Fischer Excursion 88 vs Outtabounds - Newb

[Zamdrang]

Thanks guys, appreciate the words of wisdom. My first outings on XCD gear were on new powder and gave me a bit of a false impression of the overall difficulty I think. Also as a beginner I didn't expect to discover the need for a quiver so damn soon!

I took the Outtabounds on a more tour oriented trip through the forest yesterday. Mostly mild ups and downs in spring corn with a thin crust in the shade and though challenging as it was had a great time.

I can see the Outtabounds (and also assuming the 88s..haven't skied them..still in the return window) aren't the ski for yo yo ing...at least for me. But putting them in tour mode as intended sure made some lights come on..I was still slipping on the up, but did see varied enough snow to experience where the scales work better...and worse. I also managed some wedge turns through the trees and was reminded how sweet they glide on the flats.

Considering keeping the 88s and hoping the scale differences improve the grip, I dont have the funds to build a quiver right now which is why I've been questioning them so much. They are for all intents my first real ski purchase...won't be the last but need as much versatility as I can get for now. I do hear loud and clear the advice to find a more turn oriented ski for the yo yo ing. And next year heading the lifts to practice technique as well.

Thanks again...what I've read here from all you guys has been incredibly helpful

[jyw5]

If you havent made a purchase yet...

I grew up resort skiing in Tahoe, both north and south shore, and have also spent quite some time skiing in Oregon and Washington. The snow is highly variable. Unless you don't work for living, good conditions on weekends and holidays, just don't happen as often as you would like. Do you regularly encounter slush, breakable crust, flat light, deep heavy powder, crud, snowmachine tracks, dog walker footprints, old rotten snow, spring corn --> mash potatoes, etc. etc?

Having said all that, if you want a yoyo oriented touring ski that can handle all that less than perfect snow, the S112 is your best bet. It is extremely sluggish on flat terrain, but the scales climb well. EZ kicker skins are easy to put on, light, and cheap...and they work very well. They also can be used for skiing downhill. I use the skins alot for both up and down to slow me down.

It is also very easy to make parallel turns in all conditions except icy frozen hard pack (like a skating rink)...but most skis dont do well on that anyway.

I learned on the S112 with NNN BC bindings, soft OTX 5 boots, and had no prior xc skills and very limited knowledge when I bought the setup. I have graduated to the Asnes FT62 this season (my 5th season doing nordic BC).

Good luck and have fun!

[fisheater]

Jyw5, don’t you prefer the FT 62 over the S-112? For me I much prefer the FT 62. I am interested in your thoughts.
Cheers

[jyw5]

I am glad you brought that up!

I skiied the FT62 yesterday and the S112s today as well as my heavy AT setup with G3 ion bindings. I rocked on the S112s today. Skiied down not nearly as well as the AT setup of course, but still did very well. There was 2" new snow over crud and the S112 was great. The FT62 was difficult for me to make good turns...I fell a few times. Especially difficult on hard icy areas...whereas the S112s felt more stable. Also, I found that the S112s did slightly better when I hit areas of bottomless powder.
Maybe my alpine background prefers the S112s over the FT62 ...

Overall, both skis are more enjoyable than my AT setup (I am a bit bored with it).

I think the original poster should get S112s if he comes from an alpine/resort background...which most Californians do. I think he would have a hard time on the FT62s.


I think the S112 is like driving an SUV...and the FT62 is like a Ferrari. Until my skills improve greatly, I think I would do better on the S112s in most conditions in my area.

I skiied 4 laps totally 5100ft in 10 miles today. First 2 laps with AT and last 2 laps with S112

[paulk]

with all the himming and hawing on the web about how Fischers' recessed kick pattern is bad, (I like it because I like to kick wax anyway) I'm not surprised the newer Excusion 88 has a longer pattern and more to it to add kick. So long story short, I think if you bought the 88's you'd be getting the old Ottabounds and getting more climbing performance out of them. So it's a win win with the 88's. And those sintered fischer bases, go love them!