hemiboreal forest skiing in New Brunswick Canada

[Nitram Tocrut]

Had a bunch more I wanted to upload...the file sizes are too large for some reason- something to do with how I manged them/downloaded them from Google Drive...Will figure it out and upload them soon!

I wish you all as happy an end of winter and beginning of spring as I can. These are dark days but I hope you are all finding brightness in your life. I wish you and yours all the best and look forward to continuing to share our love of skiing.

Hey my friend and fellow farmer! It seems like you are living in a different country!!! Thank's for sharing your pasion.
Although it is not the same all over Québec, here we have lost but all of our snow and there is not enough left to ski This winter we were unlucky as we missed a couple of good dumps but at the same time that means we will start planting veggies in the field earlier this year. Although we might be going through dark days, us farmers must rely on bright sunny days to feed our people, you can count on us

[fisheater]

Gareth, thank you for sharing the photos. I wish I had your snowpack. I am glad I don’t have your mud season. In my corner of Michigan, mud season has been minor. My construction site has not been bad. I didn’t have a great winter for snow, however I did have trail skiing every weekend in February, plus some in November, January, and I think the first weekend in March. I really enjoyed the Gamme. I shouldn’t have taken the Gamme out the last time, but that’s what P-Tex sticks are for!

To both Gareth and Nitram, I wish you a successful growing season. Stay safe and healthy. Wish the both of you the best.

May all the guys here have a great spring. I’ve been catching enough fish to keep me happy. However they have been few enough and small enough to keep me from bragging. At least I’ve had some good time on the water, and some delicious meals. I’m a fortunate man.

Peace

[Cannatonic]

What's going on up there?? looksl like major dumpage....we need an update......

[lilcliffy]

Getting buried alive!!!!!!
Over 40cm of heavy wet snow down already and it is STILL coming down!!!!
Dreamy conditions for my E109 Crown Xtralite- fast smooth and wonderful turns!

[Cannatonic]

thanks for the update! wow, what a spring season. we won't be seeing this again anytime soon!

[fisheater]

Thanks for the update Canna.
What happened to Chuck Flannel? Are you guys under a serious lockdown? I have been essential, and worked right through. You can believe it was safe enough to work it was safe enough to play outdoors!
Someday in the next couple of years, I want to spring ski in New Hampshire. Until then I will Live Free.

[Stephen]

Happy New Year free-heel skiers!
Despite a rain-induced meltdown in mid-December that ruined our hero snow that started in mid-October- the ski touring has been superb and we are gradually getting buried alive with- as of yesterday a solid metre of base- and 30+cm of fresh cold powder coming down today! I was out for a mid-day tour and the fresh powder is above my knees!
Wishing you all the best and hoping you are all getting out for a tur!
(My daughter wishes that Santa brought her Nordic skates!)
-

(I was going to send this as a PM, but couldn’t figure out how to get the picture in the PM!)

Hey lilcliffy,
I just came across this picture, and those Gammes look long for your height (based on current standards).
I forget your weight, but anyway, just curious how that length is working out for you?
Partly I ask because I’m still stuck on the “tips to wrist” sizing standard, which that looks close to.
That doesn’t work for me these days because I’m 6’3” (but only 160 pounds).
I used to ski 220s.

I have been having a hard time, mentally, scaling sizes down to current standards.
I got a pair of MR48s in 210 that I’m looking forward to skiing, and have a set of FT62s on order in 188 (but was really tempted to go to 196).
I justified the 188 by thinking I would get a longer ski someplace in between the MR48 and FT62 (Gamme, Nansen, or Ingstad). Right now, thinking Nansen in 205.
Any thoughts / comments / suggestions are appreciated!
Thanks,
Stephen

[lilcliffy]

Hello Stephen,
(Got your PM- sorry I didn't get back to you on this.)

My specs:
- 5'10" (178cm)
- 175lbs (79.5kg)- I have lost some weight over the past couple of years

I have broad shoulders and a very long reach for my height- my extended reach is at least equivalent to a number of my friends that are over 6 feet (my childhood friend has always referred to me as a "Neanderthal")
If I extend my arm to its full extent my wrist is above those 210cm Gammes.

I find the 210cm Gamme perfectly manageable- even in steep terrain- excellent grip, wonderous glide- the camber on the Gamme is finely tuned for crushing miles on backcountry snow.

My opinion/perspective-
the Gamme 54 is a XC ski- a wonderous XC ski with an incredibly versatile profile and flex- as a XC ski it performs in every imaginable backcountry condition-
- it has a rock solid, stable, supportive flex- making it completely stable and supportive in very deep snow.
- it has a stiff, raised tip that breaks trail and completely destroys crust.
- it has a relatively soft initial camber (e.g. softer than the E99), with a very stiff low-profile second camber (e.g. perhaps even stiffer than the E99)- offering excellent kick and glide on a wide range of snow conditions.
- the tip is only slightly rockered- this ski still has a long glide zone on consolidated snow.
- the tip rocker does offer early tip rise at downhill speeds and does improve turn initiation
- it is very light and responsive making it effortlessly manouverable

I do not see the point in a "short" Gamme- the magic of this ski emerges from the longest length one can manage (I can certainly see getting a shorter Gamme if one was very light- say less then 150lbs).
Actually, for what I am using the Gamme for I would take a 220cm Gamme 54- I do use the Gamme is hilly terrain- but when I take the Gamme I am choosing lines that do not require me to ski tight downhill lines.

The first generation Gamme 54 was a dream- the updated model is pure magic- somehow it is lighter yet still has a rock-solid and supportive as ever- yet, somehow feels more responsive!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Gareth

[Cannatonic]

Gareth's comments are spot-on....I enjoyed skiing a pair of 200cm E99's because the camber got squashed down and they flexed like an old-school tele ski. But the camber is stiffer on the Gamme, I don't think a 200 would act like a tele ski, it would act like a too-short XC ski.

[Nitram Tocrut]

Hi Stephen,
We are about the same height and if I had to buy a pair of Gamme I would choose the longer one. I was lucky enough to buy an old pair of Europa 99 220 a while ago and as I am tall and heavy enough to crush the camber those ski are way faster than the same ski in 210. But what I recommend is to first try the skis you already have as they might fill most of your needs. I have not skied the MR48 but two of my friends did, they have the skin version, and they loved them for Le Tour de la Gaspésie as those with regular XC ski without metal edges were having a harder time in steeper and more demanding sections. Maybe in the end you will be looking for a wider ski like Nosi/Annum/s112.... just saying