Which first Asnes ski to buy ?

[fisheater]

Just watched this Patagonia film where 3 ladies went across 85 miles journey from the Canadian Bugaboos to Rogers ski traverse. Looks like it be perfect for lightweight BC XC or the lighter weight setup like the Rabb 68 ? Sorry for the newbie question but how come they are all in heavier AT gear setup ????

Because it’s in, but AT might not be a bad thing if it’s a high mountain traverse. Alpine snow transforms quickly. There isn’t much to block wind, or sun in the high alpine. Skiing that snow I would most likely be in a plastic boot, maybe TTS. I’m not sure, I don’t climb mountains like that, but I have skied that terrain and I know what the snow is like.

[freedom glider]

i too just ordered Ingstad WLs from REI. made the choice mostly due to the great info on this forum. they're due to arrive in about a week.

What size ingstad WL did you get and whats your height and weight ? Did you get any skins to go with it as well ?

yep - ordered a set of skins for the ingstads. will be my first experience with skins. my expectation is that its too much of a pita to install and remove skins all day long for climbs and descents - and that the skins would generally stay on for extended periods during conditions which warrant skin use.

reading more in this thread and others - am begining to doubt the choice of WL ingstads vs the BCs. consensus seems to be that asnes WL is not very grippy - good grio for climbs is important to me - really hate the "sliding back downhill" feeling and will give up some glide to avoid it.

does anyone here grip wax in front of an asnes WL patter to enhance grip on asnes WLs?

and if doing that - is there any advantage to having the WL pattern in addition to the grip wax?

at 6' tall and 210lbs with clothes and pack - any input for the WL vs BC choice on 205 ingstads?

thanks again for the help.

[fisheater]

Definitely high mountain alpine skiing and mountaineering. Serious terrain, serious consequences, serious skiing and mountaineering skills required. It can be done on Telemark gear if you’re an expert Telemark skier, however odds are your gear won’t be off the shelf. With AT gear you’re still an expert alpine skier, but you probably buy your gear of the shelf.
I enjoyed the video, thanks for sharing. Oh, to me that is plastic boot terrain. Especially adding multi days. The current AT boots are way lighter than what’s available in Telemark. That type of high mountain Telemark touring often utilizes assembled TTS bindings and customized boots. I know @jyw5 tours in the high mountains in NNN-BC gear. He makes gear decisions and has adapted to do things his way.

[fisheater]

i too just ordered Ingstad WLs from REI. made the choice mostly due to the great info on this forum. they're due to arrive in about a week.

What size ingstad WL did you get and whats your height and weight ? Did you get any skins to go with it as well ?

You can grip wax the entire ski with a hard wax like Swix Polar White including the scales. Grip waxing scales was a recent thread, shouldn’t be hard to search up.
The rest of the full length grip waxing can be found in Lilcliffy’s Grip Waxing thread in the Telewiki forum
yep - ordered a set of skins for the ingstads. will be my first experience with skins. my expectation is that its too much of a pita to install and remove skins all day long for climbs and descents - and that the skins would generally stay on for extended periods during conditions which warrant skin use.

reading more in this thread and others - am begining to doubt the choice of WL ingstads vs the BCs. consensus seems to be that asnes WL is not very grippy - good grio for climbs is important to me - really hate the "sliding back downhill" feeling and will give up some glide to avoid it.

does anyone here grip wax in front of an asnes WL patter to enhance grip on asnes WLs?

and if doing that - is there any advantage to having the WL pattern in addition to the grip wax?

at 6' tall and 210lbs with clothes and pack - any input for the WL vs BC choice on 205 ingstads?

thanks again for the help.

[jyw5]

Just watched this Patagonia film where 3 ladies went across 85 miles journey from the Canadian Bugaboos to Rogers ski traverse. Looks like it be perfect for lightweight BC XC or the lighter weight setup like the Rabb 68 ? Sorry for the newbie question but how come they are all in heavier AT gear setup ????

climbing gear needs to be functional, be warm, and be reliable. AT boots are warm enough for most lower elevation climbs and they are stiff and crampon compatible. The plastic boots are also tough and stiff enough to scramble up mixed rock, ice, and snow. Lighter weight xc setups have points of failure that are not acceptable for most climbs. Conditions as mentioned before can change drastically ...rendering lightweight performance skis completely useless. The bindings also need to be reliable. There are certain skis that do well as approach skis for these alpine climbs. One such ski was the discontinued Fischer S125. I have those mounted with old Silvretta bindings that are compatible with any boot that has crampon welts like AT boots, ice climbing boots, and mountaineering double boots. They are heavy but reliable and still the gold standard around the world for big mtn climbs...my buddy used a similar setup for Mt. Vinson in Antarctica in 2013...and has also used them on Denali. These are known as approach skis as they are usually used from base camp to the 1st camp and can be great especially on the return trip as it saves time and alot of energy.

Exceptions to this are those ultra athletes who wait for optimal conditions and can do a traverse or summit in under 24 hrs. These multiday trips compressed into 1 long fast and light journey...in which case, given optimal conditions, they will use skate skis or lightweight skimo gear. These are world class athletes with very different objectives. and most have immediate access to heli rescue...and a camera crew with assistance.

I wouldnt use any of my asnes ski setups for any winter/spring multiday trips in Alaska.

The magnum NNN BC Asnes setup with those Alfa polar boots with high gaiters and wool liners could be used in a multiday trip like the Svalbard Crossing. I have friends in Norway who did that. The terrain is mostly flat and no walking/climbing is involved.

Also, the liners in plastic boots often get wet and need to dry out overnight inside your sleeping bag...whereas, your leather NNNBC boots once wet will not as easily dry out.

AT bindings and old Silvretta bindings also have ski crampon options that NNN BC does not have. These are extremely important on steep hard icy slopes.

[Dxmetal]

Man, Asnes just makes gorgeous skis !! This just got in today but I'm afraid it's a bit light for my weight. It is also much flexier skis vs the FT62 and Rabb68

[Woodserson]

I would just pull the trigger on:
#1 - 195 Nansen, or;
#2 - 195 Ingstad.

Stephen gave you solid advice, here.


Edit: I hate to be that guy... But he did lay it out pretty straightforward.

[Dxmetal]

My evolutionary journey. On my own without all your advice and help, I would've ducked with the Rabb 68 at 172cm. Got the Ingstad WL185cm next and finally the 195cm Ingstad WL just got in today and now already at REI to get the viole 75mm mounted. Thank god REI was so awesome in taking the 3x skis back without any hassle. Sidenofe: REI is now sold out of the 195cm Ingstad WL.

Even though I missed awesome opportunity to ski last week where we got dumped by a major snow storm, but I'm really Thankful for all the input I have gotten from all of you here. REI should have my 195cm Ingstad and Voile 3 pin mounted and ready to go this Friday. Guess what I am doing this weekend and will be coming back for more questions and wisdom.

[Woodserson]

My evolutionary journey. On my own without all your advice and help, I would've ducked with the Rabb 68 at 172cm. Got the Ingstad WL185cm next and finally the 195cm Ingstad WL just got in today and now already at REI to get the viole 75mm mounted. Thank god REI was so awesome in taking the 3x skis back without any hassle. Sidenofe: REI is now sold out of the 195cm Ingstad WL.

Even though I missed awesome opportunity to ski last week where we got dumped by a major storm, but I'm really Thankful for all the input I have gotten from all of you here. REI should have everthing mounted and ready to go this Friday. Guess what I am doing this weekend and will be coming back for more questions and wisdom.

20220105_135327.jpg

Oh PHEW
I thought you were gonna get screwed inventory wise. Glad it worked out for you.

[Dxmetal]

They were emphatic when I explained I felt bad because I had ordered everthing in fear of being out of stock. On other news, this also just got in.