerblades/fruit boots were great out on our bike trail for leg conditioning and also I thought they were
a great way to stay in shape for ski skating, back when I did a lot of that..
Anyways, watching these guys edge, I wondered about the similarities to skiing ? ?? Here you REALLY edge (to turn) or simply fall on your face..but still, must be some transitions..



Water, it's all about water..

[Reckie4life]

Thanks Guys,
I have been doing some research on those http://www.nordicskater.com/rolclass.html. I have found the ones that are meant for classic XC might be the ticket. They can climb and can simulate the touring part of backcountry skiing. Just wondering if they ski well. I know that they don't make tele turns but I think that can be fixed with bindings.

[Johnny]

I'd be crazy about kite skiing... But again, it's always the same... I was born at the wrong place...

I have this project of building my own roller tele skis every summer. The thing about the existing roller skis is that they are just a bit too short to get the right position for tele. Also, in order to really simulate the carving aspect of skiing, you need 4 wheels on every ski. So you need a larger and longer ski to get the right center for perfect balance. One day I will have time for this...

You need the ability to carve to turn easily... I can't imagine skidding on any kind of pavement... See:

[video][/video]

[Reckie4life]

So Love Johnny, those are just regular roller skis? I emailed a company and got this response:
"Roller skis simulate backcountry touring and uphill climbing, but not downhill carving. Let me know if you're still interested."

How did they feel during the turn? they make a few roller skis with three wheels. What about taking skate board wheels and trucks and adding them to a roller ski....thoughts?

I'm determined....

[Raventele]

Just a thought, but it sure seems like if you have 2 lines of rollers per/skate-ski you are going to be much more stable on them with each line simulating an "edge"..less likely for the them to kick out from under you rocking edge-to-edge as the opposing lines (on each "ski" ) will at times be "on edge" also depending on your exact edging angle, and turning in parallel will not be so abrupt .. ??..(And that's basically why stock 4-wheelers beat blades ... ?? ) And the exact shape of the rollers/wheel obviously needs modification .. ??

[Johnny]

I dunno how they feel, that's not me, that's not my video. I never tried any roller skis... But I can't see how it would be possible to either skid or carve on concrete with only 2 or 3 wheels.

What about taking skate board wheels and trucks and adding them to a roller ski

Exactly! That's why I wanna use quad roller skates trucks on real skis. Wheels are closer to each other than on skateboards. And I got soft wheels especially made for city streets...

I even got some pairs of kids skis... But this project has been in the works for like 5 years now... I hate procrastination...

[Reckie4life]

I might have to join you in that venture.

[Johnny]

I was about to ask you, but was too shy to do so...

Next summer I'll be on it... Start collecting trucks now...!