fjellski for wisconsin

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Musk Ox
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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by Musk Ox » Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:43 pm

radiomir wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 1:48 pm

Finally, any more thoughts on an x-skin? Is 30 better than recommended 45? Mohair? I'm planning to order the gamme's today!
Yeah, you'll need a selection, I'm sorry to say.

The 30mm mohair one is super nice especially in fresh snow if it's not too steep. It's kind of a miracle in many conditions but it's not for hills. The wider ones are more climby, less glidy. The Race (aka the Purple Tickler) in my pic is probably the one I use the most: surprisingly climby and perfectly acceptable on the flats. It'll get you high enough to come down doing turns where you drop a knee with cool, free air shooting through the gap between your liberated heel and the binding of your skis going WEEEEEE oh, sorry, yes, I use all of my skins. I use wider ones if I want to do the little 'peaks' near me. I'd need wider skis than the ones I have for the higher peaks before I needed wider XSkins, to be honest (and that time has come.)

Which Gammes are you getting?!

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radiomir
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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by radiomir » Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:03 pm

Musk Ox wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:43 pm

The 30mm mohair one is super nice especially in fresh snow if it's not too steep. It's kind of a miracle in many conditions but it's not for hills. The wider ones are more climby, less glidy. The Race (aka the Purple Tickler) in my pic is probably the one I use the most: surprisingly climby and perfectly acceptable on the flats. It'll get you high enough to come down doing turns where you drop a knee with cool, free air shooting through the gap between your liberated heel and the binding of your skis going WEEEEEE oh, sorry, yes, I use all of my skins. I use wider ones if I want to do the little 'peaks' near me. I'd need wider skis than the ones I have for the higher peaks before I needed wider XSkins, to be honest (and that time has come.)

Which Gammes are you getting?!
Again, I am new to waxing, but trying to apply what I've read in the LilCliffy's waxing tips thread, my current understanding is that a good starting point for the Gamme would be to apply swix polar grip wax to the entire ski base and then either 1) apply additional grip wax from heel forward with grip wax of the day (green for cold, blue extra for average, and red/sliver for warmer) or 2) use a skin (when near freezing or wet). And from you, it sounds like 30mm mohair on relatively flat ground would be a good substitute for additional grip wax when it is warmer (are there other conditions where the skin would work well as a kick zone grip wax substitute?). Purple race x-skin would be good for up and down laps / terrain (not sure if this applies to a variety of temps or primarily around or above freezing?), and a wider skin would be good for longer climbs (not many of those around here).

I will also need to apply a bit of wax to the skin (with what?).

Is this a pretty accurate summary or I am way off somewhere? Being a newbie that has certainly gone down the rabbit hole in the past few days, my brain is now a mush of XCD facts and opinions, so who knows?!

Anyway, I'm going to get the 190s unless someone changes my mind in the next hour or so :) Also planning to go with Magnum (because why not) and to order a couple of sizes of Alaska to try. If that doesn't work out, maybe I'll try some Fischers or import some Alfa Guards from Helskinki.



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Nick BC
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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by Nick BC » Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:21 pm

radiomir wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:03 pm
Musk Ox wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:43 pm

The 30mm mohair one is super nice especially in fresh snow if it's not too steep. It's kind of a miracle in many conditions but it's not for hills. The wider ones are more climby, less glidy. The Race (aka the Purple Tickler) in my pic is probably the one I use the most: surprisingly climby and perfectly acceptable on the flats. It'll get you high enough to come down doing turns where you drop a knee with cool, free air shooting through the gap between your liberated heel and the binding of your skis going WEEEEEE oh, sorry, yes, I use all of my skins. I use wider ones if I want to do the little 'peaks' near me. I'd need wider skis than the ones I have for the higher peaks before I needed wider XSkins, to be honest (and that time has come.)

Which Gammes are you getting?!


I will also need to apply a bit of wax to the skin (with what?).

I use BD glop stopper skin wax. Crayon a good layer on the skin then do two or three QUICK passes with a waxing iron on medium. Any glide wax, or maybe a candle might work just as well.



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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by Woodserson » Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:36 pm

Sent you a PM radiomir



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radiomir
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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by radiomir » Wed Dec 01, 2021 6:38 pm

Called to order the Gammes and the shop rep recommended I wait until I have boots to mount the bindings. To be honest, I'm not sure if my local ski shop (the closest REI) will have much experience with this type of ski.

I am pretty sure I will end up with an EU 44, 45, or 46, so should I just ask them to find the mounting position with an alaska 45 they have on hand and that will be close enough? Or should I order separately and take my chances with a local tuner?

Alternatively, I suppose I could call back and see if I can pay for the ski now to make sure it doesn't sell out, but ask them to hold it until I've chosen a boot.

So close!



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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by Woodserson » Wed Dec 01, 2021 7:02 pm

radiomir wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 6:38 pm
Called to order the Gammes and the shop rep recommended I wait until I have boots to mount the bindings. To be honest, I'm not sure if my local ski shop (the closest REI) will have much experience with this type of ski.

I am pretty sure I will end up with an EU 44, 45, or 46, so should I just ask them to find the mounting position with an alaska 45 they have on hand and that will be close enough? Or should I order separately and take my chances with a local tuner?

Alternatively, I suppose I could call back and see if I can pay for the ski now to make sure it doesn't sell out, but ask them to hold it until I've chosen a boot.

So close!
They are mounted pin line on balance point. Boot size is irrelevant. Your in Wisconsin, there HAS to be a Nordic shop you can take them too. Or have Neptune do it? They will do it and won't screw it up.

Unless they are worried about the heel position, then just say it's 45 and it'll be close enough.



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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by Krummholz » Thu Dec 02, 2021 12:21 am

I have 145 Hoks, good for Bushwacking, I went with the 75mm binding because of the shovel is 124mm WIDE. They have an adapter plate for NNN-BC bindings if they get them back in stock.
556371FB-7556-44BA-BC81-D8CE1CAE1D71.jpeg
Free Heeler - As in Free Spirit and Free Beer. No $700 pass! No plastic boots! And No Fkn Merlot!



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Musk Ox
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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by Musk Ox » Thu Dec 02, 2021 2:03 am

radiomir wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:03 pm
Anyway, I'm going to get the 190s unless someone changes my mind in the next hour or so :)
I think, if it were me, considering your weight, that might be a good decision. I suspect that on the flats the 200s will be fine for you, but on the hills might be frustrating. But again, the consensus here is the best way to arrive at a solution, the hive mind here is the best. And there's nothing stopping you from buying more skis. It's what jobs were invented for.
radiomir wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:03 pm
Again, I am new to waxing, but trying to apply what I've read in the LilCliffy's waxing tips thread, my current understanding is that a good starting point for the Gamme would be to apply swix polar grip wax to the entire ski base and then either 1) apply additional grip wax from heel forward with grip wax of the day (green for cold, blue extra for average, and red/sliver for warmer) or 2) use a skin (when near freezing or wet).
Everyone has their own take on grip waxing, and Swix Polar and whatnot.

I use Polar, among other things. But I like tinkering. My wife's not a Polar believer. I often go out with just grip wax in the middle third where it's 'supposed' to be and nothing else because I am a lazy savage. Or I use spray glide wax on tips and tails sometimes when I'm feeling fancy. Last season I just kept my skins on a lot. We have a number of skis in our house now and conditions change. For the conditions you're describing, I wouldn't worry too much about any of this. I'd probably concentrate on learning basic grip wax first and 'complicate' it with Polar when you've got standard grip wax down (which will be fast.)
radiomir wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:03 pm
And from you, it sounds like 30mm mohair on relatively flat ground would be a good substitute for additional grip wax when it is warmer (are there other conditions where the skin would work well as a kick zone grip wax substitute?). Purple race x-skin would be good for up and down laps / terrain (not sure if this applies to a variety of temps or primarily around or above freezing?), and a wider skin would be good for longer climbs (not many of those around here).
Skins work at all temperatures. The issue is width and what the snow's like on the ground.

On very hard snow and ice, the drag can be, well, a drag.

The 30mm XSkins are really great in fresh snow if it's not too steep. And they're OK on some hills and for less wild exploring. They really shine on hardpack after a fall of fluffy snow. In conditions that are hard to put grip wax on for, wet snow around freezing, they're just awesome. I use them for when I want to sneak in a cheeky two-hour mini-tur when I should be working and don't have time for anything other than bombing around the trails and little hills around on our doorstep. I use wider skins more often because of our terrain and because you can get into wilder places with them.

A propos temperatures, I love Red Special Swix too! There's no beating the feeling of grip wax. It's also true that there is nothing more annoying than when your skis turn into stilts with ice, which is the wax hazard in warm and wet conditions no one likes. You can have a perfectly clean base on your skis and stick the 30mm skins on, or indeed wider skins, and simply not worry about that.

You can't put skins on Red Swix. It'll kill the adhesive. Skins are fine on Blue Swix.

I've used my Race skins to get up some really steep places, but it wasn't, like, a barrel of laughs. They're probably my favourite for where I like to go most often. I put wider ones on when it's really steep and take them off coming down when I practice The Turns for Which this Forum is Named.



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radiomir
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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by radiomir » Thu Dec 02, 2021 6:12 pm

Thank you all for the advice. I've placed an order for the 190s. In the end I figured the 190s were more "fun guaranteed", and may encourage me to explore terrain out of my comfort zone. If I end up loving lake skiing, I can always go bigger for my next ski.

That said, it will take Neptune a week or two to get to my ski this time of year, so please feel free to tell me I've made a huge mistake. I am hoping I can still get a nice glide out of the 190s. I won't be in an extreme hurry, but I do want to have the option of creating my own feeling of pace while I take in the sights. That is, I do not want to be confined to a shuffle.

For the curious, I did go with the Magnum, and I've started my skin collection with a 30mm mohair.

I also ordered Alaskas in a size 45 and 46. My classic boots are size 11 UK (46 EU) solomon RC10s (these use their medium width last). They are a little long, but work for the tracks and the 10.5 UKs were a bit too narrow in the toe box. I'm thinking the 46 alaskas will be too big, but worth a try.

I don't know my off-track pole preferences yet. My 155 classic poles seemed a bit too long for my height (179 cm) last year, so I got some 150s to try this year. I'm guessing I will want even shorter off-track, but since I don't know, I will likely get adjustable poles to start.

Hopefully we'll get snow like last year, so I can have some good experience to report!



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radiomir
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Re: fjellski for wisconsin

Post by radiomir » Tue Dec 07, 2021 4:15 pm

While I wait for my gamme's (and snow), a couple of embarrassingly basic questions:

I wouldn't do it during the summer, but is it bad to store your skis in a cold garage throughout the ski season? I could lug them to the basement and lean them against a wall, or I could hang them from one of those tip to tip hangers in my freezing garage (this is what I did last year with my skinny waxless skis, but is this bad for the ski?). I like keeping them in the garage because I like the fewest steps possible to get to where I am throwing my skis in the back of my car (which I also hope is okay) and am on my way.

Speaking of my garage, my plan is to wax cold skis in the cold. Any major problems with this for the kind of waxing I'll be doing with the gammes (mostly grip waxes)?

Is it correct to assume that a wax profile (on a stand or bench) is a worthwhile investment? Last year, I glide waxed (deodorant style liquid) the tips and tails of my waxless skis with the skis balanced between 2 chairs with cardboard over them. Now that I will be scraping and corking, a ski that is held in place firmly seems like a good idea. On the other hand, it seems that a lot of you are doing this on a regular basis in tents, huts, or on open ground, so maybe it is not that necessary.



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