Alpina Discovery 102

[MichiganNathaniel]

Just got a pair--fishscale base, 124-64-87 profile...I'll post a review once I've tried them. Meanwhile, does anyone else have impressions of these skis? And can anyone offer advice on mounting the bindings? (Voile Hardwires)

[connyro]

Here's a thread that should give you some info: viewtopic.php?t=938

[fisheater]

I believe that is 102-64-87
There was a guy that skied the same trail I do. He seemed to carry a good pace, he climbed the steep trails well, and he bragged about how well they turned.
Now I’m not running out and buying a pair, but they certainly must be a quite capable backcountry ski that turns, climbs, but also offers acceptable kick and glide. Certainly a capable ski.
BTW, I’m in Oakland County, MI
I would believe pins on balance point would be a good mount, however I would email Alpina. Even if you decide to mount different than Alpina recommenced point, it is still good to know their recommendation.

[Johnny]

My review was 5 years ago... It was the first generation of Discoveries... I heard rumors that the latest Discovery 102 is quite different from the first ones. Mostly being much lighter and having a nice rocker... Nathaniel, can you confirm this?

[MichiganNathaniel]

Thanks for the responses! Sorry about the typo--yes, profile is 102-64-87. A bit narrow for a "telemark" ski, and a lot of sidecut. I plan to use them mostly in spring conditions, maybe on iced-up hiking trails etc at times. Good climbing ability appeals to me, as I hate messing with skins.

Johnny's review and earlier thread helped me decide on the purchase. Interesting thought that the specs might have changed. The Alpina site just says they have "stiffer flex." Another site says they have "early rise tip rocker". Weight is listed as 2400 grams for the 178, at one site. I haven't got them in hand yet.

The Alpina guy replied quickly to my email, and suggested mounting pin line on balance point. Glad to have a second opinion on that. My vague impression was that for uphill and downhill performance you'd typically mount more forward than that. But I expect to put in some touring miles, so wouldn't want to sacrifice too much of whatever kick-and-glide capability these skis might have.

[fgd135]

Nathaniel, if you have very long feet, say over a size 11 or so, you could consider mounting the bindings slightly forward in order to get the ball of your foot closer to the balance point of the ski, and more centered on the sidecut. It's simple to do, just measure the chord center and mark it, mark the balance point, which is usually further back, and if the distance between the two marks is more than a couple cm., split that difference to come up with the pin location on the skis.
Ex: Balance point at 86 cm from the tail; the chord center measurement 88cm, difference 2cm, install the bindings 1 cm forward of balance point.
If for some reason the balance point is forward of the chord center, don't make any changes.

[Nitram Tocrut]

Just got a pair--fishscale base, 124-64-87 profile...I'll post a review once I've tried them. Meanwhile, does anyone else have impressions of these skis? And can anyone offer advice on mounting the bindings? (Voile Hardwires)

I had those skis for a while. They were different than the one reviewed by Johnny. Mine were completely red and seem to be the same skis as the one on Alpina web site. Those skis are great climber. I don't remind them having any significant rocker and are on the heavy side for what I remember but they felt like they could sustain heavy use. They are really stiff and they were decent for XC. I ended up selling them as they felt too short for me at 178 cm. I am 1,85m and they felt really short and slow. I would have probably kept them had they been longer... just like the way i feel with my Voile Objectives but the difference being that the Objectives are so much easier to turn. I did not find them particularly easy to turn but at that time i was kind of rediscovering the telemark turn so i take much of the blame on my shoulder I had 3 pin Alaska and I think a stiffer boot would have been better for turning... but again my technique had much room to improve... I remember they felt really fast going dh, maybe because they did not have, or very few, rocker so much of the ski length was actually on the snow.

I traded them with a friend much shorter than me and he is very happy with them

[MichiganNathaniel]

Finally following up, for what it's worth. These may no longer be available. But I've used them enough to have an opinion: They are a little nicer than my previous skis for trudging around—a little lighter weight, effective scale pattern. Not great gliders, of course, but I don't find them any harder to keep on track, despite the substantial sidecut. I'm not a good enough skier to evaluate downhill performance, but feel that turns on easy firm slopes happen with a little less effort, compared to previous skis. They seem to be holding up well, with moderate use--tops are barely scratched; no fading or de-lamination.